Category: Superbikes

1. BUSY APRILIA IN MISANO TEST

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 8th Sep 2022

   ALBESIANO: 'WE CAN'T BE SATISFIED, WE HAVE TO KEEP WORKING'

   The main news of the two days of MotoGP testing at Misano is the enormous amount of work carried out by Aprilia. Always among the first to take to the track and the last to close, with practice starts on the main straight, even today. An unmistakable sign of the constant ambition to improve, despite an absolute competitive situation.

   A total of 427 laps were clocked over the two days by the RS-GPs of Aleix Espargaró, Maverick Viñales and Lorenzo Savadori, all of whom were involved in both tests related to the current season and in comparisons and simulations that could help the development of the 2023 prototype.

   Caught up in a crash at Turn 13, Aleix had to interrupt his test towards the end of today's morning session, having suffered a micro-fracture to the little finger of his left hand that is not cause for concern ahead of Aragón.

   ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
   "The injury will fortunately only require a little rest. We'll check it tomorrow with more detailed tests but I'm not worried ahead of Aragón. The test overall was positive. We tried some concepts with a view to 2023 but we will have to analyse the data well, because Misano is a track with a lot of grip, especially after a race weekend. So it will be necessary to reconfirm the sensations on other tracks".

   MAVERICK VIÑALES
   "We have definitely taken a step forward with these tests. I am satisfied with the work Aprilia is doing, both with a view to 2023 and to help me in this season finale. In the second part of the race on Sunday I lost something compared to the best riders and in these two days we have also had the opportunity to analyse that situation and work to improve it."

   ROMANO ALBESIANO
   "Despite what might come naturally seeing the results of this season, our path to perfect competitiveness is still a long one. We are not satisfied and we won't be until we manage to fill all the gaps in the RS-GP. We are already working on the ideas that will go on to define the 2023 prototype but the analysis process has to be meticulous, the risk of missteps is always just around the corner. There are concepts that seem to work, others that don't clearly improve, so after so many laps we will have to be good at analysing the data collected. We are at a good level of performance, but this does not allow us to slow down development."

2. STELLAR RIDE TO MISANO PODIUM FOR ENEA

   Posted on 10:00am Monday 5th Sep 2022

   #SanMarinoGP race. 
   An excellent performance and spectacular finish marked Enea Bastianini’s race on home turf at Misano, which saw the standard bearer of Team Gresini MotoGP battling for the win up to the finish line with Pecco Bagnaia - his future teammate starting next season. 
    
   It was not an easy race for Enea, however, especially at the beginning, but he managed it the perfect way before recovering the right feeling and pace in the final laps, when he fought hard on equal terms with the Ducati rider #63. Courtesy of today’s result, ‘Bestia’ goes from sixth back to fourth in the standings, with now 138 points under his belt.
    
   It was an uphill encounter for Fabio Di Giannantonio, who after the coming together with Franco Morbidelli was still able to make it to the chequered flag, while gathering important data and fresh feedback ahead of the last leg of the season.

   2^nd - ENEA BASTIANINI #23
   “I had a strange feeling with the tyres at the beginning, as they didn’t get into perfect temperature. From halfway point I was then able to find back the right feeling. I tried all I could until the end, first at turn 14 and then at the last corner I wanted to win, but I had made a mistake before and then towards the finish line Pecco closed the door shut and there was nothing I could do. It’s great to be on the podium with this livery and on such a special circuit for me.”
    
   20^th - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49
   “It’s a shame that the race was kind of ruined straight away. I pushed too hard at turn four to overtake and crashed… I did my best to make it to the finish line and honour these colours and this track. Obviously, we were aiming at a different type of result, we had a great pace and we could have been in the top ten. Now we’ll try to make the most of the day of testing in order to get to Aragon with the best possible feeling.”

3. TEAM GRESINI MOTOGP ON FRONT ROW WITH BASTIANINI

   Posted on 12:00pm Sunday 4th Sep 2022

   #SanMarinoGP qualifiyng: The mixed conditions of a late-summer Saturday have shuffled the cards for Enea Bastianini, who after comfortably making his way to Q2 at his home Grand Prix, he was able to confirm his top-form status aboard the Ducati #23 by securing a front-row start at the #SanMarinoGP. The Italian finished with the third-quickest time, even though he will line up second on the grid due to the penalty inflicted to Bagnaia – who was ahead of him in the qualifying classification. 
    
   It was a Saturday of improvements for Fabio Di Giannantonio, who did his best both in FP3 and Q1 and finished 14^th his qualifying day. Tyre choice will be crucial for both riders ahead of tomorrow, with track conditions continuously evolving temperature-wise.

   3^rd - ENEA BASTIANINI #23
   “I was really satisfied after a session that could have caused us a lot of troubles. We gambled on using slick tyres straight away even though the track was quite wet, especially on kerbs. I played my cards in several spots: I like to brake hard and late, and it wasn’t easy today. We had to be brave to finish near the top and we managed to do so.”
    
