Summoned on the fly to Brno to replace an injured Viñales, Pol Espargaro finished the Sprint Race and the GP in the Top 10. Now accustomed to playing the role of test rider for KTM and riding solo, the Spanish rider got a chance to mingle in the group and get a clearer idea of the strengths of the rival bikes, especially Ducati.
"Things went well from the beginning of the weekend. In fact, I was fast right away. Saturday, I was happy with the result. Sunday, a little less so, because we tried a new starting system that worked very well, but I didn't understand some things and, in the end, I got off to a bad start. But I had fun and, at least, I didn't fall, which was one of the goals," he confessed at the end of the weekend.
This was, in part, die to the fact that the Czech track hadn't been raced on for five years, so the numbers were more equal. "I think a number of circumstances affected the situation. In my opinion, the Desmosedici is able to generate more grip than us so, when the grip of the track is as much as it is here, its advantage wanes, and we can compete with them almost on equal footing," he stated.
Pleased to have been given the chance to race again, the 34-year-old rider is unlikely to return to it anytime soon. "I'll be participating in a test at Montmelo on August 30th and 31st with Pedrosa, but I have no plans to compete again. Since I'm fresh from racing and the tires are limited, I'll only be present on the first of the two days. Considering that our results aren't bad, we can't enjoy as many concessions as we'd like, so there aren't many tires," he revealed.
"That said, I'd like to be at the start in Austria and Hungary - circuits that I'm privileged to have already tried - but I won't. The brand hasn't planned wild cards for this season, and I hope I don't have to do any, since that would mean something has happened to one of our four riders," he added.
Finally, going back to this past weekend's race, Pol said he felt bad about Maverick's absence. "It's too bad, because I'm convinced that he could've fought for the victory like Acosta or even better. I have no doubt that he would've done well," he concluded.