Pol Espargaró is scared: “My daughter without a dad, if something happens to me”

Having finally sat on his bike at high altitude in Andorra, Pol Espargaró is now training again, alternating gym work with aerobic exercise outside. The Spaniard, 29, comes to HRC having already completed seven complete MotoGP seasons, three with Yamaha Tech3 and four in KTM Factory colours.

The former Moto2 champion, who triumphed in 2013 with the Kalex of Sito Pons’ team, now has the chance to fight for the title, because in coming to Repsol he’ll have everything he needs to try. Rivals and recent fears permitting that is.

Yes, fears. And big ones. Interviewed by TV3, Polyccio has revealed just how his life has changed since becoming a father. While before he focused only on twisting that throttle, now he has added responsibility as a parent, not an easy job and even more complex when you’re a professional rider.

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Being a dad, a real adventure

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When his little one arrived, Pol was over the moon: "It’s a real adventure – he tells TV3 – at first I was really panicking. I would ask myself whether she was breathing, I’d cry after holding her in my arms. My idea of love has changed, and now I realise how dangerous my job is. I no longer feel like I did when I was 11”.

Yes, motorcycle racing is dangerous. In that anything can happen. And it appears the Spaniard is only realising this now: “I’m a parent and I’m much more scared – he explains – because if something were to happen to me, my daughter would no longer have a father. For example, my accident at Brno. If that had happened five years on, who knows, perhaps I’d have ended up in a wheelchair. Sometimes disaster strikes”.

Translated by Heather Watson

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