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Category: Superbikes
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ALEIX ESPARGARÓ GOES STRAIGHT THROUGH TO Q2 FOR THE FOURTH TIME IN A ROW
HE’LL START FROM THE THIRD ROW IN THE SPANISH GP IN JEREZ
LORENZO SAVADORI IMPROVES HIS PACE BUT STILL PAYS THE PRICE FOR INEXPERIENCE IN QUALIFYING
The RS-GP improves and Aleix Espargaró confirms, once again in Jerez, that he is at ease in the top spots of the MotoGP standings. For the fourth consecutive time in as many race weekends, he goes straight through to Q2, thanks to the fifth-place time earned in the morning FP3 session with a fantastic time of 1’37.049.
In fact, two crashes in the FP4 session just a few minutes before qualifying forced him to change bikes for the decisive session. Aleix reacted extremely well, lapping only a few thousandths of a second off his time in the practice sessions and, with a time of 1’37.085, he took the centre spot on the third row of a starting grid characterised – as it usually is these days – by extremely narrow gaps between the top riders.
Lorenzo Savadori made clear progress in terms of pace, but had to pay the price of being a rookie in MotoGP during qualifiers. He finished with a time of 1’38.325 (but in FP3 he had lapped at 1’37.814) which places him on the eighth row of the starting grid for tomorrow.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"I don’t think the result in qualifying is entirely indicative. Today we once again demonstrated great competitiveness. In race configuration with used tyres, I think that only a few other riders have a pace better than ours. Unfortunately, we may still be missing a bit of power in qualifying to take full advantage of the soft tyre’s grip, but if we look at the gaps, we're really only talking about thousandths of a second. For the race, it will be essential to get a good start, which will allow us to gain a few positions in the early stages. After that, everything will play out based on tyre wear in the final laps. I'm not obsessed by the result. The thing that comforts me most is that we have been among the favourites for an important position every race weekend so far. This means that we’ve taken a clear step forward and that we are working in the right direction."
LORENZO SAVADORI
"Things went rather well overall today. In terms of pace, we were able to improve my feeling. On the other hand, I still need time to work on riding at the limit, for example in qualifying, where things get more complicated for me. It seems repetitive, but these bikes are extremely stiff and, compared to the factory derivative bikes, movements are far less accentuated. This doesn’t help me when I'm trying to find the limit and, given the high competitiveness of the championship, you always have to ride at 100%. The increased wind in the afternoon also didn’t help, as my crash in FP4 demonstrates."
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THE SPANISH RIDER IS THIRD AND HAS A GOOD PACE AT THE END OF THE FIRST DAY IN JEREZ
LORENZO SAVADORI IS ALSO LOOKING GOOD AS HE IMPROVES IN THE SADDLE OF HIS RS-GP
The good trend for Aleix Espargaró and his Aprilia RS-GP, already among the protagonists in the early races of the season, found confirmation on the first day of practice in Jerez.
Aleix finished the first two sessions comforted by his time, finishing third (1’37.646) and staying consistently in the top positions.
But he especially demonstrated an extremely consistent pace: Aleix was the only rider on the track to lap below 1’38 five times. His second run was spectacular with 1’37.9, 1’37.8 and 1’37.9, all in a row. He then finished his third run with a 1’37.6 and a 1’37.7.
In short, it was a good start that places him among the candidates to go straight through to the Q2 session tomorrow, decisive in defining the grid for the Spanish GP on Sunday.
Lorenzo Savadori closed out his Friday with the 19th best time (1,38.594), seven tenths of a second from the top ten. With such close standings, a sign of the great balance in the MotoGP championship, any progress at all is important and Lorenzo continues improving.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"It’s only Friday, but being fast right from the first lap is important. Especially looking at the pace in race configuration, I think I was one of the more competitive riders. Tomorrow I expect the track conditions to change and that could shake things up for everyone. In any case, there is no doubt as to our speed, even if I was unable to improve a lot in the time attack on the soft tyre. On a track like this one, overtaking is no simple thing, so our goal for tomorrow will have to be the first three rows at the very least."
LORENZO SAVADORI
"Today was a good day, despite the fact that I wasn’t able to make a difference on the soft tyre. These are things that are part of my growing process in this category. The positive thing is that we figured out where we need to make changes to improve more, so we’ll try already tomorrow."
