MotoGP Catalunya: Espargaro dedicates ‘special race’ to daughter

The Catalan GP is slightly more than the standard home race for Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro who grew up just kms from the Barcelona circuit.

Coming off the back of four consecutive podiums and following his maiden victory in the premier class, Espargaro is dedicating the race to his daughter Mia with a helmet commemorating the team of doctors who helped to save her young life, after her arrival with heart complications.

“Four years ago here during the Barcelona GP, my twins were born and my girl had a problem on the heart,” Espargaro explained from his native paddock. “She’s been operating twice so I suffered a lot and thanks to CorAll family - the group of the doctors that did everything possible - I have the feeling that I arrive now and have a huge impact on the people and the society. So it’s my way to say thanks to them, to pay tribute to them. Mia is still very, very young to realise this but for the doctors, for everybody CorAll family, is my way to say thanks to them.

“Every year the home GP is special, is very beautiful, very nice,” he continued. “During my career, when you’re young is more difficult to deal with this pressure, to deal with a lot of people coming but year by year I tried to improve this and I make it more normal.

“This year again is completely different because I arrive in the best shape of my career, fighting on top so it’s fantastic. I feel very good and I will try to enjoy as much as I can. Working hard from FP1 to prepare the bike and put a good show on Sunday.

“Extra pressure I had when I arrived here in 10th/12th place in the championship and I was ready to fight for the podium but I crashed every year because I go 200 per cent. I wasn’t, myself and the bike, was not ready to go with the