The rise and rise of Aprilia
That first win is getting ever closer...
Aprilia winning in MotoGP? That would have seemed an absurd notion until recently. But fantasy is nearing reality after Aleix Espargaro came tantalisingly close to starting 2022 with a podium in Qatar.
The Spaniard finished only 2.242s behind winner Enea Bastianini on a fast-improving RS-GP that finally looks a serious rival to the established elite in MotoGP.
That deficit to the winner has never been narrower in the modern fourstroke era and Espargaro was only 0.9s away from just Aprilia’s second MotoGP podium.
It was the closest Aprilia has been to a premier class win since Jeremy McWilliams was third and only 0.9s back from the winner at Donington Park’s British Grand Prix way back in 2002 – a whole two decades ago.
Another lap and it’s likely the 32-year-old would have denied younger sibling Pol a podium, with the Repsol Honda rider at the mercy of fast fading rear grip.
A narrower and lighter RS-GP has improving speed and stability in fast corners and that helped Espargaro pass and then impressively ride away from Marc Marquez and Joan Mir.
You can count on one hand the number of times that’s happened before in the premier class.
Espargaro said: “It’s not easy to overtake Mir and Marquez and this shows I’m very strong.”
The Spaniard is the only rider on this year’s grid that hasn’t won at least one Grand Prix. Yet that unwanted statistic might be erased soon.
Espargaro is only two appearances
‘O e taking Ma ue sho s I’m e y st ong’
from reaching 200 in MotoGP, yet he’s only mustered two podiums. Hardly a strike rate that suggests he’ll suddenly start carving his way to the podium on a frequent basis.
This is a different Espargaro and different Aprilia though and he added: “It’s the first time in my career I have the weapons to fight. My selfconfidence is higher than ever, but you always have some doubts before the first race.”