Category: Superbikes

1. APRILIA RACING TEAM GRESINI - Thailand Qualifying

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 7th Oct 2019

   FOURTH AND SIXTH ROW FOR THE APRILIAS IN THE GP OF THAILAND

   ALEIX TWELFTH AND ANDREA SIXTEENTH AFTER QUALIFYING
   
   Going straight through to Q2 based on his good placement yesterday when he finished seventh, Aleix Espargaró ended the day in twelfth place with a time of 1’31.258 without improving on his time from yesterday, a placement that earns him a spot on the fourth row of the starting grid tomorrow. On a much-feared circuit, the RS-GP took a clear step forward compared to last year and the good sensations he has had since Friday leave Aleix confident for the race tomorrow.

   Andrea stopped in the first qualifying session (Q1), lapping at a time of 1,31.428 which is a step forward compared to yesterday, but not enough to go through to Q2, which he missed by just 4 and a half tenths.
   
   
   ALEIX ESPARGARO'
   "In qualifying I could have aimed for the top 10. The pace and feeling during the other sessions were good. Unfortunately, with the first tyre I did not have good sensations - it slid around a lot - and with the second I may have gotten a bit carried away in the moment. I pushed hard the entire lap and in the end it didn’t pay off on the time sheets. I expect a very hard race. With these temperatures, you have to manage tyre wear well. I am ready to battle. At the beginning of the weekend I would have signed on the dotted line to have this feeling on one of the most difficult tracks for us."
   
   ANDREA IANNONE
   "We have good potential in the more flowing part of the track. I've been riding behind other riders and we are able to maintain the pace. However, I can’t be fully satisfied, because we are still losing a lot in the first two sectors and that is a handicap that keeps me from improving. I am giving it my all. I am at the team’s complete disposal and they are at mine. We have improved the bike since the beginning of the season and now you can tell, but these are not things that are solved from one day to the next. The race won’t be a walk in the park, but we’ll put forth our best effort on the track." 

2. APRILIA RACING TEAM GRESINI - Thailandia preview

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 2nd Oct 2019

   THE MOTOGP FAR EAST TOUR BEGINS

   AFTER THE NICE RESULT IN ARAGÓN, APRILIA TAKES ON THE FIRST ROUND IN THAILAND
   
   With the Aragón result filed away satisfactorily, Aprilia takes on the first round of the MotoGP Far East tour. The final European GP was the best weekend of this season for the RS-GP machines: Espargaró and Iannone through to Q2 and then, in the race, Aleix’s seventh place just five seconds from the podium and Andrea’s eleventh place despite pain in his shoulder that had kept him from racing in Misano just a week prior.

   However, the first overseas round at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram (Thailand) poses a new challenge for the Italian bikes on asphalt that has proven to be demanding for riders and mechanics. The high temperatures combined with a unique layout require a particular fine tuning which is a compromise between the stability required by the fast initial part and the agility that is so essential on the turns.
   
   ALEIX ESPARGARO'
   "The result in Aragón certainly gave us a nice boost. We are headed to this tour with high morale. However, we need to be realists. We know that it will not be easy for us in Thailand. In any case, it is important to keep working to finish out this season well and, above all, to give the engineers material to work with for the new Aprilia RS-GP."
   
   ANDREA IANNONE
   "We have a series of important races ahead of us on very different tracks. We will continue our work and we know that we still need to improve a lot. Because of the characteristics of the track, we already know that the race in Thailand will be a hard one for us, but it is precisely for this reason that it could also be an important opportunity to work on our weak points."

3. APRILIA RACING TEAM GRESINI - Aragòn Race

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 23rd Sep 2019

   OUTSTANDING TEAM EFFORT FOR THE APRILIAS AT ARAGÓN

   ALEIX BATTLES WITH THE TOP TEN AND FINISHES SEVENTH FIVE SECONDS FROM THE PODIUM

   ANDREA, SUFFERING WITH PAIN IN HIS SHOULDER, BATTLES AND FINISHES JUST OUTSIDE THE TOP TEN
   
   
   At Aragón Aprilia takes the best result of the season, with Aleix Espargaró finishing seventh, but close to the leaders, and Andrea Iannone, still suffering with pain in his shoulder after the Misano accident, finishing eleventh.

