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Category: Superbikes
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ALEIX ESPARGARÓ SEEKS HIS FIRST POINTS IN TEXAS, SCOTT REDDING KEEN TO CONTINUE THE POSITIVE TREND
Before beginning the long European tour, MotoGP is making its last overseas stop to take on the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. This is a track that created some difficulties for teams and riders because of rather bumpy asphalt, but which has now been partially resurfaced (between turns 1 and 9 and between turns 16 and 19), the effects of which will be clearer after the first practice sessions.
Scott Redding is approaching the American round after picking up his first championship points astride the Aprilia RS-GP in the last race in Argentina. The feeling with the Italian bike, which Scott is in his first year riding, is increasing consistently. This is partly due to the British rider's work method, analytical and always focused on improving in terms of race strategy rather than on instantaneous performance.
Aleix Espargaró is more than ready for redemption after being unable to earn points in the first two round of the season, despite clear demonstrations of his competitiveness, like his brilliant Saturday in Argentina. The Spanish rider's value and grit that shone through brightly on that occasion let him look at the upcoming race with renewed optimism.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"Qatar and Argentina were not two lucky races for me. On both occasions, I felt good and we had prepared well for the race, but we were unable to take points due to unexpected issues. During the break before Texas, I tried to rest up and recover energy together with my family - kind of a reset to rediscover the positive feeling for the upcoming race. It's not easy, but I know that I have always given my all, so we need to stay focused and continue working."
SCOTT REDDING
"The race in Argentina was an important one for me. It allowed me to recover the feeling that I had lost in Qatar after good pre-season training. My race position, just outside the top 10, is the result I was expecting to achieve at the beginning of the season. Riding race distance alongside other riders also gave me a chance to compare our performance with that of our rivals and see which areas we need to work on. I want to start from this foundation to keep growing and to grow the RS-GP, knowing that I am moving in the right direction."
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ALEIX ESPARGARÓ FORCED TO RETIRE DUE TO A PROBLEM WITH AN ELECTRICAL COMPONENT
The expectations that Aleix Espargaró had built with a great Saturday qualifying were not met due to a problem with a simple electrical component that began right from the start and which, after compromising his performance, forced Aleix to throw in the towel. The disappointment remains for a race in which Aleix entered as a protagonist after his great qualifiers yesterday, but also with the awareness that the potential demonstrated throughout the weekend, he is ready to bring home results on Sunday as well.
Scott Redding finished twelfth, thereby bringing home his first championship points with Aprilia. But his race - in any case positive - was conditioned by a backache that tormented him the whole weekend. For him as well, the Argentinian round represents a good base from which to pick up for the upcoming races, given the clear progress compared to his début race.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"To be honest, I felt very good today. But from the start, the bike responded strangely to the throttle when I accelerated from low speed. For everything else, the feeling was excellent, so much that for the first time in my career, I was able to handle the wet patches without any problems. Then things got worse with the collisions with Marquez and Petrucci who, quite frankly, took some avoidable risks. I cannot be happy with two consecutive zero finishes on two occasions when I felt like I could have battled for important positions. Now I want to recharge my batteries with my family before going to Austin, where we will pick back up from the good that we saw in these last two weekends."
SCOTT REDDING
"It was a very long race. After lining up on the grid, there were some rather confusing moments. Fortunately, the delayed start gave everyone a chance to gain a better understanding of the situation. Today it was basically about interpreting the track conditions straight away and I must say that things worked quite well. I lost ground on the longest straight, whereas on the rest of the track I managed to stay close to my rivals. I am happy with the final result, both because I rediscovered the feeling after Qatar and for the guys on the team who really had to work under pressure today. Riding along with the other riders for the entire race distance also gave me a chance to better understand where the RS-GP and I need to improve and that will help us in the upcoming races."
ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING MANAGER
"A difficult weekend but one in which we demonstrated our speed with both riders, referring to the good qualifiers on Saturday where we brought home some good results that could have been even better. In the race, we had an electrical problem with Aleix's bike and Scott did his job, considering the physical conditions in which he raced due to a devastating backache. A bit of luck will come."
FAUSTO GRESINI - TEAM MANAGER
"If I look at the entire weekend, I see a Saturday where we did very well. We won Q1 and we were also protagonists in the final qualifying session. Scott's race is certainly positive. He earned points racing with a bad backache. Aleix did very well in practice and in the race he was also in a position to bring home a good result. Unfortunately, it went the way it did and we just need to focus immediately on the next race."
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APRILIA FLIES TO TERMAS DE RIO HONDO IN ARGENTINA
It will be the 4.8 kilometres of the Argentinian Termas de Rio Hondo track hosting the second round on the 2018 MotoGP calendar. A fast track (more than 170 km/h average) with plenty of treachery, especially in terms of grip conditions. The weather forecast, with a chance of rain, contributes to increasing the uncertainty expected from the South American round.
