Espargaro: “I had many struggles”

As with many riders, Aleix Espargaro encountered rear tyre issues that saw him struggle in the latter stages of the Australian GP.

It was a difficult Pramac Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix for Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Aleix Espargaro, The opening laps saw Espargaro battle hard to stay with the leading riders, the Spaniard making a good start from eighth. But after just five or six laps he encountered issues with his rear tyre which began to spin and destroyed his acceleration out of corners. This was particularly problematic when exiting the final corner onto the fast main straight, riders able to slip past him with ease. Try as he might, Espargaro was eventually passed by brother Pol (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), crossing the line in ninth.

With 88 World Championship points, Aleix Espargaro maintains 11th in the championship and holds a four point lead over teammate Maverick Viñales as they battle to end the year as top Suzuki. A top ten finish in the World Championship is still achievable as Pol Espargaro is just 12 points ahead of his older brother. The Malaysian GP is next up as the triple header flyway rounds come to a close.

Aleix Espargaro: “This was a tough race, I had a good start and I could perform well during the early laps, keeping in touch with the leading group. Unfortunately, after five or six laps, the rear tyre dropped in performance and I had many struggles with wheel-spinning, preventing my bike from accelerating properly. It is a pity because, overall, the weekend was positive for us, we made many improvements after Japan and I hoped to be able to fight higher in the classification. Anyway it is also important that we found some new solutions and we will continue with this approach.”