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Category: Superbikes
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MAVERICK VIÑALES ON THE TRACK WITH APRILIA FROM THE ARAGÓN GP
LORENZO SAVADORI WILD CARD IN THIS SEASON AND 2022 TEST RIDER
All the pieces have now fallen in place for the Aprilia Racing rider line-up after Maverick Viñales’ début astride the RS-GP during the two days of testing on the Misano Adriatico circuit.
The Spanish rider, extremely impressed by the first contact with the Italian team, will be on the track officially from the Aragón GP, scheduled to be held on the weekend of 12 September. He will take a spot on the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini alongside Aleix Espargaró, who just brought the Noale-based manufacturer their first podium in MotoGP at Silverstone.
Lorenzo Savadori will therefore be confirmed as test rider for the 2022 season, completing an extremely high level trio with the goal of continuing to improve the young RS-GP project. For the rest of the 2021 season, his presence on the track will not be lacking, taking advantage of the wild cards Aprilia has available. Lorenzo’s work schedule will be formalised as soon as he has recovered fully from the injury suffered during the Styria GP, a fractured right malleolus that required surgery.
MASSIMO RIVOLA - APRILIA RACING CEO
"We are extremely proud to be able to announce our plans for the current season and for 2022 with the goal of optimising the contributions of our three riders to the utmost. Alongside our confirmed rider, Aleix, it is our pleasure to welcome a talented athlete like Maverick to the Aprilia Racing team, who demonstrated a great feeling with the team and the bike straight away and who I am confident will be able to give his best as early as the Aragón GP. At the same time, we are also confirming Lorenzo’s role as 2022 test rider. This is a fundamental position that rewards the great efforts he has demonstrated in developing the new RS-GP, whereas he will finish out the 2021 season taking advantage of the wild cards that we’ll decide on together as soon as he is back to 100% fitness."
ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
"The decision to have Maverick on the track from Aragón is a direct result of the tests done in Misano. It was not a given that, after a career spent up to now on a bike with an in-line engine, Maverick would have a good feeling with our V4 straight away. This is why the test on this track, historically not an easy one for our bike, was an important moment of assessment. Therefore, we are satisfied with Maverick’s immediately positive reactions, which demonstrated a good feeling both with the RS-GP and with the team and our work method. His and Aleix’s talent, combined with the experience Lorenzo has gained this season, make us optimistic about the future of our MotoGP project.
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AT THE END OF A PERFECT RACE, ALEIX IS THIRD IN SILVERSTONE
A historic result, not only in terms of statistics. The first podium in MotoGP history arrived today in Silverstone at the end of a substantially perfect race by Aleix Espargaró. Aprilia had never before finished this high in the premier four-stroke motorcycle racing category. It was the best interpretation of a 2021 RS-GP that had everything except its christening in a race, after demonstrating exponential growth from the season start. The result is worth even more when we consider the current level of the championship, perhaps unparalleled on the world stage in terms of difficulty, with all the bikes on the grid within a few tenths of one another in every timed session.
It is a result with its roots in Noale, where an entire racing department has been working non-stop since the début year in 2015. With ups and downs but never losing sight of the goal: to take Aprilia to the point of competing with the best in the world, developing their technology on the track and improving step by step.
And, of course, our thoughts turn to Fausto Gresini, part of the Aprilia MotoGP family from the very start and, precisely for this reason, also part of today’s result.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"We’ve come so close. We have almost had it several times and finally we did it! A deserved podium that we’ve worked hard for and I dedicate, first and foremost, to Aprilia. The team has always worked to the utmost during these years. We have overcome difficult times together and now we are reaping the fruits of our labour. On the podium, I thought about Fausto, my family, and all the people who have been close to me. Our growth over the last two years has been extraordinary. We have improved in every aspect, but we needed a podium to lend credence to what we’ve done. I knew we had a chance today. We built our performance throughout all the sessions and I felt good in warm up this morning too. I had a few doubts at the start on tyre choice but in the end, we got it right. I lost a few positions at a certain point but I was able to recover, except on Fabio, who pulled away and created a gap. In the finale, I was struggling a bit with the front, but to compensate, I had good traction and that’s why I didn’t fight Jack in the braking sections, relying instead on crossing the trajectory and exploiting my acceleration. Now we need to celebrate and then get refocused straight away. There are more races coming up where we can be competitive. One podium can’t be enough to make us happy. We want more."
