INTERNATIONAL: Aleix Espargaro claimed his maiden Moto GP win at the Argentine Grand Prix on Sunday 3rd April, to move to the top of the championship after an intense ride which also gave Aprilia their first ever victory in the Moto GP era..
Aleix Espargaro claimed his maiden Moto GP win at the Argentine Grand Prix on Sunday (April 3) to move to the top of the championship after an intense ride which also gave Aprilia their first ever victory in the Moto GP era.
Pole sitter Espargaro, competing in his 200th Moto GP race, was overtaken before the first turn after Pramac's Jorge Martin had a perfect launch off the line as both riders managed to get away and built a two-second gap on the rest of the field.
The two traded places repeatedly at the front but Espargaro finally reclaimed the lead when he made an overtaking move stick with five laps to go while the battle also allowed Suzuki's Alex Rins to cut the deficit to less than a second.
But Espargaro held on to take the chequered flag at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit ahead of Martin while Rins finished third for an all-Spanish podium.
The result also ensured nine different riders have finished on the podium after three races this season, underlining how open the 2022 season has been.
The emotions got the better of Espargaro, who broke down in tears in the paddock as he spoke to his family over the phone while his younger brother and Honda rider Pol also came by to embrace him.
"I'm very happy, it's been a long, long time. It was my 200th GP in the premier class," an emotional Aleix Espargaro said in a post-race interview.
Espargaro had dominated Saturday's practice before claiming his first Moto GP pole and the 32-year-old said he was under 'double' the pressure to deliver.
Aleix Espargaro leads the championship with 45 points, seven ahead of KTM's Brad Binder who finished sixth.
Second place for Martin also gave him his first points of the season after retirements in the first two rounds in Qatar and Indonesia.
Honda, competing without Marc Marquez this weekend, were left frustrated when his replacement rider Stefan Bradl finished 19th while Pol Espargaro made an error on turn two and crashed out of the race.
Reigning champion Fabio Quartararo of Yamaha started sixth on the grid but he struggled and even dropped down to 13th at one point before recovering to finish eighth.
Meanwhile in Moto2, Celestino Vietti increased his overall lead in the World Championship with a second victory of the season in Argentina.
The Mooney VR64 Racing Team rider was 1.538 seconds faster than Somkiat Chantra, who achieved a double podium with his Idemitsu Honda Team Asia teammate Ai Ogura.
Pole sitter Fermin Aldeguer of MB Conveyors Speed Up crashed out after coming into contact with Vietti at Turn 13.
The winner of Moto3 was decided on the final lap as pole sitter, Sergio Garcia of Solunion GASGAS Aspar Team, worked his way up from P3 to P1 to take his first win of the season in Argentina.
The victory means Garcia moves into the lead in the World Championship.
Leopard Racing's Dennis Foggia finished second, 0.146 seconds behind Garcia. Despite a Long Lap penalty, Ayumu Sasaki of Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max managed to complete the podium.
ALEIX ESPARGARO Said:
"I'm very happy. You know it's been a very long time to ride here. Actually it was a special race because it was my 200th GP in the premier class. Everything was set and ready. I was strong at the base. But the pressure was double because everybody was saying to me it was going to be easy and it wasn't, so I'm very happy."
