APRILIA IS READY FOR THE JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA CHALLENGE

THE RS-GP HAS SHOWN GREAT PROGRESS THAT MUST BE CONFIRMED IN THE FIRST EUROPEAN 2017 MOTOGP ROUND


MotoGP heads to Europe for the first continental race on the 2017 calendar, scheduled to be held on the Spanish Jerez de la Frontera circuit. It is one of the most classic rounds and an important one in the evolution of the Aprilia RS-GP. The Italian V4, making constant progress from the pre-season tests, will be called on to confirm the encouraging signs shown in the first three races as well.

Both of the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders, who are taking a test day in Le Mans, have good reasons to be optimistic about the Spanish race. Aleix Espargaró will be on his home pitch on a track that he knows well and that seems to be a good fit for the characteristics of the RS-GP.
Sam Lowes is looking for his first MotoGP championship points, a feasible goal on the track where he took pole position and won the race last year.


ALEIX ESPARGARO'
“I can't wait to ride again in Europe and especially in Jerez, one of my home Grand Prix races. I like the atmosphere of the Spanish crowd, as well as the track. After the crash in Argentina and the problems in Austin I want to have a normal GP again and we will try to find the best setting to do another good race.”

SAM LOWES
“I have very fond memories of the race in Jerez last year, when I took both pole position and the win. I like the circuit and I will be aiming to take another step forward this weekend. The goal is definitely to earn my first MotoGP championship points.”

ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING MANAGER
“Jerez is a different track than the ones we have raced on thus far. The RS-GP does well on this track historically. The engine does not play a crucial role, whereas the bike's braking and wheelie characteristics are important. The level of grip varies a lot with relation to the temperature, so things could change rather quickly from this point of view. In Austin, we figured out a few interesting things about our bike's settings on the rear - information that we will put to use straight away.”

FAUSTO GRESINI - TEAM MANAGER
“The first European round always has a special flavour. Jerez is a nice track, a home track for Aleix, where we have built up a fair amount of experience. This could help us to be more competitive straight away and in this period we have worked hard between races and tests to be ready. After the setback in America, I expect to have a good weekend. We have the potential to stay easily in the top 10 and that is our goal.”

• Joe Collier takes the Ducati Performance TriOptions Cup championship lead
• Pole, fastest lap and race win for Collier in Race 1 and Race 2
• Moto Rapido win their 2nd dealer award

Thunder Thursday @ The Leadburn Inn 
Bike Night @ Jacks Hill Cafe
You've Been Nabbed 26
Touratech Travel Event 2017 
International Female Ride Day
Jeff Mountjoys Big Ride Out
Motorcycle Sprint - Hoghton Tower
Haynes Breakfast Club
Despatch Rally
North West 200

See more details on the main WHAT'S ON section for May here

Road safety charity IAM RoadSmart and Auto Express, the UK’s biggest-selling car magazine, teamed up to find out which are the deadliest behind-the-wheel distractions with programming a sat-nav found to be the worst.

Auto Express consumer editor Joe Finnerty was put to the test alongside British Formula 3 hopeful Jamie Chadwick in a professional racing simulator at Base Performance Simulators in Banbury. They were both assessed to see how they coped with the most common distracting tasks on UK roads, while completing timed laps and braking at a specific point. On hand was IAM RoadSmart’s head of technical policy, Tim Shallcross, to monitor the findings.

The results proved shocking, with a massive difference in performance between distractions. Entering a postcode into a sat-nav app proved to be the worst, followed by sending a text message. Other tasks carried out included eating, drinking, making a phone call and talking to a passenger.

Tim Shallcross said: “There was still a significant speed reduction for Joe when using a sat-nav, and even the ultra-focused Jamie completely missed the stop line. The moral? Those warning screens about not entering details on the move are there for a reason – don’t ignore them.”

On texting Tim said: “Joe would have been a menace to other road users; the car was more or less out of control. Jamie’s caution reduced the distraction in critical zones, but a sudden incident would have left her unable to take avoiding action.”

The least distracting task for lap time was talking to a passenger, but it still ranked very poorly for the braking test. Tim said: “It was the least distracting of all in terms of lap times, but interestingly, both drivers failed to brake accurately at the target line. Their ability to drive normally confirms the difference between the extra distraction of a phone conversation and the natural act of talking to a passenger, but still shows that any distraction reduces attention, and in an emergency, it might be critical.”

Steve Fowler, Auto Express editor-in-chief, said: “These results highlight just how important it is that drivers give their full attention to the road ahead. We’ve seen the staggering numbers of people who are still using phones at the wheel and these tests show how dangerous they can be – whether it’s texting, calling or programming the sat-nav. More work needs to be done to target those who still think it’s acceptable to use a phone while driving.”

If not, there is still time...
Tickets will be available if you order by phone 0844 415 4849 up to 3pm Friday 28th April.
Or if you go online www.nabd.org.uk up to midnight Saturday 29th April.

New venue for 2017 - You've Been Nabbed 26 will be held at The Royal Cheshire Showground, Flittogate Lane, Tabley, Knutsford, WA16 0HJ on 5th - 7th May 2017.

The new rally site has hard-standing on two sides so it should not be as vulnerable to being churned-up in wet weather as the old Astle Park site was on two recent occasions.

There are three separate marquees, each boasting live on-stage entertainment, disco and licenced bar. Unlike many other events the marquees are liberally furnished with tables and chairs (because creature-comforts are important though wide clearways are maintained to allow easy access for wheelchair users.

The hardest things to describe about this event are the marvellous party atmosphere and the wonderful level of camaraderie amongst the 3,000+ people in attendance. To understand these things you just have to attend!

The NABD is a registered charity, established in 1991, that helps and supports disabled motorcyclists.

The You’ve Been Nabbed rally is the main annual showcase/fundraising event of The National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD).

www.nabd.org.uk