Category: Superbikes

1. SUPER DIGGIA SIXTH AND SEEDED TO Q2 IN JAPAN

   Posted on 11:00am Friday 29th Sep 2023

   Finally, Fabio Di Giananntonio has arrived. On opening day at Motegi, the Italian rider – the sole standard bearer for Team Gresini Racing MotoGP at this event – carried the whole team on his shoulder and set an excellent sixth quickest time in today’s FP sessions, a result that opens the door to Q2 for the #49. 
    
   The Rome-born rider, who is still dealing with some leftovers of the injury to his right shoulder, immediately showed how comfortable he was around the Japanese track. He was the first to lap under the 1’43s barrier and the last one to do so on the timesheets, as he will now be able to keep working knowing he already has a spot in the key qualifying session. 
    
   6^th - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 (1’43.947s)
   “We were quick from the get-go, and I was feeling really good on the bike. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting these lap-times, but everything came out pretty naturally so I’m really positive ahead of tomorrow. Unfortunately, there’s still pain in my shoulder which won’t be an issue on the single-lap performance but could make things more complicated in both the sprint race and the full encounter. We’ll fight the pain, too!”

2. THE APRILIAS, FAST AT BUDDH CIRCUIT, MISS A GOOD RESULT

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 25th Sep 2023

   MAVERICK IS EIGHTH AFTER A GREAT COMEBACK RIDE FROM TWENTIETH PLACE

   ALEIX, STOPPED BY A TECHNICAL PROBLEM, LOSES THE CHANCE TO BATTLE FOR A TOP-5 SPOT

   The complicated adaptation to the Buddh Circuit, a track that had never before been tested where the first GP of India was held, found the RS-GP machines ready for the race.

   But Maverick, who had found a good setup in the warm-up session, was involved in contact on the first corner and he rejoined in twentieth place, at the back of the group. From there, he began a brilliant comeback ride, lapping at extremely fast times and executing spectacular passes and, exploiting a few crashes ahead of him, he finished with an eighth place that screams vendetta for the potential he had demonstrated.

   Aleix, also involved in the contact at the start, managed instead to move into ninth place on the first lap, and then he battled for sixth with Binder, who was not far behind Mir (fifth). However, at the mid-race point, he was stopped by a technical problem which is currently being assessed by the Aprilia technicians who have already ruled out any engine failure. The outcome of the race then demonstrated the chance Aleix missed to take home a nice top-five placement.

   ALEIX
   "It’s a pity to finish the weekend this way. These were three difficult days but today, in spite of everything, I could have made a play for the top five and I felt rather good in the saddle. The problem happened suddenly. What I noticed throughout the weekend was the great amount of heat on the bike and this has created some problems for us in the past. It’s something that we need to analyse because other races in high temperatures are coming up. We don’t have much time available, but I hope that the Aprilia team will be able to resolve the problem."

   MAVERICK
   "On the first corner I was forced to go wide and found myself in last place. From there, I began to recover, pushing constantly to the limit. In any case, I am extremely happy because I felt very good on the bike. We made great improvements throughout the weekend. This morning in the warm-up session we found a setting that allowed me to brake hard, which was exactly where we struggled most here in India, and the race was the best session of the entire weekend. I really think that we are leaving India having made a huge step forward."

3. DIGGIA FORCED TO RETIRE FROM #INDIANGP RACE

   Posted on 2:00pm Sunday 24th Sep 2023

   The still-injured shoulder halted Fabio Di Giannantonio’s journey to what would have been a very promising top-nine finish at Buddh International Circuit in what was the first-ever #IndianGP of MotoGP history. It was a performance full of heart for the Italian, who got all the way up to eighth place before giving during the final laps due to a painful left shoulder.   It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Italian, who well impressed both in Q1 and in the sprint race yesterday – the latter finished in the top ten. It will be key to recover as much as possible for the Japanese event taking place next weekend.   Meanwhile, Alex Marquez is already on the way back to Madrid where he will need around ten days of full rest before heading to Lombok for the #IndonesianGP. The Spaniard, who will not attend the Japanese Grand Prix, will not be replaced.   DNF - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 “I was having an excellence race, I had a great pace and the top speed was better compared to yesterday. I started off in an aggressive way as I could do that and the bike was excellent. We have been competitive throughout the whole weekend but unfortunately at some point the shoulder prevented me from riding. I basically couldn’t control the bike anymore and was forced to retire. I’m really sorry for the team, unfortunately this is an injury I’ve been carrying since Misano and it’s making things more complicated for us.”

