APRILIA RACING - Aragon Races
Posted on
LEON HASLAM FINISHES HIS WEEKEND AT MOTORLAND DE ARAGON ON THE PODIUM.
FIFTH AND FOURTH PLACE FOR TEAM MATE JORDI TORRES IN HIS HOME ROUND.
LORENZO SAVADORI SECOND IN HIS DÉBUT ON THE SUPERSTOCK RSV4 RF.
Alcaniz (Spain), 12 April 2015 – The weekend at Motorland de Aragon ended with a podium and confirmation of the Rider and Manufacturer second place overall standings for Team Aprilia Racing - Red Devils.
Leon Haslam, after winning Superpole yesterday, rode his RSV4 to a third place finish in Race 2 and just barely missed the podium in Race 1.
For the morning race the English rider had to deal with the rather low “feared” temperatures that he had already faced yesterday morning and which damaged tyre performance, keeping him from staying in contact with the lead pack. In the afternoon, on hotter tarmac, Leon started from the pole position he earned yesterday and played it safe on the first laps, starting to push and engaging in a heated battle with Rea. The gap between the two changed constantly, which is the sign of a fierce battle in which Haslam yielded only at the end, bringing home an excellent third place finish on a track that has never been particularly kind to him.
Leon Haslam: “I'm really happy about this podium. I knew that it wouldn't be easy for us, both because of the low temperatures in Race 1 and because of the greater experience our rivals have on this track. In Race 2 we made a few small changes to the RSV4 but most of all the different conditions allowed us to be faster. I was disappointed not to have engaged in a close battle with Rea. I was faster than he was in a few spots of the track, but I lost ground in others. I'm confident as I look forward to the next rounds at Assen and Imola. They are two tracks that I like and our improvement this weekend is an excellent starting place. We know what our strong points are and race after race we are gathering fundamental data to improve. I'm sure that we'll be able to take advantage of this experience over the rest of the season.”
Another solid race for Jordi Torres, who doesn't seem in the least to feel his status as a rookie on the world champion bike. On his home track the Spaniard continued working hard to adapt to a new category and to fully comprehend how his RSV4 RF works. The fifth place finish in Race 1, but especially the fourth place in Race 2, shows his great consistency and growing familiarity with the Italian Superbike.
Jordi Torres: “These were two intense races. With the low temperatures we made a conservative choice in terms of tyres and in fact, in the second part of the race we had a good pace. The Race 2 conditions were much different. I used a few laps to adapt and that made me lose contact with the leaders. This is another difficulty of Superbike. Things can change a lot between the two races and it isn't always easy to adapt. In any case we did a good job this weekend. I earned some important points but above all I am continuing to gain experience, learning the secrets of this category. I've even changed my riding style a lot and I just need to take that final step, but I am leaving Aragon with good sensations.”
SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP
Lorenzo Savadori and Team Nuova M2 Racing also brought home an excellent result in the Aprilia RSV4 RF's début in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup race.
After leading the pack for the entire race the young Aprilia rider lost the top spot just a few metres from the wire. But with a second place at his début, and having shown an excellent level of competitiveness by taking pole position, he has definitely laid the foundation to be a top contender in the championship.
