ALEIX ESPARGARÓ IS SIXTH IN QATAR. BEST RESULT FOR APRILIA SINCE RETURNING TO MOTOGP. ROMANO ALBESIANO: “WE WILL NOT SETTLE, ALEIX IS LEADING THE CHARGE AND THE RS-GP WILL CONTINUE TO GROW”.
Losail International Circuit, Doha (Qatar), 26 March 2017 – Aleix Espargaró, in his race début with the Aprilia RS-GP, rode the Italian bike to a sixth place finish after a long battle with Pedrosa for fifth, a position that he had even taken three laps from the end. It was a stellar performance because the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Spaniard - penalized by a starting position on the fifth row, also due to the qualifying sessions being cancelled yesterday because of the wet track - demonstrated a race pace worthy of the podium, registering the third best time in the race. This is the best performance yet for the Aprilia RS-GP, also in terms of the gap behind the winner, contained to 7.6 seconds. Aleix, who did not have the best start, did some fast laps, moving up position by position with an impressive comeback that took him to fifth place, just behind Marquez, before yielding the spot to Pedrosa.
Sam Lowes, in his MotoGP début, was unable to resolve his doubts on the setup and therefore focused on finishing the race (18th in the end). For the English rider, gaining familiarity with the bike and the category, including during the race, is the first step toward being able to grow.
ALEIX ESPARGARÒ (bike no. 41): “I am really very happy for myself and for Aprilia. This result comes after a lot of hard work over the winter. I did not hold anything back and, beginning with my physical fitness, I tackled this project with great motivation from the start. In the second half of the race, my RS-GP was spectacular. I had much more traction than my rivals and I was able to overtake easily.
We knew that we could have an advantage in poor grip conditions. The bike looks after the tyres well and even if I was unable to be as incisive as the others in the early laps, my overall pace was very good. It was a pity about the starting position. Having to make up so many positions kept us from earning an even more surprising result, but it's all good. We got off on the right foot and now we want to continue.”
SAM LOWES (bike no. 22): “It was a hard race. In the early laps I went long a couple of times, losing touch with the group. The balance of the bike changed a lot during the race. Toward the end I was able to go faster than the riders ahead of me and we will need that information to understand how to work on the setup.
I am obviously not happy, but first and foremost, I finished my first MotoGP race and, considering the conditions, that was not a given. Losing a day of practice certainly didn't help. I still need to work on myself and on the bike, so every session becomes essential. We need to take the good that we have learned and start thinking about Argentina.”
ROMANO ALBESIANO, APRILIA RACING MANAGER: “This was a brilliant race. We are happy. Analysing everything calmly, we must say that performance throughout the weekend was excellent. With the cancellation of the qualifiers, the warm up was the gauge for our potential. Aleix did not have the best start, but he did an extraordinary job maintaining that rhythm during the race.
Obviously, we will not settle. Aleix is leading the charge for us all with a lot of enthusiasm and evidently the RS-GP works well in all areas, confirming that it is a very good bike in the race with the capacity to perform very consistently and with an excellent pace, especially in the second half of the race. We need to improve on the flying lap and we had things that we had wanted to test here in Q1, but the qualifiers being cancelled penalized us. If Aleix had started from farther forward, he could have really done something astonishing. But this evening we are celebrating. We are enthusiastic about this performance and it gives us confidence to grow.”
FAUSTO GRESINI, TEAM MANAGER: “Because of the enthusiasm this result gives us, it is a sort of victory. Aprilia has truly put their heart into this project and today Aleix showed how much this bike can grow. If he had started from a position farther forward, which was well within his potential and we saw that in the tests here in Qatar as well, we would have been able to stay with the leaders. A great job was done over the winter and now the Aprilia can truly battle with the best.”
FIRST PRACTICE SESSION FOR THE APRILIA RS-GP 2017 MACHINES. Losail International Circuit, Doha (Qatar), 23 marzo 2017 – ESPARGARÓ WITH A GOOD TENTH PLACE DESPITE A TRACK THAT DOES NOT PERFECTLY SUIT HIS STYLE: “TOMORROW WE'LL BE BETTER". LOWES CAUTIOUS AFTER A HARMLESS SLIDE.
The first practice session of the 2017 MotoGP season had the asphalt as protagonist on the Losail track in Qatar. In fact, the riders found a very dirty track, swept by energetic gusts of wind - conditions that demanded caution, especially in the first part of the session. Aleix Espargaró finished in a good position, tenth with a time of 1’55.872 (but less than 7 tenths from third place) despite the fact that a lack of grip at the front penalises the Spaniard's riding style. Tomorrow, with conditions that promise to be better, Aleix is confident that he will be able to improve his performance. Sam Lowes, in his first official session astride the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini RS-GP, fell victim to a harmless slide just as he was becoming familiar with the Losail track. For the rest of the session, the English rookie preferred not taking any risks, without using the soft tyre, which he will try tomorrow.