   After the good sessions yesterday that had placed him on the second row, Aleix started off strong, holding onto his position and fending off an attack by Rossi, staying close to the group of top riders battling for podium positions. The battle with Crutchlow for sixth continued all the way to the last lap when Aleix recovered ground, finishing in the Brit’s slipstream but, more importantly, keeping the gap to five and a half seconds behind the second place finisher in a race where the winner – Marquez – was in a race by himself. This is a great result that placed Aleix among the protagonists in the Spanish race and it is an excellent way to head off for the overseas tour.

   Throughout the race Andrea had to deal with pain in the left shoulder he injured in Misano. He gritted his teeth and, although having to dose out his strength, he remained consistently in the positions battling for the top ten. He missed it by less than half a second, but after a nice battle where he prevailed over Petrucci precisely on the final lap. The week-long break before flying out to Thailand will be essential for his full physical recovery.

   Bradley Smith, in the race with the third RS-GP, finished nineteenth, completing the work he had planned with the Test Team.
   
   
   ALEIX ESPARGARO'
   "Today’s result was good. The team and I gave 100% and we deserve it. At the start, with the fuel tank full, I didn’t have the best feeling with the front end, but things got better and better after a few laps. I had fun. Battling in the leading group is always nice, although the characteristics of the track undoubtedly helped us."
   
   ANDREA IANNONE
   "This weekend I had to grit my teeth and even in the race, the pain in my shoulder forced me to save my energy, especially when grip began to decrease. I am pleased with the team result, but we need to keep working hard, first and foremost, to reduce the gap in acceleration and top speed compared to Aleix. We can’t let this race fool us. This is a track that suits the Aprilia well and we still have a long way to go."
   
   BRADLEY SMITH
   "It was a good day for Aprilia, the result of hard work by everyone. I am happy, first of all, about finishing the race, since in my last wild cards that had not been possible. We took a shot in the dark, starting with an entirely new setting. It was also a functional decision because of the tests we’ll be doing here in a few days, during which we want to give Aleix and Andrea a little extra help for the rest of the season."

    

4. ⚡Ferrari storms over Misano with double win⚡

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 16th Sep 2019

   At the chequeredflag the gap with second-place rider Garzo was more than two seconds, with the Spaniard now second in the standings 19 points behind Ferrari. There is now only Valencia left, the second and last doubleheader to wrap up the season in November.
    
   Lorenzo Savadori, on the other hand, was 11^that the chequered flag and after staying with the big group and with a good battle with Terol he got to the chequered flag side by side with Terol, missing a top-ten finish for a split second.
    
   It was a perfect weekend for Team Trentino Gresini, who will now get into an almost two-month break before the season finale in Valencia.

5. APRILIA RACING TEAM GRESINI - Silverstone Qualifying

   Posted on 12:00pm Sunday 25th Aug 2019

   ALEIX TWELFTH IN THE SILVERSTONE QUALIFIERS

   CHATTERING LIMITS ANDREA, ON THE SIXTH ROW
   
   The first good news for team Aprilia came at the end of FP3, where Aleix Espargaró was sent straight through to the Q2 session. The Spanish rider therefore took advantage of FP4 to work on race strategy, trying various tyre options and assessing the ideal setup. Aleix finished qualifying with a time of 1'59.620, which puts him in twelfth place.

   Andrea struggled in today’s sessions with some nasty chattering which limited his efforts in finding the best performance. His time of 2'00.240 places him in the second spot of the sixth row on the grid. In anticipation of the race, Andrea and his team will analyse their options to attenuate the problem with vibrations and increase the feeling.
   
   ALEIX ESPARGARO'
   "I am having a lot of fun riding the bike and that is a positive aspect. I think that the new asphalt is helping. We have not had any problems caused by vibrations. The layout, with not too many spots where we need to accelerate from low speed, also suits the RS-GP well. I am pleased with this Saturday, but the top-ranking riders were really fast. It will not be easy to stay in the group during the race, but that is my goal."
   
   ANDREA IANNONE
   "In terms of tyre selection and race configuration, we have rather clear ideas. Unfortunately, we still have the chattering problem which really limited me. We’ll see if the guys are able to find some solution that will allow me to gain confidence and close the gap, even compared to Aleix. It will not be simple, but we’ll hang in there and try to improve constantly."