ian marque, did not have any
appearance, however, of a flash
in the pan. It came after he had
dominated the abbreviated prac-
tice sessions at the Argentine
track and claimed Aprilia's first
four-stroke pole (the last was
by Jeremy McWilliams at Phillip
Island in 2000, on the undersize
"super-250" 500-class twin).
The win was achieved with
patience and ultimate superior-
ity. It may have looked as though
Jorge Martin's Ducati had the
upper hand, but Espargaro was
playing a canny waiting game.
When he did ultimately get by
after a couple of earlier feints at
the end of the long straight, he
pulled steadily clear. No further
questions, M'lud.
(Any temptation to evoke the
"cat and mouse" image must
be resisted. As long as Marc
Marquez is not there, there is
an element instead of "while the
cat's away, the mice will play.")
Aprilia really has been climb-
ing a big hill. One obvious disad-
vantage is financial—the smallest
budget on the grid—the result
of minuscule sales compared
with Honda et al, and no major
D
on't ask me how that hap-
pened. Aprilia, I mean.
From bottom of the class
to the top of the podium, in one
easy move. Well, perhaps not
one; it's actually taken seven
years of dogged persistence in
the face of serial humiliation. But
it still seems to have elements of
all-of-a-sudden.
Aleix Espargaro's Argentine
GP win, the first ever in the
premier class for the other Ital-
P146
CN
III IN THE PADDOCK
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
Aleix Espargaro's win on the
Aprilia gives the brand more
clout and attract smore high-
level riders.
PHOTO: GOLD & GOOSE
SPRINGTIME
FOR APRILIA
