MotoGP Americas, Austin: Aleix Espargaro falls after ride-height glitch: ‘They need to solve it, Raul had the same problem’
Unlike team-mate Maverick Vinales, Espargaro got a strong start and was battling for third into the turn one ha🦹irpin.
But his rac💮e was doomed when the ride-height device on his factory Aprilia failed to unlock.
The Spaniard continued to Turn 11, when thꦡe lack of front-end weight saw him slide into retirement.
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“I did a good start, I was P3 in Turn 1,ꦰ and when I accelerated I felt that the rear ride-height device stayed low,” Espargaro ex𒆙plained.
“I did all the first part of the track ꧑with the ride-height device low, and when I touched the throttle in Turn 12 with the bike low, I lost the front.
“Nothing m꧑ore I can say. It looks like Raul had the same problem🀅 today.”
Fernandez would only say he had suffered a ”mec🥀hanical problem” but the TV images seemed to confirm a ride-height is🗹sue.
Espargaro added: “They [Aprilia] need to solve it. It's not the first tim꧂e it happened to us… Normally it happens when it's super hot, but yesterday it didn't happen, so we are not in control of when and how.”
The end result was that Espargaro, who only lost out on a Sprint rostrum when Jorge Martin successfully retaliated against his last-lap pass, felt a podium finish at his most difficult track had frustratingly slipꦑped away.
“If the crash had happened on a different track, I won’t say that I would have been💝 less angry, but it clearly would have been special for me to take a spot on the podium here that was well within our potential,” Esparg🐟aro said.
“After all𝔍 the difficulties that we have alw🌸ays found at COTA, this weekend I demonstrated surprising potential.”
The Spaniard now heads for the first of his home rounds, at Jerez, just eleventh𝓡 in the world chౠampionship.
“This season’s start has been disappointing, especially because I’m certain that I’m riding better than last year, but for one reason or another, we are not🔯 taking home the results we deserve,” he said.
“Hopefully, we’ll reverse this trend as early as Jerez because our potential is ꦐclear.”
Vinales fought back to fourth place after dropping to tenth on the opening la🍃p.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Ross💛i come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and M꧂arc Marquez’s injury issues.