   14^th - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 
   “We’re improving and compared to yesterday we made a big step with the bike, and we came very close to Q2, which was out target. Fourteenth place is not a disaster, our race pace is good, and we have to make a good choice tyre-wise. With a few more little steps forward in the warm-up – weather permitting – we will be competitive.”

4. ENEA MAKES HISTORY WITH MAIDEN MOTOGP POLE AT SPIELBERG

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 22nd Aug 2022

   #AustrianGP qualifying. 
   1525 days later, Enea Bastianini is back on top on a Saturday, albeit this time in the MotoGP class. In other words, he took his first-ever pole position in the premier class after putting together a near perfect lap – which was good enough to edge the factory Ducati duo of Pecco Bagnaia and Jack Miller.
    
   The new outright record lap of the track (1’28.772) will allow ‘Bestia’ to line up at the very front of the grid, with the explicit goal to score his fourth race win of the season. With today’s result, Bastianini’s pole position tally reaches number 10 (seven of which under the Team Gresini banner).
    
   It was a very positive day also for Fabio Di Giannantonio, who made it into Q2 at the very last moment (and tackled his fifth Qualifying 2 session of the season) before securing a more than respectable top ten result on a track he seems to enjoy a bit more aboard Ducati machinery – as opposed to when he raced in the lower classes.

    

   POLE POSITION – ENEA BASTIANINI #23 (1’28.772)
   “It surely was an incredible day. I did a great lap, not a perfect one, but it was enough for pole position. I had missed this feeling for a few years and it’s great to be back in this situation. I’m beginning to perform at my best also on Saturday, even though I’m still more of a race animal. We’re working the same way we did at the beginning of the year; the atmosphere in the team is great and that surely helps. We will start ahead of everyone else tomorrow and we will aim at the top.”
    
   10^th - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 (1’29.336)
   “It wasn’t easy, because we encountered a lot of traffic in Q1, but in the end we made it through with also a bit of luck. We needed it, and to be starting in the top ten tomorrow is surely a confidence boost. We’re working well and we improved compared to yesterday so I don’t see the reason why we cannot continue this way and make another step tomorrow, too.”

5. FIRST MOTOGP PRACTICE SESSIONS IN AUSTRIA

   Posted on 12:00pm Saturday 20th Aug 2022

   TOP TEN FOR MAVERICK, ALEIX IMPROVES BETWEEN THE TWO SESSIONS, LORENZO IS FAST AND CONTINUES THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RS-GP

   The Austrian MotoGP weekend didn’t start off on the best foot weather-wise. The overnight rainfall did not let the asphalt dry off in time for the first timed practice session, forcing the riders to go out in wet configuration. The conditions improved slowly, until all were able to ride on slicks, albeit with rather indicative times.

   It was almost completely dry for the second session in the afternoon, on the other hand, with a clear improvement in performance and extremely compact final standings. Maverick Viñales’ performance was good, ninth in the combined standings and a positive feeling in the saddle of his Aprilia. Aleix was just 34 thousandths behind, barely enough to be out of the provisional top 10. The Spaniard, lying second in the Championship, struggled to find the right feelings, but improved significantly in the finale. This makes him optimistic for qualifying tomorrow. 

   Good performance for Lorenzo Savadori who, continuing his development work on the RS-GP, kept the gap down to just over a second, finishing ahead of five regular riders.

   ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
   “I struggled a bit today, especially interpreting this track. Not just in terms of the chicanes, but this is a very particular circuit that demands a riding style that is just as specific. In any case, toward the end of FP2, I began to feel more competitive. We’re still lacking just a bit on the more hard braking sections but I think we’ll be able to improve tomorrow. I don’t particularly like the new chicane as a rider but I must say that they did an outstanding job in terms of safety and that’s the most important thing”.

   MAVERICK VIÑALES
   "I’m satisfied in general, even if it wasn’t an easy day. In the morning, the conditions were a bit complicated with the track drying out, whereas in the afternoon we struggled to find the right grip. I also made a few mistakes braking, but nothing too worrisome. I’m working on braking to be as incisive as possible in the race, because it will be extremely important for overtaking. In the finale of the FP2 session, I was able to repeat my best time, albeit without progressing, but it was enough to stay in the top ten, which provisionally puts me straight through to Q2. I really like the new chicane and we know that we still have plenty of margin for improvement, so we’ll keep working hard tomorrow to try and start from the front rows”.

   LORENZO SAVADORI
   "A good day. We moved forward with our work both to help Aleix and Maverick and also in view of 2023, also managing to be fast. My shoulder isn’t bothering me too much, but it obviously penalises me a bit. I’m pleased because we were able to test everything we had scheduled. The new layout isn’t bad. The chicane is rather slow, but it seems like an acceptable solution."