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Category: Superbikes
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- 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
Joe Collier again showed dominant form in Round 3 of the Ducati Performance TriOptions Cup at Oulton Park with a hat-trick of pole, fastest lap and race win in both races.
Race 1
Pole-sitter Joe Collier’s charge to his 4th victory out of 5 races was temporarily put on hold during Race 1 at Oulton Park. The Red Flag was shown when several riders crashed out unhurt at Hizzy’s Chicane following a water leak from Jonathan Railton’s (Boast Plumbing) bike.
As the lights went out a second time, Collier kept his position into Old Hall Corner and went on to pull a 2 second gap over the rest of the field by the end of Lap 2 of the 5-lap restart race. Collier finally took the chequered flag in commanding fashion completing a hat-trick of pole, fastest lap and race win.
Rob Guiver (Ducati Romford / Hyside Racing) finished runner up to take his third 2nd place of the season and maintain his championship lead. Sean Neary (Zoek Racing) beat Phil Atkinson (Highsparks Motorsport) to the line by just 0.052 seconds to claim the final podium spot while Carl Stevens was the top 899 finisher in 13th place.
Race 2
Guiver got the better of pole-sitter Collier from 2nd on the grid as the lights went out for Race 2 at Oulton Park, before the two riders immediately pulled a small gap at the front.
Railton, Louis Dawson (Ducati Wolverhampton) and Taryn Skinner (Highsparks Motorsport) had all started towards the back of the grid after their races were ended prematurely in the Red Flag race 1 incident thus failing to post a fast-lap for a high race 2 grid position. They all made impressive moves up the field, Railton making up 20 positions on his opening lap alone and Dawson and Skinner both claiming 19 positions.
Up at the front Collier went underneath Guiver at Lodge to lead the race as the riders started Lap 3. Later on, Guiver ran off track and dropped back to 6th while Neary was forced to retire after losing power due to a technical fault.
Collier eventually crossed the finish line with over 10 seconds in hand for his second win of the weekend, having claimed another new lap-record around Oulton Park with a time of 1:40.283. Atkinson took 2nd while Day scored his first podium finish of the year in 3rd.
Guiver, who had gone into Race 2 as championship leader, finished in 4th. Collier’s teammate Railton passed the chequered flag in 5th – an impressive feat considering he had lined up for the race 34th on the grid. Louis Dawson, who started in 36th, was the top 899 finisher in 9th.
Collier’s double win this weekend gives him the championship lead from Guiver with Atkinson in 3rd. Moto Rapido won the Ducati Performance TriOptions Cup dealer award.
Joe Collier (Boast Plumbing #4) – Race 1 – 1st, Race 2 – 1st
“It’s just been a good weekend all round. The bike just keeps getting better and better. Working really well with the team. I’m just enjoying riding and when you’re enjoying riding you’re normally going alright. So hopefully we can carry on this momentum on to the next round and see how we go.”
Phil Atkinson (Highsparks Motorsport #7) – Race 1 – 2nd, Race 2 – 2nd
“With about four or five laps to go our exhaust came loose so we had a loss of power and quite a bit of noise in the old ears! But credit to the team, but we need to move forward a little bit more to catch Joe but at this moment I will take second any time. Overall the weekend has been good. We missed the official test at Oulton so we were playing catch up but we will be at the test at Snetterton and hopefully closer to the guys at the front for the next round.”
Levi Day (Boast Plumbing #57) – Race 1 – 5th, Race 2 – 3rd
“It’s taken me a little while to get used to riding a Ducati after a 600 but we’re starting to come to grips with it now. Hopefully I can start getting my name out there and be a front runner for the rest of the season.”
Championship positions:
1. Collier 112.5 pts, 2. Guiver 104 pts, 3. Atkinson 86 pts, 4. Railton 70.5 5 pts, Day 56.5 pts, 6. Ferns 52.5pts
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ESPARGARÓ FINISHES THE RACE DESPITE A PIT STOP - LOWES CRASHES IN THE 12TH LAP
ALBESIANO: “WE HAD THE POTENTIAL TO STAY IN THE TOP TEN”
You need to search through the various sessions of the Texan weekend between practice, qualifying and the race to “filter” the performance of Aleix Espargaró and his RS-GP from the extraordinary chain of adverse events that clipped the wings of his ambition. Having started from the last spot on the grid for not having participated in the qualifiers on Saturday, Aleix found his pace after a few laps, catching up to 15th position. His times, improving decisively, even made a top-ten finish seem possible, something that would have been quite an undertaking. Instead, from the seventh lap, problems with the front end first slowed him visibly and then forced him to pit lane.
