Category: Moto GP

1. ALEIX FOURTH ON A BLAZING SACHSENRING

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 20th Jun 2022

   ONLY A TECHNICAL PROBLEM HALTED MAVERICK’S BRILLIANT RACE

   It was expected to be a battle of nerves and it lived up to expectations. The blazing German asphalt of the Sachsenring hosted a tactical race where the riders had to deal with never before seen conditions for this circuit.

   Constantly battling with grip, Aleix fended off Miller’s attacks throughout the race until a few laps from the end, with nerves of steel on braking sections despite a less than perfect feeling with the front end. The only thing that kept him from yet another well-deserved podium finish was a late braking move on turn one that made him go wide and threw him off his line. Today’s fourth place in no way diminishes Espargaró’s run for the championship, where he is still solidly in second place overall.

   Maverick also rode a brilliant race, starting from the ninth spot on the grid and extremely incisive in the first stage of the race with clean and decisive overtaking and a very fast pace. This was partially due to the choice of the medium tyre on the rear, a solution that Maverick preferred and intended to manage all the way to the chequered flag. Only a technical problem with rear height device on the nineteenth lap halted what had been an outstanding race up to that point for him.

   The collateral damage of this circumstance is that Aprilia lost the lead in the teams championship, but the Italian team has their sights set on taking it back as early as next weekend in Assen.

   ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
   "Unfortunately today I had a strange vibration at the front from the first lap which then got progressively worse. At a certain point of the race, I had to slow the pace, changing my riding style and not exploiting the RS-GP’s strong points. It’s a pity because, even though I wouldn’t have been able to keep up with Fabio, I definitely had the pace to battle with Zarco. With the way things went, I’m pleased with fourth because in spite of riding badly and without confidence, I was still able to limit the damage. I’m not too worried about the lost points; right now, Fabio’s form in the race is what should be pushing us to find more speed."

   MAVERICK VIÑALES
   "I had fun today. I started well, coming through the first corner without losing positions, and then I was able to be aggressive, overtaking until catching up with Aleix. At that point, I caught my breath, knowing that the final laps would have been difficult, so I was saving my strength and the tyre. I don’t know if I would have been able to overtake Aleix but, continuing at that pace, I would have tried. It’s a shame about the problem with the height device. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do, so I preferred boxing so I wouldn’t be a danger to other riders. In any case, I’m happy. Our improvement curve is consistent and I feel like I’m close to the turning point of the season."

2. DIGGIA IMPROVES WITH EIGHTH PLACE, ENEA REACHES 100 POINTS

   Posted on 5:00pm Sunday 19th Jun 2022

   #GermanGP race. The explicit goal was the top ten, and the result was an eighth place. Fabio Di Giannantonio’s season keeps trending upwards: from the incredible performances on the single lap in recent encounters, he now secures a strong result when it matters the most at the Sachsenring.   
    
   He had a good start, a great pace, a super form and despite the allergy, the #49 showed he can battle near the front. With not even halfway of the season reached, he is back in contention for the Rookie of the Year award, with Bezzecchi only 19 points away now.  
    
   Enea Bastianini also had a strong performance which led to a top ten finish. Compared to other type of results achieved this year it may not sound much, but it was a really important one after crashes in Mugello and Montmeló. The #23 loses one place in the championship standings as he is now fourth after being overtaken by Zarco – but he still managed to reach the 100-point milestone. 

    

   8th - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 (20th in the championship standings – 16 points) 
   “We had a super weekend. We were always quick, and we did set a great lap-time in qualifying. I was feeling good for the race: I started strong and was in control in the first part. In the second half, with the heat and the tyres that were sliding a lot, I lost a few battles. I have must say that this has been thre first race where I could fend off the attacks coming from my opponents, so I say goodbye to Germany with really great feelings.”
    
   10th - ENEA BASTIANINI #23 (4th in the championship standings – 100 points)
   “I’m only half happy: I didn’t have a great start as the bike did a wheelie. I lost many places, but little by little I was able to recover. I really wanted to bring the bike home and tenth is good confidence-wise. It’s without a doubt a positive Sunday, especially if we consider the absence of Alberto and yesterday’s unlucky qualifying. It has been a difficult weekend, but one on which we have built a good result.”

    

3. PROVISIONAL TOP-10 FOR THE APRILIAS IN GERMANY

   Posted on 6:00pm Friday 17th Jun 2022

   TYRE WEAR AND RACE PACE ARE THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES ON THE FIRST DAY OF PRACTICE

   The Friday practice sessions on the Sachsenring, in Germany, had both Aprilias finishing the day with a provisional top-10 position. This result has particular value as it was achieved in spite of concentrating efforts on preparation for the race on Sunday. Thirty laps which, due to the high temperatures predicted, promise to be extremely gruelling.

