Aleix Espargaro Takes Aprilia’s First-Ever MotoGP Victory

It’s been a long time since Aleix Espargaro tasted victory; 6,496 days to be exact. The Spanish rider's last win came during the 2004 CEV 125cc championship. Once Espargaro moved into the Grand Prix paddock, a race victory eluded him for 283 races. During that time, number 41 snagged three podiums and three CRT (Claiming Rule Team) championships in a row.

© RideApart.com Aleix Espargaro First MotoGP Win

Despite his success, Espargaro still couldn’t claim a win until his 200th MotoGP start at the 2022 Argentinian Grand Prix. Aprilia’s return to the Grand Prix premier class runs in lock- step with the Spanish rider. The Noale factory debuted in the MotoGP four-stroke era as a CRT supplier, but in 2015, the firm partnered with Gresini Racing to form a factory-supported independent team. After two productive years with the Team Suzuki Ecstar (2015-2016), Espargaro joined the Aprilia Gresini outfit in 2017.

In the first four years aboard the Aprilia RS-GP, Espargaro never ranked higher than 14th place in the MotoGP Rider’s Championship standings. However, Aprilia split with Gresini racing in 2021 and made a leap forward as a full-fledged factory team. Espargaro seized Aprilia’s first MotoGP podium and finished eighth in the overall standings by season’s end.

With Aprilia on the upswing, Espargaro and new teammate Maverick Vinales pushed the RS-GP even further during the pre-season tests. That hard work paid off during the first two races, with Espargaro finishing fourth in Qatar and ninth in Indonesia. The top Aprilia rider was in peak form at the Argentinian Grand Prix, though, topping Free Practice 2, Qualifying, and the pre-race Warm-Up session throughout the weekend.

Of course, those achievements only matter if you can