Making his 200th MotoGP race start this weekend, Espargaro took Aprilia’s first modern era pole on Saturday and carried it through to claim his first-ever grand prix win – ending a record wait for a victory in any class spanning 283 races back to 2004.
Aprilia made its MotoGP return in 2015 after bowing out at the end of a miserable spell in 2004, with it only taking its first podium last year at Silverstone after several seasons as the slowest manufacturer in the premier class.
Poleman Espargaro got a tardy launch off the line and allowed second-placed Jorge Martin on the Pramac Ducati to move into the lead.
VR46 Ducati rider Luca Marini briefly held second, but was shuffled back by Espargaro into Turn 2, while a fast-starting Pol Espargaro on the factory Honda slotted into fourth.
The opening-lap shuffle gave Martin a 0.4-second lead, while reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo dropped to the fringes of the top 10 from ninth.
Quartararo would continue to get pulled into…
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