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Category: Moto GP
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ALEIX AND APRILIA IN THE POINTS AGAIN AT THE LE MANS GP
ANDREA’S SUNDAY ENDS WITH A DNF DUE TO PAIN FROM HIS CRASH IN JEREZ
His twelfth-place finish at Le Mans gives Aleix Espargaró important points, despite the disappointment of not finishing in the top ten. In the race, the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini rider had to deal with grip that was not enough to keep the pace of the leaders on a track like the stop-and-go French circuit. The low temperatures also kept him from being incisive, particularly in the second half of the race, and Aleix had to contain the damage, bringing home four championship points in spite of a penalty levied against him for cutting a chicane.
Andrea gave it a go. Declared fit to race on Thursday, Iannone went out on the track in pain, but hoping to put the Jerez crash behind him, along with the pain in his left ankle that had forced him to miss the Andalusian race. Instead, the pain worsened gradually, session after session, and it seemed clear as early as the warm up session that he would likely not be able to finish the race. In common accord with his team, the decision was made not to risk compromising the much-awaited Mugello race. Andrea lined up on the grid – even moving up several positions – but had to throw in the towel on the ninth lap.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"Taking points home is always positive, but I cannot be satisfied. I was unable to follow the leaders, especially because of the lack of grip that is so important on a track with these characteristics. There was really only one possible tyre choice with these low temperatures. In fact, we were all in the same conditions. Now we need to work hard to make progress. Our rivals have improved and it is getting harder and harder to finish in the top ten."
ANDREA IANNONE
"Unfortunately, I was unable to finish the race today. The pain in my ankle just got to be too much. The situation got worse day by day and, also thinking of the next race in Mugello, we decided to contain the damage. We will continue working on recovery now, trying to rest the ankle and changing the training programme in order to still stay fit. I have always achieved good results at Mugello in my career, so I want to be at 100% when we get there."
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NICE QUALIFIERS FOR ALEIX WHO TAKES A SPOT ON THE THIRD ROW OF THE STARTING GRID TOMORROW AT LE MANS
ANDREA, WHO HAD NEVER RIDDEN THE RS-GP IN THE WET, IS HINDERED BY HIS PHYSICAL CONDITIONS FOLLOWING THE JEREZ CRASH
Aleix Espargaró had lain the groundwork for his outstanding undertaking yesterday when, in perfect conditions on a dry track, he had finished in the top ten to go straight through to Q2, the second qualifying session that decides the top end order on the starting grid. Today, in entirely different conditions that were difficult to interpret, with light rain that left everyone in doubt as to which tyres to use, he repeated the performance, doing the ninth best time which earned him a spot on the third row of the starting grid. Going out on track with rain tyres, Aleix did his fast lap on the second of the eight he turned, before the rain began to fall harder. For Aprilia, this is one of the best MotoGP qualifiers and confirmation of how much the RS-GP has grown in these early stages of the season.
Andrea Iannone was unable to get over the Q1 hurdle. Still dealing with difficult physical conditions, partly due to persistent pain in his left ankle after his crash in Jerez, Andrea battled hard, even taking a gamble on slicks when it seemed like the track might have conceded a small window of improved conditions. Making the day even more difficult was the fact that this was Andrea’s first time ever riding the Aprilia in the wet. The gamble did not pay of – it happens – and Andrea had to settle for 22nd place.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"The conditions today were extremely complicated. It was like riding on ice. When it rains lightly, there is less grip compared to heavy rainfall, plus the asphalt temperature was only 15°C. The third row is not bad at all. It will certainly make my life easier in the race. With a dry track, I am rather certain that I can still battle for a top-ten finish, but in the wet, I don’t have the best feeling. In qualifying, I didn’t feel much support from the rear tyre in acceleration. I took a few risks on my flying lap, but it would be difficult to do that for the entire race distance."
ANDREA IANNONE
"Having to tackle conditions like today for the first time with a new bike is certainly not easy. In Q1, a lot of riders started on slicks, managing to do a flying lap in the few moments of dry track, whereas when I went out, it started raining again. My time with rain tyres wasn’t bad. In Q2 I would have been in seventh place, but unfortunately things went differently. In addition to the pain in my ankle, today I also had some stomach problems, but we are not giving up. We’ll keep giving it our best all the time."
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SECOND EUROPEAN ROUND OF THE 2019 MOTOGP SEASON
APRILIA ON THE HISTORIC ASPHALT OF THE LE MANS TRACK
The second European round of the 2019 MotoGP season is set to be held on the Le Mans Bugatti track. It is history-charged asphalt, shared in part with the much longer Circuit de la Sarthe, the setting of the famous 24-Hour car race.
