A very important three-day test has drawn to a close today at Lombok, which also ended winter testing for MotoGP. Team Gresini showed they can be among the protagonists straight from the get-go with an excellent performance by Bastianini both at Sepang and Mandalika, while Fabio Di Giannantonio has already proved he can comfortably be within the premier class. The Mandalika Circuit has surely presented some challenges for the two riders: track conditions were never perfect and line mistakes, which are absolutely normal on a new track, came with a big price to pay.

Fabio Di Giannantonio crashed unhurt twice, one on the opening day (turn ten) and the other on the second and final day (turn 11): both crashes came after similar mistakes, as the rider #49 lost the front-end and tumbled onto the very-wide gravel traps of the Indonesian track. The Rome-born rider did well in making sure those setbacks did not affect him as he worked both on time attack and race pace, with the priority being to improve his feeling with the Desmosedici GP21 machine.

Enea Bastianini had another great weekend, on a track that does not suit his riding style perfectly. Less late braking, but great feeling especially in the fast part of the track and with soft tyres, which helped the premier class sophomore log the 13th quickest time on the Ducati – one tenth shy of top five. One thing the Italian did remarkably well was to find his time attack lap in a matter of a few minutes, which is something absolutely crucial qualifying-wise ahead of the season.

13th - ENEA BASTIANINI #23 (1’31.599 – 129 laps)
“It was a very positive test, and we’re ready for Qatar. I got to know the 2021 bike properly, even though I also liked it at Jerez. Today’s result is not very indicative… We only worked on the race pace and the feeling was excellent. Things are going great with the team and I think we made a step forward even compared to Sepang: the more time we spend on the bike, the more we can be competitive. We have a little more experience compared to last season and honestly speaking it is also easier to work with the team: now I know what to ask for and what to tell them. I just can’t wait now.”

21st - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 (1’31.915 – 149 laps)
“It has been a positive preseason for us. We improved a lot aboard the Ducati and we managed to do so day after day. Today we also did a race simulation and we’re very happy. We are still in our early ‘school’ days but there’s plenty of motivation to do well. Compared to Sepang - where we lost a few days - we made an important step forward and now we need to keep both feet on the ground and think one step at the time. Qatar is around the corner so now it will be about anxiously waiting for another three weeks.”

ALEIX AND MAVERICK CONSISTENT ONCE AGAIN ON THE NEW INDONESIAN CIRCUIT AND READY FOR THE FIRST 2022 RACE IN QATAR 

New track, same feedback: on the Indonesian circuit of Mandalika, just like in Sepang, the 2022 Aprilia RS-GP once again proved to be a project with good potential. Over the course of the three days of testing, the last tests before the official season start in Qatar, Aleix Espargaró and Maverick Viñales put the new prototypes to the test and agreeing that the work done by Aprilia’s techs has passed with flying colours.

The track, where the second race of the season will be held, did not offer a great deal of grip for this first approach. This is a complicated situation, but also a chance to see how the new bike reacts in less than optimum grip conditions. The good sensations perceived in Malaysia were confirmed, not only by the lap times, but especially by the good feelings both riders had in terms of overall improvements to the bike, with plenty of margin to work with and a good base to take to Qatar.

Aleix Espargaró
"We can’t evaluate the worth of preseason tests so much based on times as on the confidence that we’ve done a good job. From this point of view, I think that both Aprilia and I are headed to Qatar with a good base. The new bike has demonstrated improvements in all areas. We can and must improve, that much is certain, also because my goal is to do better than last year. It will not be at all simple because, in my opinion, this will be the most competitive and demanding MotoGP season ever."

Maverick Viñales
"I'm pleased with our tests. It’s still early to define our level with certainty, but the new RS-GP proved to be fast on two extremely different tracks like Sepang and Mandalika. My feeling also improved progressively, although I still can't say it’s perfect, while Aprilia’s techs are getting better and better at meeting my needs. I still need time in the saddle, especially on race weekends, because I feel like I still have plenty of margin to be faster. In any case, I'm feeling positive ahead of the first race in Qatar - a track where I have always been comfortable."

