Although the position on the grid after qualifying is not the sensational one from Brno, Aleix Espargaró is optimistic at the end of the Austrian Saturday. On a track that has historically been complicated for Aprilia, the Spanish rider once again confirmed his improved feeling astride the 2020 RS-GP. An in-depth analysis of his performance demonstrates this. In a scenario where the pole position time has worsened compared to 2019, Aleix shaved six tenths off his best time from last season. This is an important and concrete signal even if we shift our attention to an analysis of the race pace.

Bradley also demonstrated substantial growth in terms of the technical package, which is possibly not as evident because of how young the project is. The constant changes to the setup which, on one hand contribute to increasing the team’s and riders’ knowledge of the new bike, on the other hand, do not make it simple to find the best lap time. These first races should be seen as an "investment", destined to bear fruit in the future.


ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"I'm quite satisfied, to be honest. The 2020 RS-GP has confirmed that it is a step ahead here too compared to last year. Let’s not forget that this track is less than ideal for us, so having a good feeling in Austria is very important for me. What race result can we aim for? I don’t see the top 10 as far off - to the contrary. Any worse result would leave a bitter taste in my mouth. The weather conditions will be fundamental, but above all, we will need to stay focused and avoid any mistakes on the important braking sections of this track."

BRADLEY SMITH
"It may seem strange, but we’re making progress. We are still in a phase where it is important to work on the balance of the bike, changing the setup often in order to figure out how this new bike will react. It’s a job divided up between Aleix and me. When you do this, doing the best times may become more complicated, but we are building a base for this season and for next year. I am pleased that I have not had any of the chattering problems we were worried about in Brno and here. For tomorrow, the goal is to stay in the group and not push past the limit. Riding in the race alongside the other riders is a fundamental opportunity to grow the 2020 RS-GP."

Here are two of the new gloves available in the new spring/summer collection from Furygan – like the complete Furygan range, both gloves have been developed in conjunction with Furygan’s Motion Lab – the internal development research centre at Furygan headquarters in Nîmes, France – and are available now.

Jet D3O and Jet D3O Lady 

The CE-approved Jet D3O and Jet D3O Lady gloves combine an enviable price tag and specification list. They feature a fully leather palm, D3O protection for the metacarpals and reinforcement on the palm. The mix of textile and leather across the gloves allow for high levels of comfort and protection – with exposed zones during a crash carefully considered. There are Furygan Sensitive Science inserts on the fingertips, meaning that touchscreen devices can be used without removing the gloves.  

The Jet D3O glove, priced at £39.99, is available in size S-3XL in black/white, black/red, black/blue, black/fluo green, black/orange and black/fluo yellow. The Jet D3O Lady glove, priced at £34.99, is available in sizes XS-XL and in a choice of black and black/pink. 

Volt 

With dynamic colours and high-quality finishing touches, it’s clear to see that the CE-approved Volt gloves have been inspired by Furygan’s racing heritage and expertise. Made from a mix of textile and leather, Volt gloves feature a 100% leather palm, metacarpal protection and reinforcements across the glove as well as pre-shaped fingers. They have Furygan Sensitive Science on the fingertips so that touchscreen devices can be used without needing to remove them. 

Available in sizes S-3XL with an RRP of £59.99, the Volt gloves are  in UK dealers now. 

www.nevis.uk.com

The opening triple-header British Superbikes race weekend was a mixed one for the two Ducati teams, with Tommy Bridewell taking a dominant win in the final race while Josh Brookes suffered a fast crash after contact by Andrew Irwin.

Josh Day got his title defence off to the best possible start with 2 poles and 2 wins on board the Host-it.co.uk Racing Team Panigale V2 at the opening Ducati Performance TriOptions Cup round held at Donington Park this weekend.

DIFFICULT RACE FOR BRADLEY WITH POOR GRIP

In the Brno race, Aleix Espargaró took great advantage of his fourth spot on the grid, starting well and taking the Aprilia RS-GP into the leading group straight away. In an extremely complicated race, the Spanish rider managed the situation, limiting the damage caused by tyre wear and not taking any pointless risks. The goal was to finish the race, earning the first points of the season; mission accomplished with a tenth-place finish when the chequered flag came out, about 8 seconds behind the podium. This is a “ground zero” spot for Aleix and his team to build on for the rest of the season.

Bradley Smith, on the other hand, battled with a lack of grip - a circumstance similar to what had happened in Jerez, but aggravated by the characteristics of the Portuguese track. This was all in spite of a good start, where Bradley managed to stay with the group of riders battling in the points zone, but having to rethink his ambitions after a few laps.


ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"I'm pleased that I finished the race after what happened in Jerez, although I can’t be entirely happy. Unfortunately, we were not as incisive in the race as we were in qualifying. I didn’t have the pace to stay with the best. However, on one side, we stayed in the top 10 on a track where we struggle historically, and this can be the real ground zero for the start of our season. We need to work especially on acceleration and on speed in mid-turn, although on the latter aspect maybe the two crashes in Jerez had an impact, convincing me to take fewer risks. In any case, I want to see the glass as half full, so we are staying positive and focused. We know our limits and we need to give it our all to solve the problems."

BRADLEY SMITH
"The start and the early stages of the race were good and it was definitely nice to see Aleix so far out front. Unfortunately, my pace got worse after a few laps. Similar to what happened in Jerez, I started battling with rear grip early on. In any case, finishing the race lets us gather more important data to help our project grow. It seems like we’ll have some new features to test from the next race, and that is very important."