Espargaro second after tough last-lap battle, Rabat happy with 5th, Pons finishes 17th
Pol Espargaró took second position at the San Marino Grand Prix after a spectacular duel with Marc Márquez until the finish line. For the Pons 40 HP Tuenti rider it’s already the eighth podium of the 2012 season and it strengthens his second position in the championship standings.
Tito Rabat also had a decent race, finishing in fifth place and moving up to eighth position in the championship.
Axel Pons followed the good line he found in the Czech Grand Prix and only in the final moments of the race he lost out on points.
2. POL ESPARGARÓ “I did a great race and it only missed the finish with a victory. I think the duel with Marc excited the fans and I hope in the next one the victory will be mine. They stopped the race and reduced the number of laps which made it almost a sprint and I would have preferred it to go all the way to the end and that the battle would have been with used tyres. Passing Marc and Tito I lost a little bit of time and then I had to push a lot to close up to Iannone. When I passed him I prepared to try and escape, but Marc couldn’t be shaken off and in the end he won the battle. I congratulate him for his triumph, although I think that sometimes he doesn’t have to be quite as aggressive. I always try to be fair when passing and other riders don’t pay me back in kind.”
5. TITO RABAT “After several races with problems with the setup and performing below expectations, this time I can be satisfied. I returned to the front, being second at some points and fighting off the attacks from Pol and Marquez and only lacking a bit of confidence when braking kept me from staying with the group and fighting for the podium. I would have liked to follow the leading trio, like I did in the first races of the year, but the step forward is important and I hope to continue like this in the next races.”
17. AXEL PONS “I think I did a good race and only a few mistakes at the end kept me from being back in the points. I’m happy, because in the race we followed the good path we started in Brno, although this time I couldn’t top it off with a better result. We have to keep working to be in the top 15 and I’m convinced that with a bit of luck and success we can do that in Motorland.”
Source: Pons Racing Press Release