Category: Superbikes

1. Ferrari re-signs and look forward to Valencia

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 7th Nov 2019

   Team Trentino Gresini MotoE has confirmed – as the most natural and logical choice – Matteo Ferrari, as the star of the team’s MotoE line-up for the upcoming season. Currently leading the standings with two races left to be contested, the #11 Italian rider showed great adaptation skills to the new bike and – despite the young age – a great amount of experience in the first-ever edition of the MotoE World Cup.
    
   For all these reasons, Team Trentino Gresini MotoE has shown great will to come to an agreement before of the final event of the season at Valencia, in which Ferrari will battle for the first-ever title of this new and surprising category.
    
   It is going to be a thrilling weekend with Matteo Ferrari, who is going to do the utmost to defend himself from the many title rivals. He currently holds a 19-point advantage on his main opponent Garzo, but 12 are the riders still mathematically in contention for the title – with 50 points still to be awarded. MotoE proceedings will get underway on Thursday at 16:00 local time (GMT+1).

2. APRILIA RACING TEAM GRESINI - Malaysia Race

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 4th Nov 2019

   POINTS FOR ALEIX AT THE END OF A TROUBLED RACE

   ANDREA IANNONE CRASHES WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES
   
   The race ridden on the torrid asphalt of Sepang (Malaysia) was not a simple one. Aleix Espargaró, who started from the fourteenth spot on the grid, managed to move his way up the field just outside the top 10 before losing two positions in the battles that took place in the race finale. In spite of a good race pace, the Spaniard's performance was limited by the difficulty overtaking.

   Teammate Andrea Iannone was also riding a decent race, battling for a finish in the points. Unfortunately, too much time spent in the slipstream heated up the front tyre and he ended up having a crash on turn 9, harmless for the Italian, but enough to put him out of the action.
   
   ALEIX ESPARGARÒ
   "I cannot be pleased with this race, especially because I had a decidedly better pace than my finishing position reflects. Unfortunately, our limitations in acceleration make it very difficult to overtake. I lost time today behind Bagnaia and in the battle with Pol. In the end, I limited the damage, even in terms of gap. Now we’ll prepare our best for Valencia and next season."
   
   
   ANDREA IANNONE
   "It was a strange race. I didn't have a bad pace, but I was slow in speed, staying in the slipstream for a long time and things did not improve. The temperatures began to rise, including the front tyre temperature, and I struggled until the crash. We have work to do, but I have peace of mind. I’ll be ready when we are able to make an important step forward."

3. APRILIA RACING TEAM GRESINI - Phillip Island Race

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 28th Oct 2019

   IN AUSTRALIA TWO APRILIAS IN THE TOP TEN WITH ANDREA SIXTH AND ALEIX TENTH

   IT IS THE BEST RESULT EVER FOR APRILIA IN THE HISTORY OF MOTOGP

   ANDREA FINISHES LESS THAN 8 TENTHS FROM THE PODIUM, ALEIX CONSISTENTLY IN THE BATTLE WITH THE LEADERS
   
   With its riders putting in an outstanding performance, Aprilia was one of the protagonists in the Australian GP. Starting very well from the third row – Aprilia had never before had two riders in the top ten on the starting grid – Andrea and Aleix settled in stably with the lead group. In the early stages, they occupied third and fifth place for quite a while with Andrea who, on the third lap, even had the satisfaction of overtaking Márquez and then Crutchlow for first place. Starting with the soft on the rear, they both had to manage the natural wear of the tyre but they never gave up, playing key roles in the leading pack and, after Viñales and Márquez pulled away, in the group battling for the podium.

   In the end, Andrea took home a nice sixth place, finishing just 7.8 tenths from the podium, while Aleix finished tenth as a testament to the overall great performance of the RS-GP on the demanding and beautiful Phillip Island circuit.

   This is Aprilia’s best placement ever in the history of MotoGP, where two bikes from Noale had never been so high in the rankings and so close to the podium. The result comes at the end of a primarily positive weekend where the RS-GP machines had been consistently fast in practice and in qualifying, with Andrea finishing Q1 in second place, going through to Q2, and Aleix second in the morning warm up session.
   
   ALEIX ESPARGARÒ
   "This is a special track for us, different from the other circuits, and I had fun straight away as soon as we got here. We stayed consistently with the best group which was battling for the podium in a fun race with a lot of overtaking. It seemed like a Moto3 race, but with a lot faster and heavier bikes! In order to be even more competitive, I would have needed more grip on the rear, so I was unable to ride exactly as I expected, having to make up a lot of ground in braking."
   
   ANDREA IANNONE
   "It was a positive race for us, but we worked well throughout the weekend. I had a good feeling straight away and I realised from the first practice session that it would be a good opportunity for us. There were obviously many details that helped, beginning with the characteristics of this track, and it’s a pity about some contact in the finale. I lost a winglet and the bike was no longer perfectly balanced. But it was thrilling to ride the Aprilia out front and for that I wish to thank all the guys here and in Noale who are working their hardest and the CEO who supports us in our growth. I hope to be able to bring them more satisfaction. This is only my first season with Aprilia and it was not exactly simple, but we were never lacking in determination and commitment."

4. 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." 

5. 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."