AN ADVANCED RS-GP AND THREE TOP-LEVEL RIDERS: ALEIX ESPARGARÓ, MAVERICK VIÑALES, AND TEST RIDER LORENZO SAVADORI

 ON THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THEIR FIRST WORLD TITLE, APRILIA RACING IS FINALLY ON THE GRID AS A FACTORY TEAM.

MASSIMO RIVOLA: "A HUGE RESPONSIBILITY BUT ALSO ADDED MOTIVATION"

ROMANO ALBESIANO: "THE NEW RS-GP IS THE PROFOUND EVOLUTION OF AN ALREADY OUTSTANDING PROJECT"

The year 2022 marks an important time for Aprilia Racing in its young MotoGP history. In fact, the Italian team gains Factory Team status, yet another step forward in a growth trend that has been clear over the last two seasons, culminating in the podium at Silverstone last year, a result that Aprilia had never before achieved in its history in MotoGP.

At the end of the 2021 season, Aleix Espargaró finished eighth in the overall championship standings, moving up nine positions and tripling the points he had earned in the previous seasons. This is a great result which is only the starting point for the 2022 evolution, a season where Aprilia will be on the grid with a profoundly revamped RS-GP with respect to what has proven to be a good technical base. Not only the results, but more than anything else, the gap behind the best riders (never before so consistently low in the brand’s history), convinced the racing department engineers to focus their work on all areas of performance. Without revolutionising, but with the innovative ability that has always made Aprilia’s efforts stand out in racing.

Taking the new RS-GP machines onto the track will be a line-up of extremely high-level riders. Riding alongside the ultra-confirmed “team captain” Aleix Espargaró will be Maverick Viñales, the newest member of the Aprilia family. Carrying out the dual role of tester and wild-card rider will be Lorenzo Savadori, the young rider who has demonstrated consistent progress since his début in an extremely demanding category.

Aleix Espargaró
“I can't wait to get back on the track with my team. After many years together, they are no longer just mechs and techs. They are truly part of my family and, from that point of view, the winter break always seems too long. I'm extremely pumped up. The years may pass, but I am still just as hungry as I was when I began and I'm at the top of my game physically. For the first tests, I chose a helmet with graphics dedicated to all Aprilia’s fist podiums in the various classes, including the one we earned together at Silverstone. It seems like the right way to kick off the season and pay tribute to this brand’s great racing heritage. The goal is obviously to add more images to this gallery”.

Maverick Viñales
“From my first moment on this team, I realised that I had been chosen for a purpose - to take Aprilia to the top of modern MotoGP. This is the goal we are all working towards. I don’t think it’s fair to make predictions. I prefer focusing on the job at hand and on preparing because I believe that results are a direct consequence of our efforts. We had the great opportunity of getting to know one another ahead of time, doing a few races together and beginning to understand our reciprocal needs. We’ll need to exploit this advantage as much as possible. I am highly satisfied with the job the racing department did over the winter and now all that’s left is to show our progress on the track”.

Lorenzo Savadori
“The role of tester, also considering the fact that I’ll do some wild card races, is extremely important in MotoGP. Everyone at Aprilia is working hard to improve the RS-GP even more. We are competing in a category where continued investments of time, resources, and efforts is indispensable. The overall level of our rivals is extremely high, but we are growing and we need to continue this trend. I’ve been part of this project since 2020 and I have grown along with the RS-GP, a bike that has consistently and progressively improved, and I'm confident that it will take another step forward in this new season”.

Massimo Rivola
“This is an important season. We are coming into MotoGP as a Factory Team precisely on the thirtieth anniversary of Aprilia’s first World Championship GP Motorcycle Racing title, won with Alex Gramigni. This is a great responsibility, but also an injection of extra motivation. The racing department is now a group of highly skilled individuals who work extremely well together and with a strong Italian footprint that we are extremely proud of. We are working well and the competitiveness we demonstrated last year must be just the starting points. The ’21 season was a good one, but we need to forget about it straight away and look forward. In my opinion, the 2022 RS-GP will be the most beautiful bike on the grid and I hope that it will also be one of the fastest. I think we have done some significant work, certain of the direction we have taken. We have three top-level riders: the "team captain" Aleix and a great champion like Maverick who we are getting to know better and better every day. Lorenzo will be our test rider. In spite of a season conditioned by injuries, he demonstrated significant growth and he will be a big help in developing the project”.