This is an exam that Aprilia is tackling with renewed ambitions, comforted by both the potential of the new 2018 RS-GP and by the wide margins of improvement shown in Qatar.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"We need to keep working. In Qatar, the feeling in the race was rather good before the problem in the end that kept us from a top-10 finish that was well within our reach. I am confident because we confirmed our strong points, especially over race distance, whereas we have room to improve our flying lap in qualifying. We are at the beginning of the season. We have set some ambitious goals for ourselves which will certainly not be easy to confirm, but we have all our papers in order to have a good season."
SCOTT REDDING
“The sensations after Qatar were not the best, but I am sure that we will be able to solve the problems that came up in the race. The RS-GP worked well up to that point, so apparently we missed something and that is what we will focus on in Argentina. With so many new components introduced on the 2018 RS-GP, it becomes essential to analyse the data and the bike's reactions carefully in order to create a working base that can then be dialled in as the weekend progresses."
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Tyco BMW have today confirmed a new partnership with fifteen-time Isle of Man TT winner Michael Dunlop for the 2018 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy and the other International Road Races.
The 28 year old Northern Ireland rider will campaign the TAS Racing-prepared Tyco BMW S1000RR in the RST Superbike and PokerStars Senior Races at the Isle of Man TT and further International road racing events including the North West 200 and Ulster GP.
With multiple race wins and lap records under his belt since his TT debut in 2007, Michael's skill and determination is without doubt and he remains the first and only rider to lap the 37.73mile Mountain Course in less than 17 minutes. His passion for road racing is mirrored by that of father and son pairing - Hector and Philip Neill - team owner and manager of TAS Racing. The Northern Ireland-based team have to date secured 27 International North West 200 victories and 18 race wins at the iconic Isle of Man TT.
The team's official full road race schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.
Philip Neill – Team Manager:
“It has taken some time for this to come together and I’m very happy to confirm Michael Dunlop and TAS Racing/Tyco BMW will finally work together in 2018. Michael and I have discussed options to work together on various occasions and I honestly believe this is a partnership that simply had to happen at some point. My father and I, together with all the guys at TAS Racing, are excited and looking forward to the challenge. We would not be in this position without the support of our partners Tyco and BMW Motorrad and both are extremely happy to reach agreement with Michael for the 2018 season”
Michael Dunlop:
“Tyco BMW and I have spoken many times but nothing ever came of it, but this year everything fell into place. I think it’s a good time for us both to work together and I think both of us can bring something to the table. I’m looking forward to seeing the outcome”
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In an unprecedented move, two of the Isle of Man TT’s greatest ever riders will join forces at this year’s Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy with John McGuinness set to ride for Michael Dunlop’s MD Racing team in the two Monster Energy Supersport races. 
McGuinness, who will be making his return to the TT this year after missing the 2017 meeting due to injuries sustained at the North West 200, will ride a similar CBR600RR Honda to team owner and rival Dunlop in the four-lap races, which will be held on Monday 4th and Wednesday 6th June.
Dunlop and McGuinness both have an excellent track record in the class with the Northern Irishman winning last year’s four lap race when Yamaha-mounted while 23-time winner McGuinness was victorious in both 2005 and 2006 for Yamaha and Honda respectively. Riding for the latter exclusively since 2006, the Morecambe Missile added further Supersport podiums to his haul in 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2013.
Since 2010 McGuinness has lined up in the colours of Padgetts Racing and, more recently the Jackson Racing team, finishing in the top five on no less than eight occasions with his most recent outing in 2016 seeing him finish fifth. His fastest lap in the Supersport category, 127.210mph, came in 2013 when he made his last visit to the podium in the class which makes him the fifth fastest rider ever to have lapped the Mountain Course on a 600cc machine.
Dunlop still holds the lap record for the class having lapped at 128.667mph on his way to a double victory in 2013 when riding the CBR600RR. MD Racing will be making their return to Honda for the two Monster Energy Supersport Races for the first time since 2015.
Speaking about the tie up, John McGuinness commented:
“I’m excited to be riding Michael’s bike at this year’s TT. It’s started off as a bit of a joke conversation between us both and has developed into him going off and building me a bike. I’m a big fan of Michael’s both as a rider but also for what he has done in terms of running his own teams and winning races out the back of his van against the factory teams over the years. The Dunlop name means so much to TT fans and as a fan myself, I can’t wait to represent that name at this year’s event. We’ve won 38 TT’s between us so together we know what needs to be done and I am sure we will be right at the sharp end.”
Michael Dunlop added:
“I hadn’t ever really planned on building another bike, but when John started talking to me about it, I thought it was a great idea and I couldn’t really say no. It’s good for me, it’s good for my team and no matter who you are, the man has won 23 TT races so there is always going to be something that can be learnt by having him in working alongside you. People don’t see him as a 600cc rider, but he’s won races and had lots of podium finishes on a 600cc bike and I will give him a bike capable of winning on.”
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