After changing the tyre and re-joining, without any more hope of a placement, Aleix lapped at a pace even better than the riders who were battling for tenth. This feedback and the times in the Sunday warm-up, the only positive notes on a weekend that was difficult like few others for Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, confirm the potential of the Espargaró-Aprilia duo. Sam Lowes' race came to an early end after a crash when, after finding his pace, he had moved in behind Smith just behind the points zone.
Now it is time to head for Europe, with two days of testing at Mugello on Wednesday and Thursday. The goal is to pick up from all the positive that had been demonstrated in the first two rounds of the season.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"From the first laps I had a bad feeling with the front tyre. I kept losing it. I thought maybe it was because of the full tank, but things got worse lap after lap, so much that at a certain point I was no longer riding but just trying not to crash. Making a pit stop is always the last thought for me. It seems like a lack of respect for the work my team has done, but today I had no choice. When I re-joined with a new tyre, I lapped at my own pace without pushing, with the times we had expected. Now I want to forget this weekend quickly. In two days we will be on the track at Mugello to continue working and to be ready for the European races."
SAM LOWES
"I think that today was the slowest crash of my career. To be honest, it was a strange weekend for us. Even in the race, the harder front tyre was perfect on the left side in terms of feeling, whereas on the right I wasn't able to ride. The pace was what I had expected. I was able to stay in the group that was battling for points and despite a mistake in the early stages, I had managed to close the gap. Even on a weekend like this one, we were still able to take a few steps forward. My goal is to stay focused and to continue working with my team so that I can get to the point of exploiting the full potential of my RS-GP."
ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING MANAGER
"Even with the handicap of a start from the last spot on the grid, we had the potential for a top-ten race, but instead Aleix had a problem with the front. After replacing the tyre he found the sensations and the times we expected, the ones from warm-up where he finished in ninth place. Sure, it was a particular track, with bumps and different grip than the previous tracks, which put us to the test, but without everything that happened to us, we were definitely capable of finishing in the top ten. But even here, we learned something and now we are headed to Europe confident because of what we demonstrated until now and even hoping that this whole series of episodes that hindered us here is over."
FAUSTO GRESINI - TEAM MANAGER
"The many crashes in practice conditioned the entire weekend, both for Aleix and Sam. When you begin like that, it makes everything harder. It's like starting on an uphill slope. The team was unable to work at their best for the race. But even an unlucky weekend has plenty to teach us and it has to be used to continue improving. Now we are waiting for the European races so we can leave this weekend behind us, well aware of our potential."
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ESPARGARÓ HARD AT WORK ON HIS RS-GP, GRIP AND FRONT SETTINGS ARE THE ISSUES TO RESOLVE
LOWES IMPROVES FROM ONE FRIDAY SESSION TO THE NEXT
Partly due to the Texan track, which proved to be in less than stellar conditions, the first day of practice for the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini was spent looking for the best setup on the RS-GP machines ridden by Espargaró and Lowes. The Circuit of the Americas in Austin was found in much different conditions than in 2016, with a series of bumps and dips. The two free practice sessions were therefore dedicated to finding the right settings for the front end in order to handle this irregularity of the American track and to a series of comparative tests to choose the rear tyre.
Aleix Espargaró, fresh from two encouraging performances in the initial races of the season, finished FP1 in ninth place (time: 2’06.411) and FP2 in fourteenth with 2’05.468. The standings are very tight, with 11 riders “squeezed” into 2’05. An improvement of a few tenths could be decisive in the final free practice session tomorrow that will determine who goes through to Q2. Sam Lowes continues his bike and category apprenticeship. His 2’06.741 in FP2 demonstrates a clear improvement compared to his 2’08.292 in the morning.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"It was certainly not our best day of practice. I struggled, especially with front end stability. We also had some trouble with direction changes. The RS-GP is still not as agile as I would like it to be. Now the guys on the team will analyse the data. I think for tomorrow that we will work on the geometry and on weight distribution. Rear tyre choice, on the other hand, shouldn't be a problem. I tried two options and both felt good, so we will focus on the feeling with the front end, which is our main problem for now."
SAM LOWES
"The second session went rather well. I was able to improve both in terms of time and my feeling. As often happens, our pace is better than our flying lap. I must say that this is a demanding track with the MotoGP bike, but these are difficulties that help me to improve quickly, changing lines, riding style and my position in the saddle. The track has a lot of dips and our bike is usually stable, but here we will need to work on absorbing the bumps. I think it is a problem that a lot of the riders will have. We will try to solve it by both working on the setup and by trying to change a few trajectories."
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APRILIA CONFIRMS NEW COMPETITIVENESS IN ARGENTINA ONCE AGAIN
Aleix Espargaró rode a great race that confirmed both his feeling on the RS-GP and the new level of competitiveness Aprilia has reached. However, in the race he was unable to reap the fruits of the excellent work done during the weekend. In what looked like a repeat of the Qatar race, with Aleix Espargaró catching up to his rivals in the second part of the race, a sliding crash in the 15th lap took the Spanish rider and his RS-GP out of the running.
