2023-11-10 19:16:24
Day to forget what Aleix Espargaró has experienced in Sepang, home of the Malaysian Grand Prix, where the Catalan has not managed to qualify for Q2. The Aprilia rider had several scares and falls during the first day, all of them without consequences and for which he assures that he knows perfectly well the reason for them.
The Granollers rider was scary in the first free practice session, where he crashed in the last corner of the circuit and when trying to get back on the bike It released a great flame. The Catalan didn’t think twice and quickly went to the pits to go out again with the second bike after leaving us one of the images of the day.
At the end of the day, Espargaró wanted to reassure and acknowledged that he only has a few small scratches, something he considers normal after suffering four falls in the same day: “I got some stitches in my elbow, but it was much more painful when they put them in than the crash. “My fingers hurt quite a bit, but after three falls in the second practice I can say that I’m pretty good.”
Maverick Viñales’ teammate has pointed out that his problems on the RS-GP are especially due to an element that they have chosen for circuits like Sepang, where the long straights and heavy braking they need to use a different fork than the conventional one and which is used in three Grand Prix during the season.
What a nice image ????????@AleixEspargaro He fell to the ground and an explosion set his motorcycle on fire just as he approached it ???? Shock!#MalaysianGP ???????? #MotoGP ???? pic.twitter.com/6JP3VKZBfw
— DAZN Spain (@DAZN_ES) November 10, 2023
On this occasion they once again opted for a long-travel fork from Ohlins, which has not given him a good feeling with his bike in any Grand Prix: “The three accidents in the afternoon were exactly the same. For the third time this season I tried the Ohlins long fork. It is a fork that only official drivers have, and I tried it in America on Friday and I didn’t like it, so I took it off.”
“I had that fork on both bikes today and the four falls were almost identical,” has pointed out the eldest of the Espargaró brothers, who has assured that with this fork he does not have the same stability as the one he usually uses every weekend, so he will return to the base configuration: “The first one had nothing to do with it, because I went off the track, but the other three, which were already going fast, when I release the brake, the fork recovers too much height, I’m left without feeling in the front axle and my steering is closed, but I’m not too worried, because I know that tomorrow with the standard fork I will be fine.”
The problems he had today with his bike have meant that #41 cannot be in the leading positions or get through to Q2, having to settle for 20th place in practice almost two seconds from first position. Of course, the veteran rider hopes to improve his sensations with the Italian motorcycle during Saturday’s day.
The one from Noale’s firm has pointed out that he has to allow himself to falter in a season in which he has been competitive from the beginning, so this result will not take its toll on him: “I think it isIt’s the first Friday of the season that I’m not in the top ten“, and that also speaks of the speed we have had during the year, which I am happy with, but I think that tomorrow we will be fighting for the first two rows,” concluded Aleix Espargaró.
#Black #Friday #Aleix #Espargaró #falls #Sepang