Pol Espargaro makes the top 3 on the opening day of Qatar testing

Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team’s Pol Espargaro continued his impressive pre-season today at the Losail Circuit, Qatar.

This week’s test, in which only the Satellite and Open Class MotoGP riders are attending, marks the final testing session before the start of the MotoGP season on the 23rd of March.

Reigning Moto2 World Champion Pol again furthered his impressive transition from the intermediate class to the top category.

Completing 62 laps, the young Spanish rider worked relentlessly, together with the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team, in getting as much track time as possible before the opening round later this month.

Having only ridden the Yamaha YZR-M1 at Sepang this year, the change of location to Qatar and the cooler conditions allowed him to expand his knowledge of the MotoGP bike and ride more comfortably.

Espargaro set a best time of 1:56.072, and finished the session in 3rd place, only 0.686 of a second off the quickest lap time.

The next testing session commences tomorrow at 16:00 until 23:00 at the Losail Circuit, Qatar (local time – GMT +3).

Pol Espargaro – 1:56.072 – 3rd:
“I am very happy with how today went, as it was my first time here on a MotoGP bike. I am pleased to be riding somewhere other than Sepang, as it allows me to explore the bike more. There is still a lot to learn, and the main aim during the next 2 days is to make me ride a bit smoother as this is how the Yamaha goes fast. I am still fighting a bit too much with the bike, but I need to become one with it, which is what I am going to work on. Overall, the bike worked well today and the team helped me a lot with adapting to this circuit so quickly.”

Source: Tech3 Communications