The Aprilia Racing Team Gresini rider, who started from the eighth spot on the grid that he had earned yesterday, started well, staying in the group. Settling into eleventh place during the first lap, he set his pace, staying with the riders battling for the positions from fourth through seventh. On turn 5, he found his way past Petrucci and Dovizioso who had gone a bit wide while duelling. When he lost the front end, he went into a slide, colliding with a blameless Dovizioso. The good performance seen during practice and in the race remains, with the RS-GP once again competitive, especially over race distance and capable of battling for important positions in any condition.
The race ended early for Sam Lowes too, forced to retire due to a gear selection problem.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"In the opening laps I was a bit slower than the other riders, but then things began to work right. Just as I was starting to increase my pace and when I had gotten close to the group, I saw Dovi off the line and I moved in. Unfortunately, I had to brake hard and I lost the front. I am really sorry for the team and for Andrea, who was unwillingly involved in my crash. It's a pity because in the second part of the race we could have done well. Now we will head to Austin to confirm our progress."
SAM LOWES
"At the start I lost a few meters, but I was catching up. I managed to lap with a good pace and I was about to reach the zone where they were battling for points. I had a problem with gear selection and I had to go into pit lane, but this was a good weekend for me. In Qatar I had not had the chance to work a lot on the 2017 bike before the race, in any case finding a good setup base. Here we changed a few details and in the race I felt at ease. Our bike is very competitive at the end of the race, so I know that I would have been able to make up a few positions."
ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING MANAGER
"This weekend substantially confirmed the level of our bike, with Aleix doing an outstanding job in practice. In the race things were going just like in Qatar. I don't think it is an exaggeration to consider a fifth place finish as a result within our reach. Unfortunately, the crash stopped the comeback. We need to work to give Aleix a more incisive bike in the initial laps where it is important to be able to get out of the pack. Our setup will continue to be race distance oriented. Unfortunately, we were unable to reap the fruits of our labours today, but we had some important confirmation in terms of our competitiveness anyway."
FAUSTO GRESINI - TEAM MANAGER
"A bitter-sweet race. We know that we did a great job and that we have a rider in Aleix who is capable of battling with the best. We suffered a bit in the opening laps, but we were catching up. It's a pity about the crash where I think Aleix lost his braking reference, thrown off by Petrucci and Dovizioso running a bit wide. I am sorry that the crash involved Dovi. It was an unfortunate coincidence. We still have a very good technical base. Aprilia Racing and the team are doing a great job. We need to keep going in this direction."
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ALEIX ESPARGARÓ RIDES HIS APRILIA RS-GP TO THE TOP-10
SAM LOWES INCREASES HIS FEELING WITH THE ARGENTINIAN TRACK
As was widely expected, the first two MotoGP sessions on the Argentinian Termas de Rìo Hondo circuit were characterized by a track in constant evolution, forcing teams and riders to adjust settings and tyre selection quickly.
At the end of the day, Aleix Espargaró rode his Aprilia RS-GP into the Top-10, finishing with the ninth best time (1'40.175) at less than 7 tenths from the top. Significant performance in anticipation of qualifying: if it should rain tomorrow, it would be difficult for everyone to improve their times from today and that would mean going straight through to Q2 for Aleix. As for race pace, on the other hand, the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Spanish rider is having a few problems, especially in terms of braking. The less than perfect asphalt conditions are partly to blame for this feeling, but Aleix and his team will be working on it in order to optimize the setup solutions.
Sam Lowes continues improving and, despite the gap (best time 1'42.179), he demonstrated a better feeling in the saddle of his RS-GP. The British rookie tested various tyre solutions and worked on settings and riding style, setting up a programme with particular attention to consistent performance for the race.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"The feeling today was strange. I still haven't found the sensations I had in Qatar, especially when it comes to stopping the bike. I think that as the track improves, things will sort themselves. Right now we are still too close to the limit for me to feel at ease on the bike. In any case, we were able to get into the Top-10 and that is positive, since the weather forecast calls for rain tomorrow and that could make it difficult to improve times in view of qualifying."
SAM LOWES
“It was difficult to choose the right tyre option at the right time today, because the conditions were changing rather quickly. I feel like I could have shaved off a few tenths, but it isn't fundamental. At the moment I am happy because I feel much more comfortable on the bike compared with Qatar. We will be able to be more competitive here, especially in terms of race pace. We know that we need to improve without making any mistakes and continuing to build our performance calmly. Trying the RS-GP in the wet would also not be bad. I have never done that but it could be interesting.”
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