Espargaro shines again with 7th place in Italy MotoGP 2019 Round 13 of 19, Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli (RSM) - RACE The second visit to the Italian mainland in 2019 MotoGP drew the series to the flat and demanding asphalt of the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. Typical sunshine and high summer temperatures graced the weekend. Red Bull KTM were eager for the twenty-seven lap race - their 51st in MotoGP - to begin with Pol Espargaro stationed into 2nd place on the grid (the team’s best qualification and a half-second improvement on 2018) and Johann Zarco in 11th (the Frenchman’s highest dry ranking so far) despite the former world champion suffering a fast crash in morning warm-up. Espargaro blasted into the top five in the opening stages and lost two positions to multiple GP winners this term Andrea Dovizioso and Alex Rins and also local hero Valentino Rossi. When Rins crashed out Espargaro maintained a solid pace to the chequered flag to bank 7th and 7 championship points. It was the seventh top ten classification of the year for the Spaniard. Johann Zarco endured the distance to bring his No.5 RC16 home in 11th. Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Miguel Oliveira crashed on lap 9 but the Portuguese was able to remount and rejoin the race. Despite a sore right shoulder as a result of his blameless accident at Silverstone three weeks ago, the Portuguese reached the flag in 16th, just one position behind teammate Hafizh Syahrin who grabbed points for the fourth time in 2019. MotoGP gathers together in a matter of days for the Gran Premio Michelin de Aragon at MotorLand in Spain. Pol Espargaro: “We started 2nd and we fought top six-seven: we had a great weekend and we must be very proud. There are good riders and such good bikes that you need to go on the limit every single lap. At the moment I am controlling it quite well and I am finishing every race which is very important for the championship. We had good corner speed here but I was losing it all in Turns 3, 8 and 10 with [Andrea] Dovi and 11 with [Franco] Morbidelli. It was not much. Just two tenths per lap: almost nothing but in the end it makes a difference. I’m looking forward to jumping on the bike again and when you finish a race with that feeling then you want to start right away.” Johann Zarco: “The beginning of the race was complicated because of the Medium rear. It took six laps before it was really ready and I could feel comfortable. It is always better to have a bit more consistency than to feel better at the beginning and then drop away from the pace at the end. Step by step I was faster. I could maybe overtake riders but when I was ready to do it they were crashing in front of me! So I had this advantage to gain positions. Silverstone; I could not finish. I had the satisfaction here to see the chequered flag. We will have a few days rest now but then back to work at Aragon and that’s the best solution to keep fit.” Hafizh Syahrin: “I don’t know why but I had a strange feeling during all the race and I’m really sorry for the whole team to be unable to do a decent race. Anyway, I need to keep my head up and continue to work hard. We are motivated to do better next week!” Miguel Oliveira: “It has been a hard race as we predicted. It was a shame that I crashed in the beginning. There is not much I can say. It’s a real pity because we were again matching our target, which was the points. We could have been quite competitive in the race but to manage the front tyre in the heat, was difficult, therefore, I couldn’t avoid the crash. When I picked up the bike again, I also had a good pace, so it’s disappointing. We carry on our work next week in Aragon.” Mike Leitner, Red Bull KTM Team Manager: “The weekend was great for us. We made a clear step with our bike again with both riders in Q2 and Pol in particular made an amazing lap; our first front row start in the dry. Since Brno we have been pushing hard to bring new parts to improve the lap-time and it looks like we reached a step here in Misano. When we checked the data from the long-runs it was realistic that we’d finish between 6th-8th today and we did it. We’re really happy with another single-digit result and this was our target: to get inside the top ten. Our competitors get stronger, the bikes also and the riders are very strong in this top group but we fought with [Alex] Rins who won the last GP and also with [Andrea] Dovizioso who is right up there in the championship. I think we should be proud. There are people in the company pushing hard and we are going in the right direction. A mention also for Johann coming back from that crash in warm-up and also Hafizh taking points for the second race in a row. It is a pity that Miguel crashed but he kept going and could finish the race. We now focus on next weekend." Moto2 & Moto3 Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Brad Binder worked his way to 6th place in the Moto2 race. The South African cut through the field from his grid slot of 16th for a decent comeback to points-scoring positions. Jorge Martin took 12th. There was a high rate of attrition in the Moto3 race with several spectacular crashes and shock moments such as Aron Canet’s early retirement. Jaume Masia took his WWR KTM to 4th position by the chequered flag and was followed by SKY Racing Team VR46’s Dennis Foggia. Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Deniz Öncü finished just outside the points in 16th. Next race: September 22nd, MotorLand Aragon, Gran Premio Michelin de Aragon (ESP) Download the 2019 Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini photo gallery HERE Results Race MotoGP Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli 2019 1. Marc Marquez (ESP), Honda 42:25.163 2. Fabio Quartararo (FRA), Yamaha +0.903 3. Maverick Viñales (ESP), Yamaha +1.636 4. Valentino Rossi (ITA), Yamaha +12.660 5. Franco Morbidelli (ITA), Yamaha +12.774 7. Pol Espargaro (ESP), Red Bull KTM + 20.050 11. Johann Zarco (FRA), Red Bull KTM +32.388 15. Hafizh Syahrin (MYS), Red Bull KTM Tech3 +1.02.280 16. Miguel Oliveira (POR), Red Bull KTM Tech3 +1.07.831 Results Race Moto2 Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli 2019 1. Augusto Fernandez (ESP), Kalex +41:12.535 2. Fabio Di Giannantonio (ITA), Speed Up +0.186 3. Alex Marquez (ESP), Kalex +1.283 6. Brad Binder (RSA), Red Bull KTM Ajo +8.952 12. Jorge Martin (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo +20.511 Results Race Moto3 Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli 2019 1. Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN), Honda 40:00.034 2. John McPhee (GBR), Honda +0.112 3. Tony Arbolino (ITA), Honda +0.201 4. Jaume Masia (ESP), KTM +0.708 16. Deniz Öncü (TUR) Red Bull KTM Ajo +51.058 Contact: Press & PR Manager Sebastian Kuhn +43 676 599 0084 sebastian.kuhn@ktm.com