WINTER TESTING IS THE MAIN FOCUS NOW, IN PREPARATION FOR THE 2018 WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP.
Losail-Doha, Qatar, 4 November 2017 – In Race 2 Eugene Laverty scored 9 points for the team in P7, but Lorenzo Savadori experienced electronic problems on lap 2, which had surfaced during the warm-up session, and was forced to retire. Eugene fought hard with Guintoli, as they passed and re-passed each other all the way to the line. Exploiting the imperious speed of his Aprilia, Eugene defended well and eventually finished in P7, with 9 points to secure tenth place in the championship. In Race 1 the Milwaukee Aprilia Team captured its best result for the year, with Eugene Laverty and Lorenzo Savadori finishing in P4 and P5 after a sparkling battle.
With a year of valuable experience – the final 2017 WSBK scoreboard sees Laverty ranked 10th with 157 points and Savadori 11th with 124 – the combined forces of SMR and Aprilia Racing are heading into winter testing with a good base for the Aprilia RSV4-RF as they prepare for the 2018 World Superbike Championship.
Eugene Laverty (bike no. 50). RACE 1: Grid 6th. Race 4th, 13 points. RACE 2: Grid 1st, Race 7th, 9 points. “I felt such a potential for the bike heading into Race Two, and it was a disappointing result really. We made the same forward steps overnight that we’ve been making all weekend, but there was something really strange going on with the rear tyre. I did what I could with the electronics to help me grip. It was a decent battle with Guintoli for seventh and I was able to utilise the bike’s power to get past, but it wasn’t where we should have been. The bike was working well in fast corners, but I didn’t have a rear tyre to make use of the bike that I had.
It’s been a positive year for us overall. We started the year further back than we expected, but we’ve all dug deep and gradually made good progress. The second half of the year has been really positive and we’ve found a good direction to go in. We’ve focused less on numbers and more on rider and bike feedback, and that has helped us make huge progress. I’m looking forward to the 2018 season; we will work very hard over the winter and from Phillip Island our target will be the podium. Everyone is very dedicated and determined in this team and I’m confident we will have a good year.”
Lorenzo Savadori (bike no. 32). RACE 1:Grid 4th. Race 5th, 11 points. RACE 2: Grid 2nd. Race: retired. “I'm not sure exactly what was wrong with the bike in the race. We had an electronic issue in the warm-up session and there was a problem on my sighting lap to the grid. It was an unlucky result for us, because the bike felt good. I made a slow start and I went wide at the first corner where I lost a lot of positions. I was starting to make up positions quickly and my pace was good, but the race was over on the second lap when it stopped on the straight.
It was not a simple year for us, but we have learnt a lot. The first half of the year we didn't make much progress and for sure we could have been better. The second half of the year was like a new season for us, and was much better. The race yesterday was good for us, and I hope we can keep up good performances next year. We need to work a lot over the winter to reduce the gap to the guys at the front, but I am positive because the team has been great this year and we have learnt so much.”
“We started this year with high expectations as a team, but we soon realised we were further back than we initially thought. In Australia we were in a strong position naturally, but we perhaps didn't realise that immediately. As a result we have gone full circle after full circle in trying to progress and innovate, but we have learnt and grown as a team and have many reasons to be positive. We've finished this weekend with a setting that gives us a good base for the RSV4-RF to use in winter testing, a setting that we should have had at the start of 2017. We had our best finish of the year yesterday with P4 and P5, and in general the last four races have found us in a really good position. They have helped us to consolidate what we have learnt, and we go into next season with a wealth of experience and knowledge to utilise.
SMR is a smarter team now and we are constantly building and increasing our capabilities. Another big factor from this year is that Aprilia Racing now have a good direction to follow, and together we are determined to succeed. Both of our riders are also more confident with the machinery. They have struggled at times this year and have not always had the best package to compete with, but their feedback has helped shape our direction for the Aprilia and in testing we aim to further develop the bike and the riders' comfort with it. 2017 has been difficult for us, but we hope to start 2018 in a stronger position and to be able to challenge for the podium regularly.”
RESULTS ROUND 12: Lorenzo Savadori #32. RACE 1: Grid P6, Race P7, 9 points. RACE 2: Grid P6, Race: 18th. Eugene Laverty #50. RACE 1: Grid P7, Race P8, 8 points. RACE 2: Grid P7, Race: retired.
RESULTS ROUND 11: Eugene Laverty #50. RACE 1: Grid P9, Race P6, 10 points. RACE 2: Grid P9, Race P17. Lorenzo Savadori #32. RACE 1: Grid P11, Race P11, 5 points. RACE 2: Grid P11, Race: retired.
(Photos: milwaukeeaprilia.com; facebook/milwaukeeaprilia).
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