It is a very particular track, with hard braking followed by low speed acceleration sections, always with the unknown of unpredictable weather than can have a heavy impact on the way the weekend goes. In the Aprilia camp, the search for the best setup in Le Mans began immediately after the last GP in Jerez on the day of tests that the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini conducted on the Andalusian track after the race.
Aleix Espargaró’s objective remains a top-ten spot, an achievement that slipped through his fingers in the finale of the Spanish race and which has clearly been within the number 41 rider’s reach in all the races held so far in this promising early part of the season. With three times as many points as last season at this point, Aleix is headed to Le Mans confident in the RS-GP’s excellent braking capabilities and hoping for some stable and fair weather.
Andrea Iannone will be back in the saddle after the injury he suffered on the Saturday of the Jerez weekend. The Italian rider’s fitness will be assessed on Thursday by circuit medical staff, but it seems like there will be nothing to worry about. Precisely on the run when he crashed, Andrea was testing a promising change to the setup on his Aprilia RS-GP with good results. From this base and the outstanding Friday he had in Spain, his growth path will resume.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"Le Mans is a track that I like and on which I think the Aprilia RS-GP can do well. Braking is one of our strong points. The bike stays stable in hard braking and that could help us. I am also hoping for a dry weekend. It rains almost every year in France and that makes everything more difficult. As always, our goal remains the top 10".
ANDREA IANNONE
"I have positive feelings as I head to Le Mans. In Jerez, we were able to figure out a few important things. It is a small step forward that will also help us in France. We still need to see how much my foot will bother me. In any case, I have been working hard to be as fit as I possibly can."
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Batteries are almost fully charged for Team Trentino Gresini MotoE, who in around a month’s time will be back on track for the first official testing after last March’s Jerez fire - which changed the plans of the new electric class of MotoGP.
Proceedings are about to resume with more energy than ever, with Falper joining Lorenzo Savadori and Matteo Ferrari in the new quest by becoming official sponsor of the “green” team led by Fausto Gresini
Falper specialises in furniture, sinks, bathtubs and complementary accessories that has in environmental sustainability and recycling two key points of their philosophy. The Italian company join Gresini MotoE’s project for 2019 and will have visibility on the front mudguard of the two Ego Corsa machines and on the pit-box graphics.
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PAIN STOPPED ANDREA WHO ATTEMPTED A STOIC RETURN TO THE SADDLE
It was an important day of testing today on the Spanish Jerez de la Frontera circuit, with all the MotoGP riders on the track. Two Aprilias were kept busy, Aleix Espargaró’s factory bike and the test team’s bike with Bradley Smith, whereas Andrea Iannone attempted to get back in the saddle but had to throw in the towel because of the pain.
Aleix was the first rider on the track from the first seconds of the tests and he carried out a plethora of tests during the 80 laps total that he turned. The tests involved engine torque management, weight distribution, various traction control configurations and a brand new rear suspension setup. The Spanish rider finished the session with a best lap of 1'37,758.
It was a highly intense schedule for Bradley Smith as well, turning 82 laps, the fastest of which in 1'38.077. The Aprilia test team’s operations focused on new components, different setups and the assessment of a few Michelin tyre solutions.
Still dealing with the after-effects of his crash in FP4 Saturday which prevented him from taking part in the race, Andrea Iannone was loath to give in and tried to get back in the saddle today after receiving the all-clear from the doctor. Unfortunately, the lack of strength caused by pain in his left foot kept him from shifting gears properly, so the rider and team decided to stop testing straight away to give the foot as much time as possible to heal. Comforted by the good sensations he had in FP4 and the great job done by teammate Aleix, Andrea stated that he is confident in anticipation of Le Mans.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"This day of testing was very important for us. In fact, I was the first one out on the track. We worked non-stop, both in anticipation of Le Mans and to continue development on the RS-GP. As always when testing, some solutions return better results than others. It will be essential to carefully analyse the data collected today to decide which line to follow in the upcoming rounds."
BRADLEY SMITH
"It was a rather busy day. We worked on three fronts: the hard front tyre, which we confirmed as the right choice for our bike on this track, weight distribution and some components we needed to evaluate in terms of performance and reliability. Since I got close to Andrea’s and Aleix’s performance, the feeling is that I can contribute to overcoming the limits that the factory riders are highlighting. It is not an easy process. It takes time, but we have a structure capable of doing it. I think that in the coming months we’ll be able to make some targeted changes in our weaker areas."
ANDREA IANNONE
"I tried, but I was lacking strength in my foot to shift gears. It’s a pity because I would have liked to use the day of testing to confirm the positive note on which we had begun to work in FP4 where, before the crash, I was doing rather well. We received some confirmation from Aleix in the race and that is definitely positive. From tomorrow I’ll begin my recovery, but I am sure that I’ll be able to be at 100% for the Le Mans weekend."
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