SECOND PRACTICE SESSION FOR THE APRILIA RS-GP 2017 MACHINES. Losail International Circuit, Doha (Qatar), 24 March 2017 – GOOD RACE PREPARATION FOR THE APRILIA RS-GP MACHINES. ALEIX ESPARGARÓ HAS A FAST PACE, SAM LOWES CONTINUES TO IMPROVE.
The second day of practice in Qatar had the MotoGP riders busy in the last two sessions valid for qualifying, focused both on preparing for the race and trying to go through directly to Q2. Speaking of pace and consistency on used tyres, Aleix Espargaró has something to feel confident about. The Spanish rider found a good base setting, confirmed by his time on a long run taken during FP3 where he finished in tenth place. Taking full advantage of his Aprilia RS-GP's potential on the flying lap with new tyres, on the other hand, proved to be more complicated for Aleix, a condition where he improved his performance but not enough to go straight through to Q2. His 1'55.634 in FP3 earned him a spot in the top 10, 8 tenths behind the best rider of the session.
Sam Lowes and his team were hard at work in the garage, shaving more than a second off their times from yesterday and finishing today's two sessions with a best time of 1'56.854 (1'57.887 in FP1). The Aprilia Racing Team Gresini rookie tried various setup solutions on the 2017 RS-GP that he began using in the last tests right here in Qatar. The assessments made today will allow the English rider to prepare for his first MotoGP race in the best possible way, with the stated goal of aiming for the points zone.
INFO:
Losail International Circuit, Doha (Qatar), 22 March 2017 – The official start of the 2017 MotoGP World Championship is just a few hours away now, under the floodlights of the Losail track in Qatar. A new season for Aprilia, with renewed motivation and above all new and important ambitions fuelled by a positive trend as the season approaches. In fact, in the winter tests, the progress of the new 2017 RS-GP was tangible. The changes planned in anticipation of the new season provided positive results and allowed an important step to be taken in terms of project development which translates into better performance for the Italian bike.
The Aprilia Racing Team Gresini is therefore ready for the new challenge. In the latest tests, right here on the Losail track, Aleix Espargaró was in grand form, able to get close to the respectable areas of the standing, fast on his flying lap and consistent with the bike on used tyres. The Spanish rider, in his first race with Aprilia, made no secret of the good feeling that was established from the very first laps astride the RS-GP and with the team that supports him.
Sam Lowes, a true rookie in the category, tackled the winter preparation period with the right does of patience, focusing on his sensations in the saddle and the riding style that the RS-GP demands. His progress has been consistent and, just in the final phases of the Qatar test (where he was on an upward trend throughout the three days), the English rookie and his team found the right basic setting to make them optimistic about the first race.
ALEIX ESPARGARÒ: “The season is finally beginning. We have prepared well for this first race. We made a lot of changes and that kept us busy throughout all the tests. I am pleased with the level we have reached. Here in Qatar I was fast in all conditions and I have a good feeling in the saddle. We need to continue working. There are some aspects where we can still improve. We will take advantage of the practice sessions to prepare as best as possible for the 22 laps on Sunday."
SAM LOWES: “I'm happy to be starting this season. Both the team and I prepared well over the winter, planning the approach to the new category in the right way. As I have said before, I like the Losail circuit and I'm confident that I will be able to improve my times compared to the last tests straight away. I want to thank everyone for their support. Now all that's left is to get out on the track.”
ROMANO ALBESIANO, APRILIA RACING MANAGER:“We are leaving for this first race confident and aware of our level. Pre-season preparation was very good. We were able to improve the RS-GP from various points of view and the tests confirmed our intuitions. The bike has proven to be well balanced, allowing the riders to be fast both on new tyres and in terms of race pace. We need to fine-tune a few details before the race, especially trying to find more grip in acceleration, but I am satisfied with the technical base we are starting from in Qatar.”
FAUSTO GRESINI, TEAM MANAGER: "The first GP of a new season is always rather special. We are starting the year pumped up and motivated. Our project has grown well over the winter. Aprilia has brought a lot of new changes to the track. The work on development was important and the results of the tests were a positive morale booster for the team. This is the moment of truth. We are well aware of our potential and anxious to get down to business."
