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Category: Superbikes
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A TASTE OF 2024 AND REFINEMENTS FOR 2023: ALEIX, MAVERICK, MIGUEL, AND RAÙL AT WORK IN THE MISANO TESTS
The action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli did not end with the races yesterday but continued with a day of official MotoGP testing today. These were two sessions that Aprilia dedicated to both the initial 2024 material tests and refinements to the 2023 package. This was the case for the factory team, whereas in the RNF camp, Miguel Oliveira had the chance to throw a leg over the latest evolution of the RS-GP.
Overall, it was a positive day, and not only from a “times” point of view. Preparation for the long series of overseas rounds which will begin with India in two weeks has Aprilia in a good situation, both technically and in terms of high morale. On the other side of things, looking towards 2024, work is moving right along, with the team well aware that they already have an extremely competitive base.
ALEIX
“With Aprilia we are at a level where no revolutionary changes are necessary. To the contrary, we need to avoid the risk of creating confusion. The Test Team is working hard, the engineers have a lot of data to analyse, and from here to Valencia, they’ll have time to prepare the 2024 material. We’ve already tested some things – a different frame with pros and cons and a lot of components. We also know how particular this track is, especially after a race weekend, so it isn’t the ideal setting to draw conclusions. We have a series of races ahead of us where we have every possibility of doing well.”
MAVERICK
“The test went well. Our goal was to improve in braking and we found some interesting solutions, at the same time continuing work on the start and the way the bike performs in high grip conditions. Personally, I feel good in the saddle. I know we’ll be able to take another step forward, but I’m already having fun riding this Aprilia.”
ROMANO ALBESIANO
“Very interesting day, with the few tests available and the many things to try it is always complex to organise the work. Using these opportunities well can make the difference, we can consider ourselves satisfied. We are laying the foundations of our 2024 project, which will not be a revolution but a careful evolution of an already very performing package. Every piece of data and every comparison helps us to define the technical path to follow. In addition to Aleix and Maverick's input, Miguel's comment on his first outing with the latest RS-GP was important. He is a fast rider but at the same time precise and analytical, he can help us on our path of growth.”
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APRILIA DOUBLE PODIUM – THE FIRST IN HISTORY! ALEIX DOMINATES THE SPRINT RACE AND MAVERICK IS THIRD
The numbers usually don’t lie, except when it comes to modern MotoGP, because even though the practice session times seemed to foreshadow good potential for Aprilia, you can never rule anything out when it comes to battling in the race.
Aleix’s win came at the end of a fiercely fought Sprint race, where Bagnaia started well from pole position, taking the lead in the early laps. The Aprilia rider overtook first Martin and then his teammate, setting off after the leader, followed by Maverick. During the sixth lap, Aleix pulled the pin. Taking advantage of the RS-GP’s acceleration coming out of the final turn and the power of his V4, he came alongside Bagnaia in the first braking, setting up a clean and decisive overtake. Once out front, the hometown rider’s best pace came out, catapulting him to his first Sprint Race win, finishing with a gap of almost two full seconds.
Maverick finished on the third step of the podium after an outstanding race where he just missed second place (by 51 thousandths) after recovering from near contact with Martin. Ahead of the final stretch, he had an opening to attempt overtaking but, partly due to front tyre wear, Viñales decided not to gamble on any risky manoeuvres.
Today’s result is a historic one for the Italian manufacturer. Never before in MotoGP history had two Aprilias shared the podium.
ALEIX
“I wish to dedicate this win to our President, Roberto Colaninno. He would have been proud to see where we’ve taken his bike and it is thanks to his support as well that we are able to celebrate such an important team result. I felt good today. Pecco started very strong – so much that I thought I might just stay behind him and have a go in the finale. However, at a certain point I had the confidence to overtake him and set my own pace. Today’s Sprint Race showed me that the true key to the race is the front tyre. Even today, we had to manage it, so with twice as many laps and higher temperatures tomorrow, it will be difficult.”
