Pol Espargaró returned to KTM (in the GasGas team) after two years at Honda, and he did so with renewed hopes. However, a serious fall in free practice at the Portimao Grand Prix caused the Catalan to suffer eight fractures. A long recovery that has meant that to date he has not been able to compete in any race with his new colors.
Hard months, where the pilot has suffered more than ever. “I had about eight fractures in total, some of them very serious. At first she had problems with her mouth, she was completely blocked for four weeks. I couldn’t eat, I lost a lot of weight. I have cried a lot. In pain and grief, it has been very difficult to handle the situation. It’s been the hardest three months of my life.”, explains Pol in an interview with MotoGP.com.
A recovery that has been slow and also marked by pain and suffering. “I had nerve problems in my neck, I couldn’t sleep much at night. And when they took everything out of my mouth, I was able to start talking, eating and gaining muscle. Soon I was training, and the pain was back”, comments the Catalan. Although he is fully aware that this situation can happen at any time. “It is what happens, it is in the contract when you are in MotoGP. When you are fast everything is very beautiful, but it can change in just a second.
More than three months working in the dark, but it seems that Pol already sees the light at the end of the tunnel. And it is that the Catalan has gotten back on his RC16 at the Goodwood Festival. The GasGas rider was very happy after his reappearance. “It has been very short for me, but it is very pleasant to ride the bike. It’s great to catch up with the fans after these months at home, recovering from Portimao’s injury, but I want to get back to normal now!”, He commented.
His return to the circuits, closer
The return to the circuits could take place after the holiday break, in Silverstone. For this he has been working for several weeks. “No more talking about the injury, I understand that people want to know when I’ll be back, but I really want to come back, to get back to normal, to start working with the team, to get my speed back and to fight with the boys. I’m looking forwardPol says.
Regarding the feelings that his new team has left him during this stretch of the season, the Catalan is optimistic. In some statements collected by Motorsport, Pol assures that the evolution of the motorcycle has been positive. “At the beginning of the year, in Austin or Argentina, I wasn’t worried about missing races because they weren’t going very well. I told myself, I’m not so bad at home, but then Jerez arrived and… it was painful! It was difficult for me to watch the races on television. Jack started going fast, and I was level with him in preseason.”.
Your future does not concern you
KTM has a range of possibilities ahead for the following season, but it only has four seats for five riders. Binder and Miller seem to have a guaranteed spot. Pedro Acosta breaks into force from Moto2. And Augusto Fernández is putting up good numbers in his rookie season. But Pol doesn’t care. “It’s his problem, not mine. I have a two year contract. I got injured and didn’t think about it. I just want to go back, get results and show them that I have to stay”, he affirms convinced.
He has also left a forceful phrase about his seat and the young people who press hard. “If I don’t get enough results to deserve to stay, I’ll be happy to make way for the youngsters.”. Although he is confident in his possibilities and the performance that he will offer on his return to the tracks. “I intend to show that I still have a lot of speed.”
