Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Aleix Espargaro announced that he will be joining the Factory Aprilia team for the 2017 and 2018 seasons as part of a two year deal signed recently. The news came out at the end of the Dutch TT in Assen.
The 26 year old Spaniard worked through the ranks, getting into MotoGP with Pramac Ducati as Mika Kallio's replacement when he filled in Casey Stoner's shoes back in 2009, joining the team for a full season in 2010. After a sabbatical year of riding in Moto2 with Pons Kalex, he joined the Aspar team in 2012 riding an Aprilia CRT machine alongside French veteran Randy de Puniet Espargaro. He then moved to the Forward racing Yamaha team in 2014, which used a FTR-chassis and Yamaha’s YZR-M1 engines. He stayed with the Swiss team for one season until Suzuki roped him in to partner Moto2 graduate Maverick Vinales on the Suzuki GSX-RR.
Espargaro is known to perform well with the machinery in hand, dominating the CRT (Claiming rules team) class in 2012 and 2013 with ART machinery and decimating teams to the likes of Avintia- Blusens BMW. He was the 2014 open class champion on the Forward Yamaha, claiming the only pole position set by an Open class bike (at Assen 2014) and was on the podium at Aragon in the same season. He earned Suzuki their first pole position on their return to GP racing at Catalunya 2015 .
Espargaro’s announcement fills all the slots in the six factory teams (Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, Ducati, Aprilia and KTM), with all the other teams announcing their line-ups before the halfway stage.
By: Suraj
*** Source: Aleix Espargaro (Facebook)
The 26 year old Spaniard worked through the ranks, getting into MotoGP with Pramac Ducati as Mika Kallio's replacement when he filled in Casey Stoner's shoes back in 2009, joining the team for a full season in 2010. After a sabbatical year of riding in Moto2 with Pons Kalex, he joined the Aspar team in 2012 riding an Aprilia CRT machine alongside French veteran Randy de Puniet Espargaro. He then moved to the Forward racing Yamaha team in 2014, which used a FTR-chassis and Yamaha’s YZR-M1 engines. He stayed with the Swiss team for one season until Suzuki roped him in to partner Moto2 graduate Maverick Vinales on the Suzuki GSX-RR.
Espargaro is known to perform well with the machinery in hand, dominating the CRT (Claiming rules team) class in 2012 and 2013 with ART machinery and decimating teams to the likes of Avintia- Blusens BMW. He was the 2014 open class champion on the Forward Yamaha, claiming the only pole position set by an Open class bike (at Assen 2014) and was on the podium at Aragon in the same season. He earned Suzuki their first pole position on their return to GP racing at Catalunya 2015 .
Espargaro’s announcement fills all the slots in the six factory teams (Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, Ducati, Aprilia and KTM), with all the other teams announcing their line-ups before the halfway stage.
By: Suraj