4. COMPLICATED DAY FOR APRILIA IN INDIA

   Posted on 4:00pm Saturday 23rd Sep 2023

   MAVERICK EIGHTH IN THE SPRINT RACE, ALEIX CRASHES OUT The good start from yesterday, unfortunately did not continue on qualifying and Sprint day. Maverick and Aleix struggled more than expected on the technical and demanding Indian track, both in qualifying and in the Sprint race. Fortunately, the rainfall did not influence the sessions beyond delaying the start of the Sprint Race, in any case held on basically dry asphalt. In qualifying, the Aprilia riders were unable to do better than the ninth (Maverick) and tenth (Aleix) best times. In the Sprint Race, Aleix lost a lot of ground on the first turn avoiding the crashed bikes and then he crashed out in the finale as he attempted to make up positions. Maverick finished in the points with eighth place – a positive note along with Raùl Fernandez’s top-10 finish – but certainly not in line with his and the team’s ambitions.   ALEIX "Let’s be realistic – it was not a good day. Yesterday, the feeling was good, whereas today the others improved more than we did. Less than perfect qualifying meant starting from behind and then on the first turn I had to go wide to get around the crashed bikes, so in my eagerness to make up positions, I crashed. In the long race, I expect to battle at least in the top six. With more laps to race, there is space to exploit our pace better." MAVERICK "We had some difficulties on the braking sections again today. The positive thing is that in the Sprint race we collected a lot of information on how to work in view of tomorrow. During weekends like this one, where we struggle more than expected, the important thing is to stay calm and use the difficulties to grow and learn. By understanding the situation and finding a way to react, we are able to improve."

5. MAVERICK VIÑALES FIFTH IN MISANO

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 11th Sep 2023

   A GREAT BRAND RESULT FOR APRILIA WITH THREE BIKES IN THE TOP EIGHT

   Maverick Viñales took another positive placement in the top five, finishing fifth at the GP of San Marino and the Riviera of Rimini. Taking the position just behind the leaders in the early stages of the race, Maverick basically maintained his pace all the way to the end, almost never having to engage in battle.

   In the Emilia Romagna GP, Aprilia achieved a nice brand result with three RS-GP machines finishing in the top eight. In fact, in addition to Maverick’s fifth place, Miguel Oliveira and Raùl Fernandez finished sixth and eighth respectively. The team RNF standard bearers thereby contributed to confirmation of what the Aprilias had demonstrated on Saturday in qualifying, when four went through to Q2.

   In the race, Aleix Espargaró’s sharp performance was missing after winning just seven days ago in Barcelona. He substantially compromised his performance in the early stages after the start, dropping back several positions. An analysis of his pace shows speed similar to that of the top-5 finishers, but difficulty overtaking kept him from achieving a better position. His 12th place means four Important points in the hunt for fourth place in the overall championship standings.

   ALEIX
   “The result is obviously not good, but I gambled away the race at the start. I lost positions and found myself in a group where we all had a very similar pace. Struggling to overtake, despite laptimes that were actually good, I was unable to do better than I did. We knew that this would be a complicated track for us, both for the characteristics of the RS-GP and because I don’t particularly like the layout. From here on out, I have good feelings, plus we’ll be able to use the test tomorrow to try some solutions to improve in these conditions.”

   MAVERICK
   “Being disappointed with a top-5 finish is a good sign. It means that we have raised the bar and we want to stay out front. I expected more this weekend – I won’t hide that – but we struggled more than expected when grip increased, especially in braking. It’s a question of balance – compromise in the setup – that we need to work on. Already in the test tomorrow, I definitely want to improve in braking in these conditions.”