Aleix Espargaro a famous winner in Argentina
Aleix Espargaro is a very well known winner as some commented from his fellow riders on the podium. There was a real warmth as both Jorge Martin and Alex Rins rose from their chairs to hug their friend, rival and Andorra resident.
Jorge Martin – P2
“Aleix gave me a home, he gave me food, he gave me a place to train when I had nothing, because he knew I came from a really humble family, so he helped me a lot in the past with all my career, spending. a lot of time with me and made me a better racer so it was the best thing today with his win and I’m sure we’ll have a beer then. ”
Alex Rins – P3
“I’m very happy for Aleix because what Jorge said is true, Aleix is a really nice guy, and when I came to Andorra in 2017, he’s been alive for two years and we’re training together. So I’m very happy for him and his family, he deserves this first place. ”
As for the winner himself, he expanded in his comments and responses during the post-race press conference.
Aleix Espargaro
“I made a few mistakes then I recovered, I played a lot with the electronics, with the engine brakes and traction control trying to save as much tires as I could in the last four laps. . But because Jorge was brave, he led the harder part of the race, showing everyone the pace and the track as they say today is very difficult..
“I think throughout my career I’ve always tried and respected my opponent when trying to get a clean and even pass with a friend, so you know we showed today. you can pass a few times, no problem, you don’t need to touch each other. But even if he touches me a little like he did in the last race, this is the race, this is great, when you’re fighting to win sometimes it’s not easy.
“A lot has changed since I came to Aprilia six years ago, basically three years ago when Massimo [Rivola] to Aprilia Racing the organization changed a lot, before Romano Albesiano was in charge of most of the things, Paolo Bonora was the electronics boss, so Massimo started to change a bit the organization at Noale, the way they work. Romano started to focus more on the development of the bike, he is the father of the bike and he has proven that he is a very good engineer, but sometimes you need to focus on the work. his job. Romano proved it because the RS-GP 2022 is currently one of the best bikes in the world, so I think Massimo’s organization is the key, definitely the potential is there, the resources have increased up in the last year and they’ve brought in more engineers, because otherwise it wouldn’t be possible. But the people who started the project are still working here, and that’s what makes me very, very happy and at the same time makes me very proud..
“I remember very well when I was at Suzuki with the Maverick, and I ended up there because I wasn’t competitive enough and Aprilia called me, and I was clearly not at the top of the list of fast racers, but no one. even go there. I mean fast riders don’t want to go there, nobody believes in the project, so from day one I said I’m going to try to make this bike win and get the bike to the top. highest mind, and I never expected it to lose me. It took a long time, but we finally made it.
“Even three years ago we were trying to convince some young riders to come and they said – they’re at Moto2 – they said they wanted to wait for another bike. So this makes me hungrier, gives me extra motivation, because you will remember this day is not a good day in your life, when you say no to Aprilia. So now I’m happy and yesterday with pole, Sam Lowes, Andrea Iannone, Scott Redding and all the riders I raced Aprilia with all texted me and was very happy for me and Aprilia, because they know how hard it was, they know how far the bike has gone before and the level we are showing now i think is good.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done, but I think now the young riders at Moto2 and Moto3 are starting to take Aprilia’s project more seriously as an option for the future and I think that’s great for the sport too. , for championships like there are so many strong manufacturers, as you can almost win on any bike. This year KTM wins, Ducati wins, Aprilia wins, Honda is strong, Suzuki is also strong with this pair of riders, and Yamaha is the reigning world champion.
“We know from last year post-Covid we obviously have the edge, Aprilia has the edge, it’s the most underrated bike, but with the work we’ve done, we’re closer . So we know that the level of the six manufacturers is very high and the six manufacturers have very strong drivers, so I think that’s great for the sport. It was tough in the past with only two manufacturers fighting to win, now you have six bikes and six men fighting, so I think that’s awesome.
