Pol Espargaró
Number: 40
Place of birth: Barcelona
Date of birth: 10/Jun/1991
Weight: 60 kg
Height: 173 cm
Pol Espargaró, younger brother of Aleix, arrived in the 125cc World Championship in 2006. He participated in the last six races of the year and was only just out of the running for Rookie of the Year, a title for which he would still be eligible the following year in his first full-time Grand Prix season.
Espargaro replaced Italian Andrea Iannone at Campetella Racing in ‘06 and made his debut with the Italian team onboard a Derbi in the Czech Republic. Two months earlier the teenager had made history as a wildcard in the race at Catalunya when he finished 13th to become the youngest ever point scorer in a Grand Prix, at the age of just 15 years and eight days. In the Spanish Championship he continued to shine at the end of the year, winning five consecutive races and becoming the national champion.
Performances on Spanish soil in his first full season were the standout rides for Espargaro in 2007, with fourth and fifth places at Jerez and Catalunya respectively. He followed this up with a series of top six finishes in Brno, Misano and Estoril, taking his maiden podium at the latter. Espargaro rounded off the season as the Rookie of the Year.
In 2008 he undertook his sophomore season as part of the Belson Derbi factory team, improving his best result to second place, achieved in his home race at Catalunya and again at the historic first ever MotoGP visit to Indianapolis. Unfortunately for Espargaro a collarbone injury in practice at Donington at the round after his Montmelo success meant he missed two races and ultimately his overall season ranking was ninth, the same as in 2007. Riding for Bainet Derbi he took a first victory in 2009 at Indianapolis, placing fourth overall in the standings.
In 2010, the younger of the Espargaró brothers was involved in a three-way season-long battle for the title with eventual winner Marc Márquez and runner-up Nico Terol and in 2011 he stepped up to Moto2. Two podiums and a respectable 13th overall in the final standings laid the foundations for a promising sophomore season in 2012, for which Espargaró joins the Pons Racing team.
Source: motogp.com
