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Category: Superbikes
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It was a full practice schedule at Le Mans for Aprilia, busy on the track developing the RS-GP which, introduced just before the season opener, demands additional efforts from the mechanics and riders that go beyond simply looking for the best lap times. In the first two sessions today, Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl worked intensely on both testing the new materials that were introduced at Jerez (and partially tested after the race on Monday at Mugello) and on assessing some changes in the tyre options.
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini will focus their efforts on pure performance tomorrow after the usual analysis of today's activities, having all of the data collected at their fingertips to come up with a base configuration where setup is concerned.
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“This morning the problem was in coming out of the tight turns with the bike being rather twitchy. In the afternoon we tried to improve in this area, managing to shave a bit off our lap times, but in trying to find more stability we lost a little something in terms of handling. So we need to focus on these issues, trying to improve every time we go out”.
STEFAN BRADL
“Today we really had a lot of work to do, beginning with the last comparisons between the old and new frame we started at Jerez. This is a test that we did in both sessions. We decided to carry on with the new version, which provides some advantages going into turns. But there wasn't much time, so there are still a few things left to sort, especially in terms of the rear. Tomorrow we'll focus our efforts on improving coming out of turns as well, based on what we found today”.
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APRILIA HEADS TO LE MANS WITH ALVARO BAUTISTA AND STEFAN BRADL DETERMINED TO RIDE THEIR RS-GP MACHINES INTO THE POINTS
The second European round of the 2016 MotoGP World Championship will be held this weekend on the French "Bugatti" track at Le Mans. This is an historic international motoring theatre, part of the famous Circuit de la Sarthe that hosts the renowned "24 Hour" endurance competition.
Relatively short with a lot of heavy braking sections and direction changes, the French track with these characteristics could prove to be "friendly" for the Aprilia RS-GP bikes, a new project with developments that continued even this week with a series of private tests at Mugello and that has already demonstrated promising values in terms of reliability and performance.
The unknown at Le Mans that must always be taken into consideration is the weather, which can change suddenly and heavily influence the practice sessions and races. This is another important element that will demand maximum concentration from the entire Aprilia Racing Team Gresini.
ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING MANAGER
“Our development programme continues. On Monday at Mugello we completed a few important electronics tests with Bautista and Bradl in terms of power output, whereas on Tuesday and Wednesday the tests continued with Mike di Meglio and the Aprilia test team. At Le Mans there will once again be aerodynamic changes, engine performance improvements and some further fine-tuning on the electronics package that we will be trying out on the French track. We are coming from a race at Jerez where the RS-GP showed some important signs of competitiveness and we aim to continue the positive trend”.
FAUSTO GRESINI - TEAM MANAGER
“In the private tests and Mugello we tried out the technical updates on the track that had already been introduced in the post-race tests at Jerez, but unfortunately the weather conditions weren't the best. So at Le Mans we'll continue testing the chassis upgrades that already gave us positive indications in Spain with improvements in terms of stability and the way the bike performs coming out of corners. We will definitely be able to take another important step forward, continuing development leading up to the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, which is a very important found for us”.
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“Le Mans is a relatively small track with a lot of direction changes and really unpredictable weather. We'll have one eye on the sky in every session! After the good weekend at Jerez, despite my crash in the race, we hope to continue improving my feeling in the saddle and the bike's performance. In the tests after the race we put in a lot of kilometres, continuing our development programme with upgrades that we will continue to focus on in France as well. I would like to battle like I did last round, going through to Q2 in the qualifiers and battling in the top 10 zone during the race”.
STEFAN BRADL
“I'm very anxious to get to the second European round at Le Mans. We'll have some upgrades and this is a track that I think can really cater well to the characteristics of our bike. In terms of layout it isn't a very fast track, but there are a lot of heavy braking sections where the RS-GP has proven to perform rather well. We'll arrive at the French round ready for action. We are working well and I'm sure that we'll bring home important championship points here as well for me and for Aprilia”.
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PJ Jacobsen and the Honda WorldSSP team are en route to the ‘Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari’ in Imola, Italy, where they will contest the fifth round of the 2016 FIM Supersport World Championship this weekend. The 22-year-old American rider is eager to bounce back after a disappointing end to an extremely competitive race at Assen, which saw him leading in both wet and dry conditions before crashing out.
