Pol Espargaro struggled to hide his excitement after completing his first test day as a MotoGP rider. The new Moto2 champion has joined Monster Yamaha Tech 3 and took the first tentative steps in the premier class on board the team’s YZR-M1 with new crew chief Nicolas Goyon.
The Spaniard completed 45 laps of the Ricardo Tormo circuit, finishing within two seconds of pacesetter Jorge Lorenzo, and the 1000cc machine certainly made an impression on the 22 year old..
“Today was a very special moment in my career and it was unbelievable to finally ride a MotoGP bike. I have been looking forward to working with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team and immediately I could feel this is a very professional and high-level team with fantastic support from Yamaha. The YZR-M1 is incredible and today I just tried to learn as much as possible. The power of the engine is something you notice immediately and today I just did as many laps as I could with the aim to get a feel for the bike. We didn’t try any different settings or touch the electronics but the sensation to ride this bike is simply amazing. I am looking forward to gaining more experience on the bike in the remainder of the test and to show more of the potential of this bike.”
Teammate Bradley Smith sat out the opening day of the test but will take the race track on the remaining two days when he will test Yamaha’s 2013 factory spec chassis, fuel tank and seat unit.