Romano Albesiano
“The RS-GP 2022 is a profound evolution of the outstanding base used in 2021. We focused on the main performance areas. The engine has undergone significant internal changes, maintaining the previous layout. The aerodynamics are constantly evolving and the chassis architecture and software areas have been revamped with the goal of improving important aspects such as braking, acceleration and the starting strategy. We have three riders with very different characteristics, both physically and in terms of riding style, and that means that we are able to develop a bike which is effective in a wider range of needs. In recent years, we have seen an uptick in performance, including our own, which is why we worked particularly hard during the winter break. I'm confident that we will have good cards to play in the 2022 championship season”.

Due to the number of custom bike entries and finalists for the 2022 UK National Championships, and due to the extra demand in trade stands, we are thrilled to announce that KICKBACK has moved to a bigger exhibition hall (opposite the original one) and has therefore tripled in size!

Obviously custom bike builders have been very busy in sheds over the lockdown period and exhibitors can't wait to get trading at a live event again!

Ticket sales are well up also, proving that bikers and motorcycle lovers can't wait to get out and meet up this springtime! Click for tickets.

So, if you'd like to enter your custom masterpiece please email [email protected]

If you'd like a trade space please email Lorne as above.

There is a good campsite at the venue and can be booked at pitchup.com search Three Counties Showground Worcestershire.

The tragic death of Sapper Bradley Parks in 2019 has been the inspiration for several fundraising events for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity and the latest has been with motorcycle group 365 Warriors. More than £660 raised by 365 Warriors will go to the Staffordshire branch of SSAFA.  

Bradley served in 26 Engineer Regiment, part of the Royal Engineers, based in Tidworth and was diagnosed with bipolar in April 2019, just three months before he took his life. He was in the process of leaving the Army after four years’ service and would have been discharged in February 2020.

John and Rachel Parks – Bradley’s parents – have been raising awareness about mental health and help others who are suffering by supporting SSAFA. Their good friends Mark Pearman and Lydia Holmes, who run 365 Warriors, have supported them in this and with earlier two-wheeled fundraising activities.

Lydia said that 365 Warriors took groups of bikers out on rideouts into the Peak District and surrounding areas, charging £5 per bike, with many donating more. Mark and Lydia, who run M & L Detailing, gave £5 to SSAFA from each bike cleaned. They also held a fun day at a local pub and an auction on Facebook, and sold bike decals and cups, all adding to the generous tally.

Explaining further 365 Warriors’ reason for supporting SSAFA in Bradley’s name, Lydia said: “We’re a charity bike group, and we raise money for good causes by doing what we love: riding our motorbikes, because bikes are our passion and our life.”

Anne MacKinnon, Branch Secretary of SSAFA Staffordshire, added: “The tragic death of Bradley, a young man who became a Sapper to serve his country, has touched the hearts of many in the Forces family, and outside it, around the country. On behalf of SSAFA Staffordshire, I am extremely grateful to Lydia and Mark, 365 Warriors, and all those bikers and others who supported this fundraising drive in Bradley’s name.”

To find out more about SSAFA and the support it provides, visit ssafa.org.uk

SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, has been providing lifelong support to our Forces and their families since 1885. In 2020, our teams of volunteers and employees helped more than 79,000 people in need, from Second World War veterans to young men and women who have served in more recent conflicts, and their families. The SSAFA family includes the Military Wives Choirs, both an independent charity and a subsidiary of SSAFA, which supports women across the military community. SSAFA understands that behind every uniform is a person. And we are here for that person – any time they need us, in any way they need us, for as long as they need us. ssafa.org.uk

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