Aleix Espargaró achieved his first victory in the World Championship last Sunday and also the first for Aprilia in the premier class, which makes him part of the history of the Noale house.
After many years of work and suffering, the Italian bike, which came to MotoGP in 2015, was able to add its first great success, the result of mutual trust between the rider and the brand’s engineers.
“Without a doubt, the trust we have in each other is one of our strengths, you always have to believe. Before I thought I could win and now I know I can win, I’ve always been positive and I’ve had the feeling for two years that I’m riding better than ever , when I said that I was one of those who was driving the best, it is that I felt that way, surely all the pilots think so, but I did not say it for no reason”.
“But it’s not enough just to have that feeling, you need to have a good bike and this year Aprilia has brought me a very good bike, because of the speed we have I think it will be a good year for us”.
In Indonesian qualifying, the oldest of the Espargarós was asked who was going to win a MotoGP race first, him or his brother Pol, and Aleix had no doubts when he said it was going to be him. Something he knew in that moment that he didn’t share.
“Already in the preseason I felt very strong, he was able to be very strong on different circuits every day, not just one lap, with a very good pace. In Qatar I had the feeling, and I still do, that it was the fastest of all and I didn’t take advantage of it, I didn’t have a good race. A fourth is always good, you score points, but I had much more level than I did.
“In Indonesia I had pace if it wasn’t for the rain, I also had options to win, I saw it very close, I had more speed than ever in my life. In Argentina, which is not my Aragón, the last time I ran there I finished tenth , but this year is different, I have the speed and the Aprilia is working very well. All the ingredients were there and it was just a matter of putting them together”.
At 32 years old, Aleix ends his contract at the end of the course and is waiting to start negotiations to renew with Aprilia, which, in Indonesia, has already communicated its interest in doing so.
“I would like to continue for two more years, above all to be fair to myself, I have been here for many years suffering and fighting to be among the top ten and now that I am one of the best I think I deserve to enjoy the moment and race for two more years”.
“We haven’t started talking to Aprilia yet, but I hope and wish that they value my work and the level I have now and offer me the contract that I think I deserve. I think everything is going to move quite a bit this year, all the riders finish contract this year and I think that when we start the races in Europe the movements will begin”, he assured.
Having never been fighting for a victory in his entire career, he was surprised by the good management that the Aprilia driver did in Termas.
“I also surprised myself a bit, in the time trial I was very calm, on Saturday I had no nerves, I had a lot of self-confidence and already on Saturday afternoon I told the team, in the technical meeting, that such clear match points were not I’ve never had one like it in my career, tomorrow I’m going to win. They all looked at each other as if asking for calm”.
“I was expecting a very different race, Jorge (Martín) surprised me, he was very competitive at the beginning, but I managed it well, I knew I had more. The last sections of the last lap I was very, very nervous, in the last corner I couldn’t braking well, I had no tact, but during the race I think I handled it quite well,” he explained.
For Aleix Espargaró, Sunday’s victory is more of a reward than getting rid of a slab.
“It was not an obsession to win, no. I am a very lucky boy, my dream was to have a family, I have it and it is impressive, I work on what is my passion, I also ride a bicycle, arrive first at the finish line in a race or no, it doesn’t change anything, but I knew I could do it now and that has given me a lot of confidence in myself to do it.”
After the victory, he pointed out that something great could be achieved in Valencia, such as running for the title.
“I feel within me that we have a very good technical package, I am riding at a great level, we have won and lead the World Championship, the championship is very open, there is no clear favourite, I am not thinking about the title, but I said that in Valencia We can do something big because I think the season can be good and we can fight for something important”.
Finally, Aleix Espargaró highlighted the work in Noale.
“What has changed the most in Aprilia is the order, with Massimo (Rivalo) new people arrived, but in Noale we already had very good people, but what changed was the order, Romano (Albesiano) had to do too many things before, when He has focused only on development, he has been able to make a winning bike”, settled the rider from Granollers.
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