MAVERICK
“Today’s result is fantastic for all of us. Managing to put two Aprilias on the podium is incredible. I’m happy for all the members of the team and I think it is only right to dedicate it to our President. I’m satisfied with my result even if I wasn’t able to overtake Bagnaia at the end. I tried, but he was very good at defending in braking and I did not want to risk contact. Tomorrow we’ll tackle another demanding race, especially in terms of tyre wear. Already today in the Sprint Race, the front tyre suffered a drop and that may be the element that kept me from being more incisive. In any case, we have a lot of data available to work with now. We know we have the pace to be able to battle for the podium tomorrow too.”
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FOUR APRILIAS IN Q2 AS A TESTAMENT TO PROGRESS MADE, EVEN ON A TRADITIONALLY DIFFICULT CIRCUIT LIKE THIS ONE
TIME TO WORK ON REDUCING THE GAP AHEAD OF TOMORROW’S GRAND PRIX
Aprilia Racing continues growing, at times substantiated by thrilling results, such as the first and second place finishes a week ago in the Barcelona race (the only MotoGP team to have achieved this result this season), and at times with less flashy but just as significant results.
The Misano circuit, not exactly a favourite for the RS-GP, had Maverick and Aleix finishing the Sprint race on Saturday with a good placement, sixth and eighth respectively.
An even more significant result was seeing all four Aprilias on the track in Q2. Viñales and Fernandez, who had already gone straight through thanks to being in the top ten on Friday, were joined by Espargaró and Oliveira, first and second in the first qualifying session today. At the end of Q2, the two factory riders had taken spots on the second row (Maverick fourth and Aleix sixth), whereas the Cryptodata RNF riders occupied the fourth row in the tenth (Oliveira) and twelfth spots (Fernandez).
In the race, Maverick and Aleix stayed just behind the leaders, but without ever finding what they needed to close the gap, at least with the riders battling for third. Now, taking advantage of the data from the Sprint Race and the riders’ reports, work is underway in the garage to improve the RS-GP machines ahead of tomorrow’s Grand Prix.
Aprilia Racing would like to take a moment today to remember Mike Trimby and express our condolences for his passing. Our most heartfelt and sincere thoughts go out to his family, his loved ones, and IRTA.
ALEIX
“Even though it may seem like a disappointing result, I can actually consider myself satisfied. On an unfavourable track, after yesterday’s difficulties, I was able to finish close to Maverick who rides extremely well here and not far from the podium. Even physically, I felt better than expected. I thought I would wake up in pain, but I can say that I did not have any big problems. We’ll see what we’re able to do in the long race, which is a very different situation from today.”
MAVERICK
“Today, with the soft tyre I did not find the best feeling. The bike moved around a lot. This is something that we need to figure out and work on. Tomorrow things could go differently. In race configuration with the medium tyre, we demonstrated that we can be extremely fast. The Sprint Race was still important to understand how the bike is working and to better prepare for the long race. Being out front from the start will be fundamental.”
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Today’s press release is first and foremost dedicated to Mike Trimby, who passed away last night. Here are Nadia Padovani’s words…
“The departure of Mike Trimby leaves a huge void in the championship and in our hearts. As the founder and president of IRTA, Mike was key in the growth and development of our championship. If we have reached the current organisational and professional levels is without a doubt thanks to Mike’s efforts and passion. Speaking for the whole Gresini Racing, we’d like to extend the most heartfelt condolences to Irene and all the guys at IRTA.”
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THIS IS THE FIRST IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL TEST FOR THE “BACK TO AFRICA” PROJECT IN PREPARATION FOR THE GREAT AFRICAN RAIDS
TWO TUAREG ON THE STARTING GRID DEVELOPED BY APRILIA RACING IN COLLABORATION WITH GCORSE, ENTRUSTED TO JACOPO CERUTTI AND FRANCESCO MONTANARI, ALREADY ABSOLUTE PROTAGONISTS IN THE ITALIAN MOTORALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
Noale (Venice), 30 August 2023 - The “Back to Africa” project, launched to return the Aprilia brand to the great African raids, is entering its most important stage: two Aprilia Tuareg developed to race in the desert will be on the starting grid of the Transanatolia Rally, scheduled to be held in Turkey from 2 through 9 September, entrusted to the two Aprilia Racing factory riders, Jacopo Cerutti and Francesco Montanari.