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Gresini Racing continues within the #GresiniFamily and, with immediate effect, will see the official involvement of Nadia Padovani – Fausto’s wife – as the new CEO of the Faenza-based company. Nadia takes over Fausto’s role completely, therefore getting both Team Owner and Team Principal titles.
This is not the only news, as their sons Lorenzo and Luca will also be protagonists, with the former who will be involved in the administrative part of the company, while the latter will have more of a sporting role and will already be present at Jerez with the team.
With the whole family on board to give continuity to the company, Fausto’s secret wish to return to MotoGP as an independent team will become a reality from 2022, as expected by the contract signed with Dorna at the end of last season.
NADIA PADOVANI – GRESINI RACING TEAM OWNER & TEAM PRINCIPAL
“I would like to think that Fausto’s two families – ours and the racing one – have joined their efforts to bring forward everything he was planning, and especially the MotoGP. To have an independent team in the premier class is surely something very demanding, with a team to be built from scratch, but I know everyone in the company is giving their 110% to make his dream come true. Personally, I see it as a real mission, a challenge we will face – also and above all – thanks to the strength of Fausto, who is following us from above. We’re currently speaking with several manufacturers and in a matter of few weeks we will reveal the details of our MotoGP project.”
#CiaoFaustoâ¤ï¸
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APRILIA RACING SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH DORNA THROUGH 2026
FROM THE 2022 SEASON, THE RS-GP FACTORY BIKES WILL BE ON THE TRACK WITH THE OFFICIAL APRILIA RACING TEAM
Aprilia Racing is pleased to announce the signing of an agreement with Dorna Sports to participate in the MotoGP World Championship through 2026.
For the next five seasons, Aprilia Racing will be one of the protagonists in the top motorcycle racing competition in the world, thereby reaffirming its mission of technological research and experimentation excellence within the Piaggio Group.
From 2022, Aprilia Racing will participate as manufacturer, with the official RS-GP machines on the track as a factory team, as the agreement has ended with Gresini Racing, which accompanied Aprilia Racing’s participation in the championship since 2015. In the moving and heartfelt memory of Fausto, Aprilia Racing holds team Gresini in the highest regard and wishes to thank them for these years together.
Aprilia is one of the most victorious brands in motorcycle racing history, having won an astonishing 54 world titles in its young career, 38 in World Championship GP Motorcycle Racing, 7 in Superbike and 9 in Off Road disciplines. With 294 GP wins, it is the European brand that has won the most races in World Championship GP Motorcycle Racing. Many of the riders who have made motorcycling history in the last few decades have made their début on the bikes from Noale. These World Champions include Max Biaggi, Loris Capirossi, Alex Gramigni, Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Casey Stoner, Manuel Poggiali, Marco Simoncelli and Alvaro Bautista.
Massimo Rivola – Aprilia Racing CEO
“I am obviously happy about this agreement. From next season, we will be participating as Aprilia Racing Factory Team. This opens up new and hopefully great opportunities and we will need to manage many additional responsibilities. It is a natural step that we are taking just as we are beginning to see the first positive signs from the hard work we’ve done in Noale, first and foremost on our structure, and consequently on our beautiful RS-GP bikes. At this time, our thoughts and gratitude go to Gresini Racing, who have accompanied us in these years. In heartfelt memory of Fausto, I wish the team and all its staff the best success for the coming seasons.”
Carmelo Ezpeleta - Dorna Sports CEO
“Dorna and Aprilia extending their partnership is really positive news for the FIM MotoGP World Championship. We are excited to continue this association with the Italian manufacturer in a project that has set many fascinating goals, not just in racing performance, but in overall technical excellence of the championship.”
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THE ELECTRIC SEASON STARTS AT JEREZ FOR INDONESIAN E-RACING GRESINI MOTOE 
Two tests with some ups and downs and now it is time to race for Team Indonesian E-Racing Gresini MotoE, who will make its debut this weekend with new colours and the same type of goals. Matteo Ferrari and Andrea Mantovani will be the protagonists of this 2021 season and the first event of the year is on paper a very interesting challenge.
Matteo Ferrari, title winner in 2019 and runner up last year, will aim at racing at the sharp end of the field and, to do so, he will need to bridge the gap with the quickest riders in the last test: his goal is to get the crown back.
Less pressure on the rookie Andrea Mantovani, who has already shown a great degree of adaptability in the category, and who will test his skills at Jerez de la Frontera from Friday 30 April with the first free practice session.
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