Espargaró again fastest CRT rider and taking over the lead in CRT standings
What is likely to be the final Portuguese MotoGP race for a while was pushed forward to a mid-schedule slot on the Sunday lineup, thanks to the time difference used by Portugal with respect to the regular Grand Prix timetable. Coming hot on the heels of last weekend’s Spanish GP, the race at Estoril followed much the same script. Casey Stoner won from Jorge Lorenzo, with Dani Pedrosa in third place. The trip had broken away at the beginning of the contest, maintaining their positions until the end.
POWER ELECTRONICS ASPAR riders Aleix Espargaró and Randy de Puniet achieved a fantastic CRT double at Estoril, placing 12th and 13th overall. Espargaró was once again in fine form and had increased confidence onboard his ART machine. The Spaniard set off from twelfth place and held onto the position thanks to an improvement in pace as the race went on. Espargaró was the top CRT rider for the second weekend in a row, and he is now the best of the new class with a World Championship total of nine points.
The next round of the World Championship is the French Grand Prix at Le Mans.
12th Aleix Espargaró: “I am very happy. I was riding well on the ART and am delighted to be part of this POWER ELECTRONICS ASPAR team. We have improved so much since Qatar and Jerez –yesterday we were the fastest CRT and very close to the Ducatis. I thought that I could catch Abraham in the race and I was battling with Randy a lot today, but I had a little more pace in me this time. We can see that the non-CRTs are making the most of their new tyres at the start of the race and breaking away. Over ten or twelve laps things even out, but by then the race has already taken shape. Our race is our own though. I am clear about wanting to be the best CRT rider this season, so when I found out that Randy was going to be my teammate I knew that it would be tough to fight against him. Today he was very fatigued, admittedly. To lead the way in the CRT standings sounds strange, but we are working well.”
Source: Aspar Team