Quick in wet and dry conditions, Pol Espargaro is determined to give the Spanish fans something to cheer for this weekend in Valencia.
Just as the MotoGP World Championship was preparing for its first foretaste of the Ricardo Tormo Circuit, it began to rain around the Valencia circuit. As the morning went on, Pol Espargaro dared to examine his Honda RC213V in the wet. A productive morning led to the ninth fastest time, 0.731 seconds behind the front, and provided Espargaro and the Repsol Honda team with valuable information. Forecasts assume the rest of the weekend will be dry.
In the afternoon, Espargaro was able to show his speed around Valencia in improved conditions – one of his favorite routes on the calendar. The # 44 improved its pace with every run on the track and set a best time of 1’30.939 for second place overall. 0.012 seconds behind Bagnaia, the Repsol Honda Team rider put even more pressure to overcome this gap on his final lap of FP2, but suffered a fall at Turn 6. Espargaro walked away without injury. Flanked by both factory Ducati machines in the overall standings, the trio seems to have an early lead over the competition, 0.4 seconds behind the fourth-placed Rins.
Free practice 3 at 09:55 local time on Saturday, November 13, will give Pol Espargaro another opportunity to defend his Q2 transfer spot before battling for spots later in the day.