Aleix Espargaro receives “unexpected” Ducati MotoGP gift

Three-time MotoGP race winner Aleix Espargaro has been gifted the fairing from the 2010 Ducati he raced for the Pramac team in his first full season in the premier class.

The 36-year-old Spaniard made his MotoGP debut in 2009 with the Pramac squad, after being called up to replace Mika Kallio for the Indianapolis and San Marino Grands Prix.

Kallio was brought up to the factory Ducati squad to fill in for the absent Casey Stoner, with Aleix Espargaro finishing 13th and 11th in his first two outings.

Espargaro returned for Malaysia and Valencia at the end of the 2009 season as Niccolo Canepa’s replacement, before signing for Pramac full-time in 2010.

He managed a best of eighth twice that year, though returned to Moto2 in 2011 before stepping back up to MotoGP in 2012 with the Aspar squad on a CRT-spec Aprilia.

Espargaro posted on his social media channels over the weekend that former Esponsorama Racing owner Raul Romero had gifted him the fairing from his 2010 Pramac Ducati.

He said this will go into his personal museum, which features bikes and memorabilia from his racing career. 

The Spaniard raced for Romero’s team in the 125cc and 250cc categories.

Esponsorama Racing, also known as Avintia, pulled out of MotoGP at the end of the 2021 season.

Espargaro spent two years with Aspar in MotoGP in 2012 and 2013, before moving to Forward Yamaha, where he achieved his first podium in that year’s Aragon Grand Prix.

He helped spearhead Suzuki’s return in 2015 and 2016, before signing for Aprilia in 2017.

Espargaro transformed Aprilia into a race-winning package during his tenure, scoring his and the brand’s first MotoGP victory in 2022.

He scored a further two in 2023, before calling time on his MotoGP career at the end of the 2024 season.

Espargaro signed for Honda last winter to become one of its official test riders and made five grands prix appearances in 2025.