   Aleix shone in both sessions, finishing fourth in the combined standings at a gap of just two tenths. However, by the Granollers native’s own admission, there is plenty of margin to be explored. This will be the clear goal tomorrow, where some time will need to be shaved off in order to go straight through to Q2.

   Maverick also performed well, finishing the day eighth. He did a lot of testing and, like his teammate, he took the new aerodynamics solution developed by the Aprilia techs and already tested on the Monday after Barcelona onto the track. 

   ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
   "As for how things went today, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have the race straight away and then head off on holiday! All joking aside, we did good work today. Tyre choice and management seem to be particularly important here and, from this point of view, I was able to be fast on the hard rear. I made a few mistakes on the time attack but, despite this, I did three laps at  20.2 and that’s not at all bad. We can improve further but I can consider myself satisfied with this start."

   MAVERICK VIÑALES
   "I’m pleased above all with the information we were able to gather today. We have already identified a couple of points where we need to improve. I need a bit more stability. I had a good pace on the medium tyre but here, as always, shooting for a qualifying position on the front two rows will be fundamental. The race will be significantly conditioned by this."

4. SACHSENRING FRIDAY: OK DAY FOR DIGGIA, BASTIANINI HAS MARGIN

   Posted on 4:00pm Friday 17th Jun 2022

   #GermanGP Free Practice. The opening day for round ten of the season sees once again Fabio Di Giannantonio on great form, as he is now consistently in the top ten – at least in the single-lap performance. The series rookie was immediately very comfortable aboard his Desmosedici machine, and his performance gave him the ninth position in the combined times of today’s FP1 and FP2 sessions (1’20.545).
    
   Without his race engineer Giribuola, who stayed at home as a precautionary measure after testing positive to Covid-19, Enea Bastianini had a bit more of a difficult time compared to his teammate. The standard bearer of Team Gresini MotoGP still has time to bounce back, starting from tomorrow morning’s FP3 which will be key in order to avoid having to go through Q1. Only a few milliseconds are needed in order to be back among the protagonists. 

    

   9^th - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 (1’20.545s)
   “We start back from Barcelona: we made very little changes to the bike and we had a good feeling, which is very, very positive. Let’s say we’re on the right track: we’re still missing something on the front-end, especially with regards to some corners like turn three, but we have some changes in mind to make a further step forward tomorrow. The goal is to be in Q2 here as well.”
    
   13^th - ENEA BASTIANINI #23 (1’20.747s)
   “We struggled a bit, and last year here hadn’t been easy, either. We know where we have to focus on in order to be competitive and I’m confident tomorrow we’ll be part of the game. We’re still missing something in sectors two and three. From turn six to turn eight I don’t feel well, I have a lack of feeling with the front-end and that means cornering is also affected.”

5. GP OF GERMANY AT THE SACHSENRING

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 15th Jun 2022

   APRILIA IN GRAND FORM: LEADER IN THE TEAMS STANDINGS WITH ALEIX SECONDO SECOND IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP AND MAVERICK IMPROVING CONSISTENTLY

   
   The winding German Sachsenring track will host the tenth round on the 2022 MotoGP calendar. Located just a few kilometres from the city of Chemnitz in Saxony, it is the shortest of all the track in the championship and has a series of features that make it decidedly demanding for riders and vehicles. Beginning with the predominance of left-handers (10 vs. 3), which is not a detail to be overlooked.

   Aprilia is headed there in grand form, leading in the teams standings with Aleix second in the rider championship and Maverick improving consistently. This is a situation that the Italian team is keen to maintain, fortified by their consolidated competitiveness and the hard work that the racing department is continuing to bring to the track to improve the RS-GP.

   ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
   "In the last two races before the summer break, our goal must be to take home important points. This year we have shown that we can be consistently competitive on every track and in any conditions; consistency will be fundamental when the sums are drawn. I am highly motivated and confident that we’ll be able to do well on the Sachsenring."

   MAVERICK VIÑALES
   "We are tackling a track that seems to adapt well to the characteristics of the Aprilia. The Barcelona test was positive and the Sachsenring will be an important test bench for confirming the good sensations of the latest races, where we have consistently improved. We are working hard and we’ll continue to do so this weekend. Step by step, we are reaching the level that we expect to be able to maintain."