STYRIA GP QUALIFIERS

SEVENTH PLACE TIME AND THE THIRD ROW FOR ALEIX ESPARGARÓ: “WE ARE CONFIRMING OUR PROGRESS HERE AS WELL. WE DID AN EXTRAORDINARY JOB”

LORENZO SAVADORI HALTED BY A CRASH IN HIS TIME ATTACK, SETTLES FOR THE SEVENTH ROW: “I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO START FARTHER FORWARD BUT WE ARE CLOSER AND CLOSER TO THE BEST”

Confirming the good signs on the track from the start of the weekend, Aleix Espargaró rode his Aprilia RS-GP to seventh place (1’23.448) in the qualifiers for the Styria GP, scheduled for tomorrow on the Austrian Red Bull Ring track. The good placement earns him the best spot on the third row of the starting grid.

For the umpteenth time this season, Aleix went straight through to Q2, the qualifying session that includes the top 12 riders, based on his top-ten placement in the last morning free practice sessions, where he finished eighth with a time of 1’23.594. His further improvement in qualifying took him close to the second row, which he missed by just 72 thousandths of a second. The Austrian circuit, which had always been difficult in past years, is an outstanding test bench for the RS-GP’s improvements and the result today is comforting for the Aprilia project.

Lorenzo Savadori, who did not make it into the top ten, had to go through the Q1 session, but he crashed during the final lap whilst, after improving in the first sectors, was doing his time attack. This meant that he would have to settle for the seventh row with a time of 1’24.405, done before his crash.

ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"I am extremely satisfied with our result, considering the characteristics of the track and the gap. Of course, I cannot be entirely happy with a seventh-place time, but if I look back at a year ago, I started fourteenth here and with a time that was seven tenths slower, whereas today I was faster than the 2020 pole position. This confirms the huge step forward we’ve made. I complimented all the engineers in the technical briefing because they did an extraordinary job. We accumulate almost all of the disadvantage in the first sector, which is made up of two straights that are undoubtedly not our strong point, whereas the RS-GP does very well on the rest of the track. We’ll see what happens tomorrow because it looks like it is going to rain and that raises some doubts as to the safety of the track. Personally, I hope we’ll be able to race in the dry."

LORENZO SAVADORI
"Unfortunately, I was unable to finish my flying lap, which would have let me start somewhere around fifteenth or sixteenth place. I crashed on turn 8 and in a rather strange way, but without any physical consequences. In any case, we are getting closer and closer to the best and that is positive. Overtaking here will be no simple task, so staying with the group in the early laps will be fundamental for me."

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MOTOGP RETURNS TO THE TRACK WITH A DOUBLE ROUND AT SPIELBERG

After the summer break, the MotoGP returns to the track with a double round at the Austrian track of Spielberg. A circuit with unique characteristics, with sudden braking and violent acceleration, challenging from a technical point of view especially with regard to the race distance.

The mood at Aprilia is undoubtedly positive. Consistent results are rewarding the Italian manufacturer's work on the new RS-GP, whose potential is being exploited to the full by Aleix Espargarò. Like any innovative project, there is still room to refine and evolve a technical package that has already proven to be competitive: an activity that continues to see the Aprilia Racing department engaged on all fronts.

ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"The summer break was certainly very useful for regaining the physical and mental energy needed in a competitive championship like MotoGP. The second half of the season will be crucial for us, we have to confirm the positive trend shown so far and look for a further step forward. The Austrian track may not be the one that best suits the characteristics of our package, but it must also be said that the RS-GP 2021 is showing good adaptability to different conditions. We'll wait for the first sessions to analyse our level".

LORENZO SAVADORI
"This is one of the tracks I know the least, having only raced there in 2019 with MotoE, so an extremely different category. I will have to recalibrate my parameters to make the most of the RS-GP. I really want to get back on the bike, during the break I tried to work on many aspects to be ready for this second part of the season."

The British Motor Museum is to host the Electric Vehicles Festival on Saturday 7th August. The Show, which began in 2019, will give visitors the opportunity to see hundreds of electric vehicles on display. All Fully Pure Electrics (BEV) are welcome to join the show for a celebration and display their vehicles including Electric Cars, E-Commercials, E-Bikes, E-Buses and E-Coaches. 

Key exhibits will include a Harley-Davidson Live Wire Electric MotorCycle and a Citroen AMI which is only making its second UK public appearance. The Ardingly Ifield Solar Challenge Team will be at the Festival as part of their tour from John 'o' Groats to Brighton along with the Cambridge University Solar Challenge Team.  MG Motors UK will be showcasing their facelift MG5 and MG-ZS EV that made its second UK appearance at the Festival in 2019. There will also be an electric boat ‘Silent Adventure’, and Tommy Tesla.  Eco-Classics, an electric vehicle conversion company, will be bringing along something new and Streetbikes will be showcasing their Zero Electric Motorcycles. Finally #EV Twizy Park will be making a comeback celebrating the Renault Twizy!

For the first time the Festival will incorporate a mini arena with presentations provided by Octopus Electric Vehicles throughout the day.  The festival is also the perfect place for those thinking about going electric. There will be an array of different makes and models on display as well as the opportunity to talk to the owners and find out what convinced them to take the plunge and go electric.

Jeff Coope, Managing Director at the British Motor Museum said, “The future of Electric Vehicles (EV) and events such as this is very important to the Museum and the evolution of EV technology is an important story for us to tell. We have already invested in 10 electric charging points for visitors and event organisers to use, with the infrastructure to support more. This has attracted public events such as the EV festival but also corporate EV events and product launches for many of the large motoring manufacturers. This is only the start of our EV journey”.

Exploring the future of the car is particularly important to the Museum. In 2019/2020 the Museum hosted a topical and thought provoking exhibition entitled “The Car. The Future. Me” which sparked much debate amongst its visitors.

Show tickets cost £14.50 per adult, £9 per child, £12.50 per concession and £40 for a family. All tickets for the show must be pre-booked. For more information, please visit the website www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk  or call 01926 641188.

For more information about the Electric Vehicles Festival visit www.electricvehiclesfestival.com


For more information on Electric Vehicles see here  

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With our eye on a bright future for motorcycle touring 🏍️ holidays, we're getting excited about restarting our worldwide tours next year 😀. We hope you'll join us for the ride of a lifetime, making lasting friendships and unforgettable experiences. 

Our guided tours are already filling fast with customers who missed out in 2020 and 2021, so don't delay and book soon. And if you're ready to plan your long-awaited self-guided tour or rental only, availability is limited for the same reason. Just email or call me.

Full details on our Orange & Black website.