Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) took a three pronged approach to the test in Barcelona, working on tyres, electronics and suspension. Michelin had brought four tyres, one front and three rears, for riders to asses with Espargaro praising the improved stability and less drop off. In terms of suspension, Espargaro focused on the rear shock as he worked on improving rear grip. Work on both the tyres and suspension showed promising signs for the coming rounds. A crash did upset his work rate slightly, but Espargaro was unharmed in the fall. A best time of 1'45,835 saw him end 13th overall, not worrying about a fast lap time but still able to match the pace of his teammate.
Pol Espargaro: “Overall, the test was successful and we can leave here feeling pleased with what we discovered. We worked on the tyres, the clutch and suspension settings, but the main area of focus was to try to improve the rear grip which was our weakness this weekend and we have made good progress even if I didn’t really go for a fast single lap time. With regards to the tyres, I sampled one new option and I ran ten consistent laps on it. It felt really good because there was stability at the beginning of a run and the drop off was not big, similarly to the medium option. We collected some good information and the best improvements are the traction and the increased stability, which is key.
”I don’t know exactly when this tyre will be introduced, but my feedback is positive. For the suspension, we adjusted the rear shock as we had a lack of grip on the rear, so I tried three settings and found some encouraging results. Considering that we were already competitive yesterday, I am now confident that I can be even stronger because of today’s outcome. I am pleased with the race performance because it was the first time that we were competing with the front guys so we deserved our result here and with the knowledge that we have gained, the team and I are optimistic for Assen.”