MotoGP will say goodbye to one of its most popular riders at the end of the 2024 season, with Aleix Espargaro announcing his retirement. In a special press conference held at the Catalunya MotoGP round, the 34-year-old Spaniard confirmed this year will be his last as a full-time rider, ending a career that covers more than 300 grands prix and nearly two decades.
Across those two decades, Espargaro rode for Honda in the 125cc World Championship, Honda and Aprilia in 250cc/Moto2, plus Ducati, Yamaha, Suzuki, and most recently Aprilia in MotoGP. Espargaro joined Aprilia Racing in 2017, making history with their first race victory in MotoGP. That win, at the 2022 Argentine Grand Prix, was also Espargaro’s first after more than a decade in the premier class.
“At the end…