Jacobsen was twice fourth, on different machinery, in the last two runnings of the Italian round. With the latest developments made by the team to his #2 Honda CBR600RR machine, he is now looking forward to even better results and a return to podium ways.
Located within the central Italian city of Imola, the 4.936km track has witnessed some of the most incredible battles in the history of World Supersport. It is known for being extremely technical and demanding, with no room to catch a breath over the course of the lap – given the absence of long straights – and many elevation changes.
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SPECIAL INCENTIVE FOR ALVARO BAUTISTA, STEFAN BRADL READY TO CAPITALISE ON HIS RS-GP'S AGILITY
ROMANO ALBESIANO: "CHASSIS, ELECTRONIC AND AERODYNAMIC UPGRADES"
After the overseas start to the season, MotoGP makes its début in Europe with the Spanish round at Jerez. This is a track that marks an important turning point for Aprilia, and not only in geographical terms. In fact, it has a layout with decidedly different characteristics than the tracks from the first three races. This is a layout that, on paper, could favour the peculiarities of the new Aprilia RS-GP.
A scheduled development programme will also begin in Spain, the first fruits of which will be seen this weekend. There are chassis upgrades, developments with the electronics and aerodynamics born out of the experience gained during the first outings of the 2016 prototype. Therefore, after the encouraging results achieved in the first races, for the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini this promises to be a race with multiple incentives, where the primary goal is still to continue racking up kilometres and experience.
ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING MANAGER
"In the first three races of the season we were able to collect a lot of data that also highlight the areas where we need to improve the most right now. Building from there, we have laid out our development schedule for the European races, a programme that will begin already this weekend with the first, important steps in terms of the chassis, electronics and aerodynamics. Jerez is Alvaro's home race and he did very well here last year, whereas Stefan is enjoying a good trend, as his recent results demonstrate. I expect that both of them, also considering the characteristics of the track, will be able to take another step forward in terms of performance".
FAUSTO GRESINI - TEAM MANAGER
"The results are positive, thanks to the efforts of the Aprilia technicians and the entire team. We are preparing for a long series of races in Europe, with the Jerez round representing an important test bench. When a bike works well on this track it is generally effective almost everywhere. So we are anxiously awaiting this GP, knowing we can count on upgrades that can help us make progress".
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“We're beginning the European races after a decidedly positive start to the season, given the fact that we were able to earn points in every race with a completely new bike. And we could have done even better if it hadn't been for a few things that were beyond our control. Jerez is a much shorter track and rather different from the ones where we've raced so far. It will be interesting to see how the RS-GP performs. I think that it will be a fundamental weekend for finding a good base. Until now we have taken on particular circuits with very specific setup needs. I also like it because a lot of fans and my friends will be there, so that will make for a special atmosphere. The goal is to keep going down the path we have already started, finishing the race and staying as close as possible to the top 10”.
STEFAN BRADL
“The first European race of the season is always long-awaited. Jerez is an interesting track because it has a completely different layout that the one on the tracks we've tackled so far. Overall it is a slow track, with short straight stretches where power doesn't count for too much, so the excellent agility of our bike could allow us to take a further step forward. I'm pumped up for the weekend since we will have the support of our European fans, who always make their presence and warmth felt, as well as some electronics upgrades that the guys at Aprilia have been working on nonstop”.
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that the 22-year-old has claimed the front slot of row 2, as he did the same both in Thailand and Spain.
Like all the other riders who were automatically seeded to Superpole 2 after yesterday’s two free practice sessions, Jacobsen had to quickly adapt to the dry conditions of the 4.542km track, which he had not encountered before during this weekend. Lap after lap, the American built up great speed aboard his Honda CBR600RR and, in his final attempt before the chequered flag, he logged a 1’40.165 that allowed him to retake that fourth place he had lost moments before. Pole position and second were in fact taken by the two riders who had to make their way through the first Superpole session.
The fourth race of the 2016 FIM Supersport World Championship is scheduled to commence tomorrow at 11:20 local time (GMT+2).
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