Award for perseverance for Aleix Espargaró, who achieved the first victory of his life in the Argentine GP

200 Grand Prix in MotoGP.

32 years.

16 full seasons in the World Championship and a few single races.

Three podiums and three

, the last one on Saturday afternoon.

And two children, Max and Mia, who have just learned to ride a bike.

But Aleix Espargaró's service record was incomplete.

Until this Sunday.

When he took first place on the starting grid, at three in the afternoon in Argentina, under a hot sun, he was the only one of the 24 drivers in training who had never won a race.

For this reason, and for everything that the data hides, it was difficult for the rider from Granollers to contain his emotions, the boy who grew up in a town from which the roar of the motorcycles in neighboring Montmeló can be heard, when he crossed the finish line in first place.

And he claimed the first victory of his life.

The first also for Aprilia, the most modest factory in the championship, whose work, after tests and more tests, after years of abandonment, falls and engines that pulled less than those of an electric motorcycle climbing Montjuic, takes shape this year in a machine balanced, regular, agile and fast, which did not even suffer when measuring Jorge Martín's Ducati on the straight.

If Aleix, the eldest of the Espargaró brothers – the two drivers, and both were almost not on the podium: Pol failed, who fell after 14 laps – won the Argentine GP, a sunny race, without setbacks, or imbalances caused by the (sometimes) much-criticized Michelin tyres, it's all their fault.

And from the Noale factory, which he has finally found the key.

And he already presented in Qatar the tool with which he aspires to break the schemes of the powerful.

As he did in Termas de Río Hondo, where he beat the powerful Ducati, he slid better than the Suzuki and the Yamaha and left Honda or KTM in oblivion.

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Aleix Espargaró achieves the 'pole position' in the Argentine GP and aspires to the first victory of his life

Espargaró did everything well, despite giving up first place at the start, launched like Martín by the stratospheric starting device of the Desmosedici, the most avant-garde motorcycle in the category for years.

The man from Aprilia knew that he had an enviable pace.

And he already verified in Qatar, where he finished fourth, that this bike was constant and responded to his demands.

So he never lost confidence.

And he followed the wheel of the man from Madrid, his friend, that boy whom he took to train and invited to dinner so many times when he was nothing more than a promise from the Rookies Cup. He knew that the Martín of 2022, who is already world champion and whose track record surpasses him, would give him a fabulous wheel that would guide him to triumph.

“I had never managed a situation like this”, Aleix confessed at the end of the race.

He ran with the brakes on for 20 laps.

Waiting for his moment.

He showed his leg in turn five and with eight laps to go.

He tried again, at the same point after two laps.

And he repeated in the absence of five.

The third time was the charm.

He sped up the braking a little less, closed the steering well.

And he kept the inside of the curve.

The two tenths that barely separated the two riders then were extended curve by curve.

Martin soon learned that he had nothing to do but settle for second place and content himself with his friend winning the race.

Espargaró, Martín and Mir, in the last laps of the race.

AGUSTIN MARCARIAN (REUTERS)

Thus, Espargaró won the award for perseverance in Termas.

He debuted in the World Championship in the last race of 2004, as a guest, and when he was just 15 years old.

He had a hard time finding regularity.

And the right place.

Especially that 2009 when, after two full seasons in 250cc, he was left without a team and made sporadic appearances: he raced a 250cc Aprilia and a MotoGP Ducati;

he then had to take a step back and return to Moto2 before returning to the premier class.

Ten years after that he doubted where his place was.

After a serious injury, he wondered if this was the life he wanted while he sought refuge in the mountain passes and always on a bike.

He talked about it with Laura, his wife.

He was not happy.

"He finished 18th in each race," he recalled this Sunday.

But he persisted.

“I never threw in the towel on the track;

I have always shown Aprilia that they have never had a more hard-working rider than me”, he added.

Passionate, outspoken and quick to tear, Espargaró has finally found his reward.

It's the victory I've been chasing ALL LIFE!

@AleixEspargaro fulfills his dream and manages to give Aprilia the first win in its entire

history

– DAZN Spain (@DAZN_ES) April 3, 2022

And he got on the podium on a tremendous Sunday for Spanish motorcycling, which is no longer as accustomed as before to taking the World Championship podium, except for the premier class.

It was achieved yesterday by three riders who are friends and share good times in Andorra, where they live, as Alex Rins also joined, ascending to the third step of the podium after a very good race.

Not enough, however, to keep up with the man of the day.

Now Aleix only dreams of repeating the feat again.

And he imagines himself fighting for the championship.

“It's not impossible”, he launches himself, daring.

He has a motorcycle to do it.

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