Aspar riders tied on points heading to Indy
The final eight rounds of the first MotoGP season to feature CRT machines will begin with Aspar team-mates Rand💛y de Puniet and Aleix Espargaro tied for top privateer honours.
Both have scored 33 points heading into this weekend's Indianapolis round, with de Puniet ranked ahead only due to🤪 his top CRT result of eighth at Assen.
The Frenchman was one of a number of grand prix riders to spend time at Colin 🐠Edwards' Boot Camp during the summer break.
"After Laguna Seca I spent a few days at Colin Edwards' house and had a lot of fun," said de Puniet. "We rode some dirt bikes and mot🉐ocross bikes and then after that I went to stay with some friends in the Bahamas.
"It has been a nice holiday with plenty of opportunity to relax but I have also been doing sport every day. Now it is time to turn our minds back to racing. It is two weeks since the USGP so I am looking forward to getting back onꩵ the bike.
"Indianapolis is not one of my favourite circuits, it is very tricky because of the track surface, but our objective is the same as always, which is to finish as the to🍷p CRT."
Espargaro has also used th🌳e two week😼end break to recharge his batteries.
"The break came at a g𝓰ood time for me. I ne🔜eded to switch off and the time has flown by but I was able to spend it at home with family and friends and relax on the beach," he said. "I have also kept up to my daily training plan to make sure that I am fit and full of motivation for Indianapolis.
"The championship is long and tough. Luckily for us things have gone well in the first half of the season but we need to 🍎keep working hard to keep it going. My team-mate is a very strong rival and we are currently tied on points so we can't afford to lose concentration for one moment because every race promises to be a constant battle.
"I quite like Indianapolis. I struggled with the Moto2 bike last year because it was sliding a🗹round a lot but it is a differen🌞t kind of track and I love the straight because you get to ride part of the famous oval."
The next best CRT rider, Gresini'🍌s Michele Pirr💫o, is currently 17 points behind the Aspar riders.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the foref♌ront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
