Aprilia Racing and Andrea Dovizioso will be together on the track in Jerez from 12 through 14 April. Andrea will conduct a test on the 2021 RS-GP that will race in the World MotoGP Championship and which, ridden in its début tests by Aleix Espargaró and Lorenzo Savadori, provided good sensations straight away. MASSIMO RIVOLA - AD APRILIA RACING: “It was a pleasure to invite Andrea. The days in Jerez will simply be a chance to get to know one another better, also on the track. It will not be a ‘trial matrimony’ but an opportunity to turn some laps together without any binding commitment for the future. We are well aware of all Andrea’s qualities and his contribution will be important, even for just one test.” ANDREA DOVIZIOSO: “I was pleased by Aprilia’s interest and when we spoke about the possibility of doing this test, I gladly accepted the invitation to be able to ride a MotoGP bike again and to stay in form, giving the engineers my feedback. I wish to thank Aprilia Racing for this opportunity.” (17 MARCH 2021).
Doha (Qatar), 12 March 2021- The strong winds and a dirty track forced the MotoGP riders to wrap up early for the IRTA tests in Qatar, the second session on the Losail track. In any case, the work done so far gives Aprilia good reason to be optimistic for the first two rounds of the 2021 season which will be held just days away right here on the same asphalt.
These were just the first steps toward a new season and further confirmation is needed, but the new RS-GP, which already had positive feedback during the private tests in Jerez, showed good competitiveness both on the flying lap and in terms of pace. Especially with Aleix Espargaró, consistently among the fastest, whereas garage mate Lorenzo Savadori, although showing improvement, had to reckon with soreness from a shoulder injury that is proving to be more troublesome than expected.
Such a young bike obviously has room for improvement, so the team will be working on that in about ten days during the first official weekend. With the realistic goal of battling in the leading group.
ALEIX ESPARGARÓ (bike no. 41): "It’s a shame we weren't able to lap today and about the crash yesterday during the race simulation. Besides that, I am satisfied. These tests confirmed the good job that was done over the winter. The 2021 RS-GP has improved. We were consistently fast in spite of the extremely high level demonstrated by the Championship.
This does not mean that there is no work to be done. We were unable to try everything we wanted to and, above all, only in the race will we truly be able to understand where our level is. Goals? Keep our feet on the ground, well aware that we can finally battle in the leading group."
LORENZO SAVADORI (bike no. 32): "These tests were severely conditioned for me by problems with my shoulder. It is an injury that would need some down time to heal. From now to the race there will be a bit of time to recuperate, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to be at 100%. In any case, we were able to see the improvements on the new RS-GP which is more stable, has more grip and provides better ergonomics.
There are areas where I still am not entirely confident, for example coming out of corners, but we're working on it. Both with the team and changing my riding style, also listening to Aleix’s valuable advice."
APRILIA RACING-MOTOGP 2021: www.aprilia.com/en_EN/aprilia-racing/moto-gp-2021
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