Pol Espargaro admitted it took a ‘long talk’ with KTM before being convinced to step back from full-time MotoGP racing to test and wild-card duties in 2024.
‘It was KTM's issue and KTM solved it’. That was Jack Miller’s assessment of the Austrian factory’s announcement that rookie Pedro Acosta will replace Pol Espargaro in MotoGP next season.
With the race distance reduced due to the extreme Indian heat, and even a fully fit Jorge Martin struggling with dehydration, spare a thought for Pol Espargaro, still far from peak physical condition following extensive injuries at the Portimao MotoGP season-opener.
On an Indian MotoGP weekend when Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi pulled over 20-points from Francesco Bagnaia, KTM’s Brad Binder had to settle for just a ten-point gain on the title leader.
Wild-card star Dani Pedrosa came within 0.7s of his first MotoGP podium since 2017 at Misano as he put the new carbon fibre KTM chassis in the wheeltracks of reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia.
Ivan Ortola shook off his fall earlier in the day to position himself perfectly to take pole during a late scrap in qualifying for the Moto3 Catalan Grand Prix.
Pol Espargaro thought he had finished as the second-best KTM after holding off Tech3 team-mate Augusto Fernandez and passing Jack Miller on the final lap of the Austrian MotoGP.
After losing out on the holeshot to Francesco Bagnaia in both Red Bull Ring races, Brad Binder was certain Ducati has developed something new for their MotoGP race starts.
Full Qualifying results and grid line-up for the Saturday Sprint and main Sunday race at the Austrian MotoGP at the Red Bull Ring, round 10 of 20 in the 2023 world championship.