Pol Espargaro credited a chance encounter with Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta, "the present and future of MotoGP," for helping secure a shock Q2 place at Misano. The KTM test rider, competing in his third event as a stand-in for the injured Maverick Vinales, qualified just 21st and 20th at his previous two outings while readapting to the 1000cc/Michelin machine.
But Espargaro is now guaranteed to start no lower than 12th after snatching ninth in Friday Practice, less than 0.2s behind leading KTM star Pedro Acosta.
"It was crazy!" Espargaro said of his Qualifying 2 feat. "When I did the first time-attack it was impossible for me to improve it. I actually told Manu, my technician, 'It feels so, so fast, and dangerous'. I felt like I was over the limit all the time. But then I went back on track with Pedro in front, and thanks to him I did what I did. And in front of Pedro was Marcg. I said, 'Oh God, save me', you know! And then I could make it. It was an amazing feeling, an amazing experience. I've been racing for many, many years, but when these things happen, like being behind Marc and Pedro, the present and future of MotoGP, as a fan of MotoGP, it was an insane feeling. It was so, so nice."
Espargaro explained that the benefit of following another rider depends heavily on who is ahead. "Yeah [the turbulence] makes it harder, but it depends on which rider you are following. Pedro is a guy who brakes so late, but is so smooth and nice on his lines and always braking so much on the limit that you just need to copy, let's say. If you have someone in front that maybe is going to make a mistake - and it happened to me for example in Aragon. I went behind several riders, and I did not make a good lap until I was behind Fabio Quartararo. Because he was smooth, braking on the limit, opening the lines, being super nice with the bike on the throttle, not making crazy movements. I knew that behind Pedro today, I could make it. And it's thanks to him."
Espargaro, who had been focused on KTM's 850cc/Pirelli prototype before the Tech3 call-up, also revealed a significant change to his riding position. "The category keeps changing every year, and I figured out that riding how I normally ride the bike was not useful anymore," said the former KTM and Honda podium finisher. "I figured this out in Aragon. And actually, from Aragon to here, I changed my tank spacers to put me a little bit more backwards on the bike. It's the first time in my career that I put something there. And this is because we realised that riding with our bike more backwards helps on stopping, on traction. This shows that the way I've been always riding, putting so much pressure in front, is not useful anymore. You need to change your way of braking, opening the lines, and turning."
Changes to this year's KTM aero package have also forced Espargaro to adapt his riding style. "From last year to this year, we took out a lot of downforce," he explained. "This makes it harder to brake and open the lines, but I'm enjoying it. It's a new challenge."
With this result, Espargaro is guaranteed to start no lower than 12th in the Misano race. This performance proves that adaptation and experience still speak volumes at the highest level.
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