“My wife wasn’t here with me on such a special day, but before the race I spoke to Max and she told me, in Qatar before the race, you told me you were strong and You can give me a trophy and you can’t. . You didn’t give me a trophy so try and get yourself one this time. So I said I was going to give my best and when I got through that checkered flag to win that was the first thing that came to my mind, the twins and Laura, as you know every racer is different, some riders just need a friend by their side. , or to have a professional team, to me the most important thing in the world is my wife and my two children. They are all I need and they are my strength and I really want them here today, but thanks to technology I was able to talk to Laura after the race and we are very happy..
“Pol has a completely different personality from mine, and I know how hard it is for him after a setback or collision, and he comes to me, he almost cries, he knows how much I struggled. like throughout his career, for him it was a joy to win championships and win races, but he knew that I also had a winning personality and also worked He worked very hard on this, so today I think his bump was a little less painful. I’m sad for him, because he did a great job competing for the podium with Alex (Rins), so it’s a pity I love Alex, but it would be nice to have Pol on the podium too. He came to me to congratulate me, which is also very good.
“It’s definitely not easy but not everyone can win so I always try and work hard, for me I can’t be sad for long, as long as I have a dream life, a job It’s my passion, I’m well paid. I have a super beautiful family, I have a life that almost all kids dream of. If I didn’t win, I would have struggled a lot, but that’s my job, so I’m always happy to be here and it’s obviously not easy in some stages, because you feel like you riding well, many times in my career. not fast enough, but there were also years when I was very strong and I couldn’t reach my potential because I didn’t have a bike. But it is how it is. This is a job, I always work very hard, and eventually the rest will come. Some riders can win titles very young and then disappear a few years back home, we have so many examples of Moto3 and 125 that they are no longer here. To me it’s the opposite, I’m like red wine. So I will try and get all the good results that I didn’t get when I was young.
“Definitely put your feet on the ground. This year’s championship is a long way off, but yeah if we don’t make any mistakes we’ll be on the podium every weekend and I’ll give my best, I’m more focused than ever. over. Very happy for today, but thinking of America, Portugal, I really want to continue the momentum. I’m definitely at the end of my career because I’m 32 years old so I want to finish as best I can..
“Obviously it’s very difficult at times, but when I say that Laura my wife is the best help I’ve ever had, I’m not just saying, it’s true, she was able to do a very difficult thing, when I got home she supported me a lot unconditionally. Before, I remember coming home and couldn’t help thinking about Sunday’s failure, but the past three or four years, to her and the kids, they’ve been my strength and they’ve given me so much. . the positive energy that finally, i am riding, i feel like three years ago i ride well but now i have this positive mind and the good bike has clearly given me some help help, and that’s the key. The race is not easy, because since this morning everyone is saying that you have a lot of speed and will win easily, and I say yes, I will win very easily and you know racing is racing, I know that some riders have a lot of speed and I also know that Jorge starting from second place is a killer. I know it was very difficult for him, 100%. I tried to enjoy the moment of being first in the net after my tower and I thought to myself if you can enjoy cycling to 12th, 14th, what are you worried about? ? You are very strong, go out there and have fun, if you come in second or third it will be a very good race. I think I managed in a very good way, Jorge and Alex have been winning since they were 10 and dealing with this situation has not been easy for me but I think I did it the right way. pretty good.. ”
I don’t know of any riders who aren’t happy about your win and it’s not easy… ..
Alex: “I like your question because it’s one of the things that makes me happier, like I said, winning won’t change my life, everyone says you have to win, but I’m very happy with my life. this won’t change anything in my life, but to see how everyone reacts, per team and yesterday, you can’t imagine how many messages i’ve received from everyone, all my friends, paddock, this is very important, because it means everyone loves me. I think that’s very important because when you finally come home and retire people will remember you as a person and for me that is very important. So I want to thank everyone in this stadium and all the people behind the screen who are cheering for my win because they know it’s hard for me to win, so thank you. thanks everyone.”
