Aleix Espargaro takes Aprilia into top six

It’s a first first time out for the Spaniard

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) staged a stunning comeback in the #QatarGP, fighting up through the field to battle with the Repsol Honda machines before crossing the line in sixth – Aprilia’s best result since lining up again in MotoGP™ in 2015, and achieved in his first race for the Noale factory.

The former podium finisher was a man on the move for much of the race, and was running in the top five before Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) took him back – with Espargaro crossing the line top Independent Team rider - just behind Pedrosa and his teammate, reigning Champion Marc Marquez.

Good way to start this adventure! Grazie ragazzi! @aprilia_official ????

A post shared by Aleix Espargaro (@aleixespargaro) on

Aleix Espargaro, P6: “I am really very happy for myself and for Aprilia. This result comes after a lot of hard work over the winter. I did not hold anything back and, beginning with my physical fitness, I tackled this project with great motivation from the start. In the second half of the race, my RS-GP was spectacular. I had much more traction than my rivals and I was able to overtake easily. We knew that we could have an advantage in poor grip conditions. The bike looks after the tyres well and even if I was unable to be as incisive as the others in the early laps, my overall pace was very good. It was a pity about the starting position. Having to make up so many positions kept us from earning an even more surprising result, but it's all good. We got off on the right foot and now we want to continue.”