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MAVERICK VINALES WILL MAKE HIS DEBUT ON THE APRILIA RS-GP AT MISANO
TWO-DAY TEST FOR THE SPANISH RIDER ON 31 AUGUST - 1 SEPTEMBER
Maverick Vinales' debut on the Aprilia RS-GP will take place on the Italian track at Misano Adriatico. The first contact between the Spanish rider and the Italian team is scheduled for two days of testing on 31 August - 1 September.
This marks the start of Maverick's integration into the new structure that will accompany him throughout the 2022 season, a gradual approach to the improved harmony that is essential in such an extraordinary championship as modern MotoGP.
ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING TECHNICAL MANAGER
"From a technical point of view, it is always fascinating to listen to the impressions of a rider who is testing your bike for the first time. Especially with a champion like Maverick, who we are pleased to welcome into the Aprilia Racing family. After the great work carried out on the track by the racing department over the last two years, we are adding yet another piece to the path of growth that we are undertaking with encouraging results. Clearly the first approach involves a very practical adaptation phase, in terms of ergonomics and setup, which we know vary for each rider. But I'm sure that Maverick's talent and speed will come to the fore right away and I can't wait to start working together".
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MOTOGP RETURNS TO SILVERSTONE
ESPARGARO': "I HAVE MISSED THIS CIRCUIT"
SAVADORI: "TOMORROW THE DOCTORS' OK, THE GOAL IS TO RACE"
After a year of forced absence, MotoGP returns to the iconic English circuit of Silverstone. Fast, technical and fascinating, the track in the East Midlands is an excellent test bench to confirm the qualities of the new Aprilia RS-GP. The riders also appreciate the layout of Silverstone, unanimously considered a circuit as challenging as it is engaging.
In the Aprilia box alongside Aleix Espargaro' will be the return of Lorenzo Savadori, absent from the second Austrian round after a bad crash the previous weekend. The operation on his right malleolus has been successfully completed, now the rider is waiting for the doctors' approval (expected tomorrow morning) to get back on the bike.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"I have missed Silverstone. It's a long and technical track, where you can really exploit the performance of the MotoGP bike. The last time we raced there I was pretty competitive in the race and I also think it suits the characteristics of the RS-GP well, so I'm looking forward to getting back on track."
LORENZO SAVADORI
"I don't know Silvesrtone well, I haven't raced there since 2013, but it's a fast and very nice circuit. The injury is quite recent, tomorrow I'll undergo a check to verify the situation and receive authorization to race. I can't wait to get back on the bike and see how the ankle reacts, both in terms of strength and pain. I'll have to grit my teeth but I'm ready for the weekend".
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2022 will see the begin of a great journey for Gresini Racing who, after seven long years, will be back on the most important stage of the World Championship – MotoGP – as an Independent Team. Joining the team will be Kapriol, an international-oriented company specialised in the production of work clothing and tools, who chose the Faenza-based squad also for next season.
Kapriol’s journey has been a fantastic one as it started in 2018 as a Moto3 sponsor, while next year the company will make its MotoGP debut. Kapriol will have visibility on both Ducati machines of Team Gresini, on the leathers of Enea Bastianini and Fabio Di Giannantonio as well as on the pit-box panels, team uniforms, interview backdrops and team trucks.
FRANCO MORGANTI – CEO KAPRIOL
“We’re very happy and motivated in being among the sponsors of this new journey by the Gresini Family. This is a dream of the late-great Fausto that comes to life, with Italian bikes and riders. As a company, we believe in the common values between our institutions as I’m sure 2022 will be a year in which Team Gresini MotoGP can be a protagonist! We will be there, on top of the sofa, to cheer for this great team.”
CARLO MERLINI – GRESINI RACING MARKETING AND COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR
“Kapriol’s journey perfectly shows the great synergy between our two companies. This is a partnership that began in 2018 in Moto3 and from then it kept growing, year after year, until this key step which we’re happy to take together. I would like to give my heartfelt thank you to the whole Morganti family, not only for their support but also for their spirits – which have brought great energy to this partnership from day one.”
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