Category: Superbikes

1. AFTER THE POSITIVE TEST IN MISANO, APRILIA PREPARES TO TAKE ON THE SILVERSTONE RACE

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 23rd Aug 2018

   The historic Silverstone circuit in England will host the 12th round of the 2018 MotoGP season. With its 5,891 metres, the English track is the longest one on the calendar and it has recently been completely resurfaced. This means that the teams and riders will begin their work with an assessment of the new surface in terms of grip and tyre wear. All with one eye on the weather forecast, which is always a point of concern when on the other side of the English Channel.

   Aprilia Racing Team Gresini heads to Silverstone after a profitable day of private testing in Misano, where some engine and chassis upgrades were tested which will be useful in the rest of the season.
   
   ALEIX ESPARGARO'
   "The Misano test was fundamental for our season and for the future of the project. I suffered last year at Silverstone. I had just come from a very painful injury that compromised the entire weekend. This year I am at 100% and I really want to do well. I hope that the new asphalt solved some of the problems with the bumps on the track and that the weather will be stable."
   
   SCOTT REDDING
   "The home race always has a special flavour. The warmth of the fans and the location are something quite unique. Last year I rode a good race here. We'll have to assess the new asphalt to see about grip and aggressiveness on the tyres. We need to work with precision, session after session, in order to be as ready as possible for the race. We are coming from a good test in Misano which has boosted our confidence."

2. ALEIX ESPARGARÓ STRUGGLES BUT, CLAWING HIS WAY BACK FROM 24TH AT THE START, RIDES HIS RS-GP INTO THE POINTS

   Posted on 5:00pm Sunday 5th Aug 2018

   SCOTT REDDING CRASHES ON THE FIFTH LAP
   
   The Brno MotoGP race did not entirely reward the efforts of Aleix Espargaró, starting twenty-fourth on the grid and fifteenth across the finish line, but not as incisive as he would have liked. The high temperatures of the Czech track convinced both riders (Aleix and Scott alike) to choose the hard Michelin option on the front and on the rear, a combination that did not give Espargaró the right feeling.

   Teammate Scott Redding also complained from the beginning of a certain difficulty braking, despite a good start and some early overtaking in the initial stages of the race. During the fifth lap, while lying sixteenth (he had started twenty-fifth), a loss of grip at the front led to him crashing and consequently retiring from the race.
   
   ALEIX ESPARGARO
   
   "It was not a good weekend for us, to be honest. I did not expect all of these difficulties. The RS-GP performed differently compared to last year, especially in terms of the front end. When I go into corners and release the brakes, I struggle to turn and if I push, I risk crashing. We could have risked using a softer tyre, but in the end the team opted for the more conservative solution. All things told, I think that it could have been a good choice, but decisions are taken as a team, for better or for worse. Tomorrow we have an important day of tests. I am rather tired and sore, but I want to try to change the balance of the bike significantly to recover the right feeling with the Aprilia."
   
   SCOTT REDDING
   
   "Unfortunately, today's crash was very similar to yesterday's. We were at the limit with the hard front tyre, especially when I fwas riding by myself. In fact, in the early laps I was able to be rather aggressive, overtaking a few riders, but then I began to lose the feeling, especially when I released the brakes, until the crash. It seems like with this bike, the front tyre's range of use is rather restricted. As soon as you go out of the ideal window, problems begin. I could have settled for finishing the race, but I decided to have a go anyway, pushing to the maximum."

3. MAX BIAGGI BECOMES A GLOBAL AMBASSADOR FOR APRILIA

   Posted on 5:00pm Thursday 2nd Aug 2018

   THE RETURN OF A PAIRING THAT HAS WRITTEN MEMORABLE PAGES OF MOTORCYCLE HISTORY

   THE SIX-TIME WORLD CHAMPION WILL REPRESENT APRILIA, COLLABORATING TO PROMOTE THE BRAND, ITS RACING TRADITION AND ITS PRODUCTS
   
   Six-time world champion Max Biaggi is to be a global ambassador for the Aprilia brand, a role that he will have no trouble adapting to, given the many chapters of racing history that Max and Aprilia have written together, but one that is now made official.

   Thanks to the countless victories scored on board the Noale manufacturer’s bikes, Max Biaggi has contributed like no other to projecting the Aprilia brand to the top of the world. His story, one of great passion, talent and a love for the work, has helped Aprilia to become one of the most successful manufacturers in the history of motorcycling racing, with a currently back catalogue of 54 world titles to its name.

   Max Biaggi is the ideal ambassador then, embodying that Aprilia sporting DNA, but that is not all, as the Italian champion will also make an important contribution as Aprilia takes on the many challenges that lie ahead, offering his experience to promote thebrand, its racing tradition and its products.
   
   MAX BIAGGI
   
   “At what is a very important time for Aprilia, our stories will once again intertwine. As an enthusiast, I’ve been able to appreciate the progress of the MotoGP project which shows very interesting potential. I’m now proud – and confident – to be able to offer my experience in supporting an all-Italian brand as it continues to grow, both in terms of its racing spirit and its new products that will, as ever, have boast of that Aprilia racing character.”
   
   Max Biaggi made his debut in the 250 world championship with Aprilia in 1991. The 250 title in 1994 was the first of an exceptional hat-trick that saw him dominate on the Italian bike up until 1996. The paths of Aprilia and Max (who in the meantime scored another world title in the 250 class) then separated until 2009, when Biaggi climbed on board the Aprilia RSV4 as the Noale manufacturer made a return to the Superbike World Championship.

   Aprilia had never won the WSBK title but aimed to do just that with the futuristic RSV4. Its attempt to succeed in the series reserved to high-performance four strokes proved successful and Max rode the Italian V4 to victory in its debut season before dominating in 2010 and 2012, earning both the Riders and Manufacturers titles. He retired from racing following his 2012 title win, having achieved six world titles in all throughout his career, but the call of the track saw him make a brief return in 2015. Entered as a wildcard in the Malaysian round of the WorldSBK, he scored an incredible podium at the Sepang track, confirming, at 44 years of age, both his talent as a champion and the competitiveness of the Aprilia RSV4 project.

4. ALEIX ESPARGARO' DISCHARGED FROM CHEMNITZ HOSPITAL

   Posted on 1:00pm Saturday 21st Jul 2018

   Aleix Espargaró, victim of a bad crash during the Warm Up of the GP of Germany, left yesterday the hospital in Chemnitz. The Spanish rider of the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini was transferred to the Deixeus Quiron Clinic, where Dr. Angel Charte underwent an exaustive check at the end of which he was discharged with the prescription of 5 days off. 

   Aleix's conditions will be checked at Brno before the race weekend, but everything seems to give hope for a positive solution.

5. ALEIX ESPARGARO' TO MISS THE GERMAN GP

   Posted on 12:00pm Sunday 15th Jul 2018

   Aleix Espargaró, victim of a violent crash at turn 4 during the Warm Up, will not start today's German GP. After crashing on his fifth lap at the circuit of Sachsenring, the Spanish rider suffered a bad thoracic trauma in the left ribs area and was helicoptered to the nearby hospital of Chemnitz for further checks.