Aleix Espargaró, what a surprise: a special gift from Ducati

Aleix Espargaró ended his riding career in 2024 after fifteen years in MotoGP and seven in the lower classes. A life spent in the paddock and with several brands: Honda, Suzuki, Aprilia, and also Ducati. Recently, the HRC test rider received a memorabilia item bearing the signature of Borgo Panigale...

Although he now has a contract with Honda as a test rider, Aleix Espargaró is a living piece of World Championship history. He lives in Andorra, where he keeps a personal museum that encapsulates his entire career. A few days ago, the Catalan rider shared on social media a big surprise he received from Raul Romero, former owner of Esponsorama Racing (or Avintia, as it was known in its final phase until 2021). Romero decided to give Aleix the original fairing from the 2010 Ducati, the Pramac team bike with which Espargaró competed in his first full season in the premier class.

The rider was hired as a replacement for Mika Kallio with an initial two-race contract. When Pramac’s second rider, Nicolò Canepa, subsequently left the team, further contracts were arranged. Standing in for the Finn Kallio, he managed to score points in both races, finishing 11th and 13th. Thus he was offered a full-time contract with Esponsorama Racing under the Pramac banner for 2010.

We’re talking about a collector’s piece that will go straight into the rider’s personal museum. And it’s no surprise, because that Ducati Desmosedici was no ordinary motorcycle. It was one of those two-wheeled beasts from the pre-aero era, a bike that at the time only Casey Stoner seemed to truly understand. Back then, the younger of the Espargaró brothers was trying to carve out a place among the big names of the premier class. Not an easy feat at all, so much so that the following year Aleix had to take a step back, returning to Moto2. He then regained momentum and came back stronger in 2012 with Aspar’s CRT.

For the Granollers native, the early years in MotoGP weren’t easy, marked by ups and downs. In 2014 he finished seventh with Forward Yamaha, then endured more tough years with Suzuki before arriving at Aprilia, where he became the Captain. His first premier-class victory came in Argentina in 2022, a spectacular season that ended with 4th place in the final standings. Credit to Aleix Espargaró for taking the RS-GP from the back of the grid to the top of MotoGP. Now his task is to make a valuable contribution to the evolution of the Honda RC213V and bring it back to the highest level.

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