After his serious crash in Valencia, Espargaro was reunited with his Honda RC213V for the last test of the 2021 calendar.
Still feeling somewhat uncomfortable, Pol Espargaro was back on track as preparations for the 2022 MotoGP World Championship season began in Jerez. The Thursday after the last Grand Prix of the year was the first of two days on the Andalusian racetrack before the winter testing ban begins. Espargaro’s running focused on two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Today’s program focused on getting Espargaro comfortable and confident again after his fall in Valencia. On Friday, Espargaro will focus more on future developments that Honda HRC has prepared for the 2022 season.
After a total of 45 laps, the # 44 went through a series of test tasks alongside Alex Marquez and Takaaki Nakagami. A best time of 1’38.165 brought Espargaro to 13th overall, but lap times were not the focus.
Takaaki Nakagami finished the first day of testing as the leading Honda and Thursday’s fastest driver. Nakagami put a 1: 37.313 as he evaluated options for the 2022 Honda RC213V.