After the initial positive tests conducted in Sardinia and Friuli, the Turkish event - a rally as exciting as it is demanding that will cross Anatolia from the Black Sea all the way to the Aegean Sea for a total of 2500 km - is a true test bench for the competition Tuareg in view of future endeavours in the African desert.
The Aprilia Tuareg developed for rally raids is built on the technical base of the bike which - closely derived from the stock model - is a huge protagonist in the Italian Motorally Championship, where Jacopo Cerutti has already taken four category wins out of the six held so far, even coming close to an absolute victory in the first two rounds. A surprising début for Tuareg in the Italian series, with Cerutti currently leading the G-1000 class, reserved for multi-cylinder bikes over 600 cc.
Developed by Aprilia Racing in collaboration with GCorse of the Guareschi brothers, the Aprilia Tuareg designed for desert racing exploits the great off-road base features of the stock Tuareg.
In an initial stage of development, focus was on chassis performance, with a modular frame and geometries aimed at ensuring stability at high speeds and greater suspension travel. Subsequently, focus shifted to finding maximum engine reliability in prohibitive conditions through various changes, including the introduction of an oil radiator. Last, but not least, the adoption of a first supplementary fuel tank increased range, necessary for covering the long rally raid distances.
The competition version of the Aprilia Tuareg is fitted with Öhlins by Andreani suspension, a complete SC Project exhaust in titanium, and a specific Sprint Filter air filter. Collaboration has been priceless with Metzeler, who is focusing on the twin-cylinder adventure world with increasing interest and chose Aprilia to develop products for future use in rally raids.
Massimo Rivola - Aprilia Racing CEO
“The top priority of Aprilia Racing’s participation in the Transanatolia Rally is not the result. We are headed to Turkey to accumulate as much experience as possible in a setting that is brand new for us and which represents an extremely demanding test bench in view of the end goal - our return to African raids. Finishing the race will be fundamental in order to gather valuable data for the future to prepare for even more difficult events. In any case, the path we have taken thus far makes us optimistic for the future. The Tuareg has been able to take home outstanding results from the beginning of this project and all this has been possible thanks to a stock product with an already excellent technical base and the efforts of everyone, from the Guareschi brothers to our riders.”
Vittoriano Guareschi - Project Leader
“Development on the Tuareg continues non-stop and this time we’ll do it in a competition. The Transanatolia is an extremely important event for various reasons. We’ll be measuring up against many qualified adversaries in order to see how competitive the project is and it will also be essential to cover a lot of kilometres and gather data to see which areas need to be developed. Both the riders, Jacopo and Francesco, will have the latest evolution of the bike available to them, which has many new chassis and engine upgrades. Since this is a competition, measuring up against our adversaries is certainly important, but our priority remains developing the bike as quickly as possible.”
Jacopo Cerutti
“The Transanatolia rally will be a great test bench because well be tackling conditions which come closer to the African races in some respects compared with what we have become accustomed to in the Italian Motorally. There will be many strong rivals on the starting grid, so we’ll also have the chance to compare ourselves to them in order to better assess our own level of competitiveness. The goal is to successfully battle with the other twin-cylinders and - why not? - even try to stay up front in a few sections, although we mustn’t forget that our project is still quite young. The tests we’ve done so far on the bike have gone well, but competing in turkey will allow us to conduct the most effective tests to improve.”
Francesco Montanari
“The Transanatolia will be my first international rally and I’m going into it well aware that it will serve as great experience for me. Understanding the race rhythms will be important for me, with much longer legs than the ones I'm accustomed to. In recent months, I’ve tried to prepare physically as best as possible and I'm certain that having an expert teammate like Jacopo by my side will help me. I'm pumped up. In the tests, my sensations on the bike were outstanding. We’re on the right path to get close to Africa and I can’t wait to continue our work racing in Turkey.”
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