Category: Superbikes

1. PROVISIONAL TOP-10 FOR THE APRILIAS IN GERMANY

   Posted on 6:00pm Friday 17th Jun 2022

   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."

2. SACHSENRING FRIDAY: OK DAY FOR DIGGIA, BASTIANINI HAS MARGIN

   Posted on 4:00pm Friday 17th Jun 2022

   #GermanGP Free Practice. The opening day for round ten of the season sees once again Fabio Di Giannantonio on great form, as he is now consistently in the top ten – at least in the single-lap performance. The series rookie was immediately very comfortable aboard his Desmosedici machine, and his performance gave him the ninth position in the combined times of today’s FP1 and FP2 sessions (1’20.545).
    
   Without his race engineer Giribuola, who stayed at home as a precautionary measure after testing positive to Covid-19, Enea Bastianini had a bit more of a difficult time compared to his teammate. The standard bearer of Team Gresini MotoGP still has time to bounce back, starting from tomorrow morning’s FP3 which will be key in order to avoid having to go through Q1. Only a few milliseconds are needed in order to be back among the protagonists. 

    

   9^th - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 (1’20.545s)
   “We start back from Barcelona: we made very little changes to the bike and we had a good feeling, which is very, very positive. Let’s say we’re on the right track: we’re still missing something on the front-end, especially with regards to some corners like turn three, but we have some changes in mind to make a further step forward tomorrow. The goal is to be in Q2 here as well.”
    
   13^th - ENEA BASTIANINI #23 (1’20.747s)
   “We struggled a bit, and last year here hadn’t been easy, either. We know where we have to focus on in order to be competitive and I’m confident tomorrow we’ll be part of the game. We’re still missing something in sectors two and three. From turn six to turn eight I don’t feel well, I have a lack of feeling with the front-end and that means cornering is also affected.”

3. GP OF GERMANY AT THE SACHSENRING

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 15th Jun 2022

   APRILIA IN GRAND FORM: LEADER IN THE TEAMS STANDINGS WITH ALEIX SECONDO SECOND IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP AND MAVERICK IMPROVING CONSISTENTLY

   
   The winding German Sachsenring track will host the tenth round on the 2022 MotoGP calendar. Located just a few kilometres from the city of Chemnitz in Saxony, it is the shortest of all the track in the championship and has a series of features that make it decidedly demanding for riders and vehicles. Beginning with the predominance of left-handers (10 vs. 3), which is not a detail to be overlooked.

   Aprilia is headed there in grand form, leading in the teams standings with Aleix second in the rider championship and Maverick improving consistently. This is a situation that the Italian team is keen to maintain, fortified by their consolidated competitiveness and the hard work that the racing department is continuing to bring to the track to improve the RS-GP.

   ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
   "In the last two races before the summer break, our goal must be to take home important points. This year we have shown that we can be consistently competitive on every track and in any conditions; consistency will be fundamental when the sums are drawn. I am highly motivated and confident that we’ll be able to do well on the Sachsenring."

   MAVERICK VIÑALES
   "We are tackling a track that seems to adapt well to the characteristics of the Aprilia. The Barcelona test was positive and the Sachsenring will be an important test bench for confirming the good sensations of the latest races, where we have consistently improved. We are working hard and we’ll continue to do so this weekend. Step by step, we are reaching the level that we expect to be able to maintain."

4. FOURTH BACK-TO-BACK ROUNDS IN THE SEASON FOR TEAM GRESINI MOTOGP

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 13th Jun 2022

   With the disappointment of Montmeló behind, here comes a fresh opportunity for Team Gresini MotoGP to get into the long summer break with a positive momentum. Sachsenring and Assen are the next venues on the calendar, and both events are going to be crucial for Enea Bastianini and Fabio Di Giannantonio.
    
   The #23, who is still third in the championship standings despite the two DNFs at Mugello and in Catalunya, is eager to bounce back at to circuits where he has been on the podium during his Moto3 times (2015-2016 at Sachsenring and 2018 in Assen).
    
   The #49 is looking forward to continuing the positive trend shown in the latest outings at two circuits that have been kind to him in the pest (he was fourth in Germany last year in the Moto2 category, while he was on the podium at Assen in his Moto3 debut season in 2016).
    
   History time – Team Gresini MotoGP was six times on the podium at the two tracks between 2003 and 2006, including two wins by Sete Gibernau and four second-place finishes (two by Marco Melandri).

   #23 ENEA BASTIANINI (3^rd in the championship standings with 94 points)
   “Last year in Germany I wasn’t as competitive ad I’d hoped. We’re coming from a disappointing race, so we are eager to improve and to recover that lost feeling with the front-end of the bike that would allow us to race at the front. Sachsenring is not among my favourite tracks, but if we manage to set the bike up right, we can have fun. Assen is clearly among my favourite tracks, as it is both difficult and technical at the same time: last year I struggled there, but this year I’m better prepared. It will be a very challenging trip.”
    
   #49 FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO (22^nd in the championship standings with 8 points)
   “The goal for the next two races stays the same: we need to make further steps forward compared to the last outing: I like Sachsenring a lot and I was always quick there. It’s an anti-clockwise track and I only know how to turn left (he laughs), so it’s an advantage. I also like Assen, I always had a good feeling there both in Moto3 and Moto2, so I see no reason why we cannot continue on the positive direction we’ve taken.”

5. ALEIX ESPARGARÓ IN POLE POSITION WITH THE RECORD AT THE GP DI CATALUNYA

   Posted on 12:00pm Sunday 5th Jun 2022

   THE FASTEST ANYONE HAS EVER BEEN ON A MOTORCYCLE ON THE SPANISH CIRCUIT

   MAVERICK VIÑALES IS FIRST IN Q1 AND WILL START FROM THE THIRD ROW

   THIS CONFIRMS APRILIA RACING'S GRAND FORM ON QUALIFYING DAY AS WELL

   After dominating practice on Friday, Aprilia Racing confirms the outstanding performance on qualifying day as well. Aleix Espargaró broke the Spanish track record twice to take the second pole position of this year.

   With this performance, Aleix confirmed the excellent impressions he had been giving from the outset of the weekend, riding his RS-GP admirably and taking full advantage of its performance in the difficult low-grip conditions of the Catalunya track. After setting the new track record in the last practice session (obviously finishing it in first place), he managed to do even better in qualifying, stopping the clock at a time of 1’38.742 for the new track record and the fourth pole position of his career.

   Yet again, Q2 seemed to be cursed for Maverick Viñales, knocked out of the top ten by just 10 thousandths of a second. However, this time Maverick redeemed himself straight away, dominating the first qualifying session and going through to Q2 where he finished with a spot on the third row and a time of 1’39.397.

   ALEIX  ESPARGARÓ
   1st - 1'38.742
   "What qualifiers! It’s nice to be ahead of the rest here in Barcelona, but it was anything but easy. The bike moved around a lot, the conditions were critical, and I really had to give one hundred percent. I also have to thank Maverick because thanks to his slipstream on the straight, I gained a few fundamental metres. Overall, we worked well, both on the flying lap and in terms of preparing for the race. Now all that’s left is to start well, stay focused and see who has conserved their tyres the best in the finale."

   MAVERICK  VIÑALES
   8th - 1'39.397
   "We did a good job, even if this performance should come easier for us. In any case, I’m happy to be starting from the third row. It was important for us to improve in qualifying and today we took a good step forward. It’s going to be a long race but I feel good. I’ll be aiming to be aggressive in the early laps and then conserve the tyres a bit for the finale."