Pol Espagraro says the opportunity to match-up against six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez was one of the main reasons for his defection from KTM to Honda for 2021.
The Spaniard announced he would switch to the Japanese squad from long-time employer KTM ahead of the delayed ’20 premier class campaign in July, bringing an end to his four season tenure with the Austrian manufacturer after helping develop its RC16 into a race winning machine.
Espargaro says the possibility to draw comparisons between him and Honda powerhouse Marquez was too good an offer to turn down, the six-time premier class podium finisher crediting his new team-mate for making him “the rider I am today”, adding he is relishing the challenge of going head-to-head with “one of the greatest riders in the world.”
“To share the team with Marc, I think it was another reason I wanted to come into the Repsol Honda Team,” explained Espargaro.
“I have been fighting with Marc in the smaller categories for many years and I had so much fun, I’ve grown with him by fighting race-by-race and this makes me the rider I am today.
“When you fight against one of the greatest riders in the world you tend to improve much faster.
“The best way to improve yourself is to be beside the guy who is the same, or even better, than you.
“So that’s why I moved, I want to see my level compared to Marc who is for sure one of the best on the grid.”
Espargaro doesn’t rule out world title tilt in Honda bow
Espargaro reckons a shot at a maiden MotoGP world championship could well be on in his first season on the formidable RC213-V, though admitted “the first year isn’t going to be easy” as he looks to hit the ground running in Qatar in two months time.
“The main goal for the season can’t go another way than being on the podium or trying to win races, or even the world title,” continued Espargaro.
“We need to improve our results from last year, I had a good year, but it can be better, and I will try my hardest to.
“The first year isn’t going to be easy but I did not come to the Repsol Honda Team to fight for the top six in the championship, I came here to achieve the highest goal in my career which is to be MotoGP World Champion one day.
“For sure winning races and this goal can be achieved here at Repsol Honda.”
Espargaro will be heading into his eighth season in the premier class when he lines up on the grid at the Losail International circuit with Honda for the first time, with his grand total of six rostrum results and two pole positions all coming with KTM across the last three years.
He moved into MotoGP with the Tech 3 Yamaha outfit in ‘14 having defeated future premier class rival and current Ducati World Superbike racer Scott Redding to the previous year’s Moto2 world title.
While not setting the world alight on his time with the M1, Espargaro was a consistent scorer and secured his best riders championship finish until last season in his rookie campaign, finishing sixth overall despite crashing out from a podium place in the closing stages of the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island.
He switched to the fledgling KTM factory operation for ’17, spending four seasons helping the marque to develop its RC16 into a race winning package-scoring the brands first podium finish in the ’18 season finale at Valencia before scoring a further five across ’20-carrying him to a personal best of fourth in the riders points.
Marquez looks set to miss the opening races of the upcoming ’21 schedule as he continues to recover from the broken right arm he sustained in the Spanish GP in July last year, the Spaniard likely to be out for at least a further four to five months.
Andrea Dovizioso has been mooted as a possible replacement for Marquez across the opening races, though Honda test rider Stefan Bradl-who stood in for the six-time champion for most of last year-could well get the nod to join Espargaro.
Marquez’s younger brother Alex-who completed his rookie MotoGP year with the factory Honda organisation last year-could also switch across from new team LCR to cover for Marc, with the Italian team then left to take either Dovizioso or Bradl to join Takaaki Nakagami should this materialise.
