Aleix Espargaró expects even better at Misano

A good showing from Aleix Espargaró on his debut MotoGP weekend saw the Catalan rider soon get to grips with the Desmosedici GP9 Sat in practice on Friday and Saturday, before producing a decent performance in the race to cross the line in 13th place and pick up three points.

That he had not qualified in last place and that he managed to beat regular MotoGP rider Gabor Talmacsi in the race despite an early off-track excursion speaks volumes for the 20 year-old, who made history as the youngest ever Spanish rider to compete in a premier class contest.

It was a great day for the older Espargaró, with his younger brother Pol joining him on the grid before the MotoGP race having himself triumphed in the 125cc race earlier in the afternoon.

Afterwards Espargaró commented, “I started the race really well, but after only a few corners I was stuck in a group of riders and I couldn’t manage to avoid Toni Elías. I am very sorry about that because Toni is a good friend of mine. Anyway, I managed to get back on track quickly, but it wasn't easy to ride alone.”

The Pramac Racing replacement rider continued, “I tried to maintain a good rhythm and at the end I got three points in my first MotoGP race, which is not so bad. Now I know the bike a bit better and I believe we can do much better in Misano on a circuit that I particularly like.”