ALONGSIDE ALEIX AND MAVERICK, LORENZO SAVADORI RETURNS TO THE TRACK

A fixed presence on the MotoGP calendar since 1949, if we exclude the cancellation in 2020 due to the pandemic, the Dutch track of Assen has earned the nickname of Cathedral both for the technical characteristics of the layout and the spectacular nature of the races held here. An important test that comes just before the summer break, a time during which riders and teams will be able to recover their energies and work in preparation for the championship finale.

For Aleix, the goal is to return to the podium, which has become a pleasant habit in this 2022. A new situation for him and for Aprilia, but one that has matured thanks to the great evolution of the technical package and the extraordinary speed and consistency shown by the rider from Granollers.

The Sachsenring weekend returned an increasingly solid Viñales in the saddle of the RS-GP. The process of adaptation to the Italian bike continues to proceed smoothly and Maverick is counting on being able to take advantage of a 'friendly' track like the Dutch one to close out this first part of the season in the best possible way.

Aprilia will appear at the Assen Grand Prix with a full line-up, given the presence on track of test rider Lorenzo Savadori. To whom, as always, will fall the task of continuing the development of the RS-GP.

ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
"Assen is a mythical circuit, with a spectacular layout. I am a little worried about the weather, which is always an unknown here, for sure we will find lower temperatures than at Sachsenring. Clearly I'd like to find a dry weekend but the important thing will be to arrive at the summer break with a positive ranking and morale situation."

MAVERICK VIÑALES
"The first objective here at Assen will be to continue on the level shown last week. I am convinced that we can be competitive at every track, even more so on a layout that has always suited my riding style. Also the fact that we are racing straight away is something that helps me. We have seen that starting at the front makes life a lot easier in the race, if we can get at least the second row we could really show our potential".

LORENZO SAVADORI
"For me it is always amazing to be back on track, especially when it is an iconic event like Assen. The technicians have already told me that we'll have a lot of solutions to work on, our objective remains to put miles on the clock and continue to develop the RS-GP. Maybe testing something that can help Aleix and Maverick in the second half of the championship".

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ONLY A TECHNICAL PROBLEM HALTED MAVERICK’S BRILLIANT RACE

It was expected to be a battle of nerves and it lived up to expectations. The blazing German asphalt of the Sachsenring hosted a tactical race where the riders had to deal with never before seen conditions for this circuit.

Constantly battling with grip, Aleix fended off Miller’s attacks throughout the race until a few laps from the end, with nerves of steel on braking sections despite a less than perfect feeling with the front end. The only thing that kept him from yet another well-deserved podium finish was a late braking move on turn one that made him go wide and threw him off his line. Today’s fourth place in no way diminishes Espargaró’s run for the championship, where he is still solidly in second place overall.

Maverick also rode a brilliant race, starting from the ninth spot on the grid and extremely incisive in the first stage of the race with clean and decisive overtaking and a very fast pace. This was partially due to the choice of the medium tyre on the rear, a solution that Maverick preferred and intended to manage all the way to the chequered flag. Only a technical problem with rear height device on the nineteenth lap halted what had been an outstanding race up to that point for him.

The collateral damage of this circumstance is that Aprilia lost the lead in the teams championship, but the Italian team has their sights set on taking it back as early as next weekend in Assen.

ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
"Unfortunately today I had a strange vibration at the front from the first lap which then got progressively worse. At a certain point of the race, I had to slow the pace, changing my riding style and not exploiting the RS-GP’s strong points. It’s a pity because, even though I wouldn’t have been able to keep up with Fabio, I definitely had the pace to battle with Zarco. With the way things went, I’m pleased with fourth because in spite of riding badly and without confidence, I was still able to limit the damage. I’m not too worried about the lost points; right now, Fabio’s form in the race is what should be pushing us to find more speed."

MAVERICK VIÑALES
"I had fun today. I started well, coming through the first corner without losing positions, and then I was able to be aggressive, overtaking until catching up with Aleix. At that point, I caught my breath, knowing that the final laps would have been difficult, so I was saving my strength and the tyre. I don’t know if I would have been able to overtake Aleix but, continuing at that pace, I would have tried. It’s a shame about the problem with the height device. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do, so I preferred boxing so I wouldn’t be a danger to other riders. In any case, I’m happy. Our improvement curve is consistent and I feel like I’m close to the turning point of the season."

TYRE WEAR AND RACE PACE ARE THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES ON THE FIRST DAY OF PRACTICE

The Friday practice sessions on the Sachsenring, in Germany, had both Aprilias finishing the day with a provisional top-10 position. This result has particular value as it was achieved in spite of concentrating efforts on preparation for the race on Sunday. Thirty laps which, due to the high temperatures predicted, promise to be extremely gruelling.

Aleix shone in both sessions, finishing fourth in the combined standings at a gap of just two tenths. However, by the Granollers native’s own admission, there is plenty of margin to be explored. This will be the clear goal tomorrow, where some time will need to be shaved off in order to go straight through to Q2.

Maverick also performed well, finishing the day eighth. He did a lot of testing and, like his teammate, he took the new aerodynamics solution developed by the Aprilia techs and already tested on the Monday after Barcelona onto the track. 

ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
"As for how things went today, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have the race straight away and then head off on holiday! All joking aside, we did good work today. Tyre choice and management seem to be particularly important here and, from this point of view, I was able to be fast on the hard rear. I made a few mistakes on the time attack but, despite this, I did three laps at  20.2 and that’s not at all bad. We can improve further but I can consider myself satisfied with this start."

MAVERICK VIÑALES
"I’m pleased above all with the information we were able to gather today. We have already identified a couple of points where we need to improve. I need a bit more stability. I had a good pace on the medium tyre but here, as always, shooting for a qualifying position on the front two rows will be fundamental. The race will be significantly conditioned by this."