The United States GP, third round of the World Championship, records three important defections. They will be replaced by test riders from Ktm, Honda and Ducati. Here are their stories, including bad luck, titles and special victories
April 12, 2023
The third stage of the MotoGP World Championship records three heavy defections. The Austin Circuit of the Americashome of the United States GP, will not see at the start Pol Espargaro and the last two winners of the race, Marc Marquez and Aeneas Bastianini. In their place they will take to the track Jonas Folger on GasGas, Stefan Bradl with Honda e Michael Pirro riding the Ducati. Three riders with different histories, united by being invaluable jokers for their respective teams, both in development work and on occasions like that of the upcoming weekend.
found
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The youngest of the three is Folger. The current GasGas rider has been the brightest hope of German motorcycling for several years. Jonas, who will turn 30 in August, followed the classic process, starting from 125, which later became Moto3, and moving on to Moto2 before making the big leap. Five victories in the World Championship. The best result in the lower category was a fifth place in 2013, while the sixth place finish in 2015 was the best result in the intermediate championship. Only one season in MotoGP, in 2017, with the peak reached in Germany, when, riding the Yamaha of the Tech3 team, he stood up to Marc Marquez until the end. Then mononucleosis and the diagnosis of Gilbert’s syndrome: a blow to Folger’s career. After a few appearances in Superbike, here is the call from Ktm as a test rider at the beginning of 2023 with a lot of opportunity to taste MotoGP again.
former king
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Before Folger, the hope of motorcycling Germany lay in Stefan Bradl. Not just any one: the German, born in the family, boasts a title conquered in Moto2 after an intense challenge with a certain Marquez in 2011. That World Championship remains the high point of a more than discreet career, with seven victories, started in 125 since 2005. In the cadet category Bradl’s best result was fourth place in 2008, followed two years later by promotion to Moto2 and, after a second two-year period, by the jump to MotoGP. Excellent years with the Honda of the Lcr team, in which a brilliant place of honor stands out behind Marquez in Laguna Seca in 2013. After the poor results with Aprilia and Yamaha, here is the new role of Honda test rider from 2018. Injuries to factory riders have allowed Stefan to accumulate at least one cap in the last six seasons.
Italian champion
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Michael Pirro he returns to MotoGP seven months after the unfortunate Misano round, when he crashed after a few corners. The Ducati tester has a fair amount of experience in the MotoGP world championship, in which he made his debut in 2003 in the 125 class. Only one victory in world championship competitions, but a special one: the Valencia Moto2 GP in 2011, when he triumphed in the rain, dedicating his success to Marco Simoncelli who was disappeared a few weeks ago. After all, Pirro has a good feeling about victory, as demonstrated by the nine titles in the Italian Speed Championship, the last of which in 2022. It will be up to him to accumulate more data in Texas to allow Ducati to further improve an already winning project .
April 12, 2023 – 10:43 am
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