| | Biker News - Regularly updated
Category: Moto GP
-
APRILIA RACING AND (RED) TOGETHER AGAIN FOR THE FINAL RACE OF THE SEASON
IN 2020, THE UNTIRING COMMITMENT TO FIGHTING NEONATAL AIDS IS JOINED BY THE BATTLE AGAINST COVID-19
AN IMPORTANT CHALLENGE FOR ALL MOTOGP FANS
For the fifth year in a row, the Piaggio Group and Aprilia Racing dedicate the final race of the MotoGP season to supporting the work of (RED), the association founded in 2006 by Bono and Bobby Shriver.
From its inception, (RED) has been active in the fight against neonatal HIV/AIDS and, in this difficult 2020 year, also against COVID-19.
(RED) and Aprilia Racing are together to raise awareness with the vast audience of MotoGP fans on issues such as AIDS, often underestimated or even forgotten, and the extremely current battle to prevent the spread of Covid. These are social awareness battles that the entire motorcycling community and all motorcycling enthusiasts can join, participating in the Shopathon campaign launched Wednesday where PRODUCT(RED) items are produced, the sales of which contribute directly to supporting the Global Fund. One of these products is the UMask, worn specifically by all the team throughout the Portimão race weekend.
(RED) brings the most iconic global brands and millions of people together in a monumental challenge, to definitively stamp out diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. From its foundation, (RED) has contributed 650 million USD to the Global Fund for the fight against AIDS and the help provided by (RED) has had an impact on the entire population, thanks to activities of prevention, care, consulting and assistance service.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"I am proud to see that my team, Aprilia Racing, is once again side by side with (RED) this year for such an important purpose. This has been a complicated year and initiatives like (RED) are the concrete hope of being able to win the battle against pandemics."
LORENZO SAVADORI
"MotoGP has a huge following all around the world and all the fans of our sport can help us support an important initiative like the one that (RED) carries out and to which I am honoured to contribute to."
DAVIDE ZANOLINI - PIAGGIO GROUP MKTG & COMMUNICATION MANAGER
"Especially in this extremely difficult year, the Piaggio Group could not fail to provide its constant support to RED and the Global Fund, not only with Vespa, as we do throughout the year, but also with the Aprilia Racing team which, for five years now, has offered, voluntarily and with a great spirit of collaboration, to raise awareness with the entire racing world about major health problems such as AIDS and now COVID-19 as well, particularly for children in the most disadvantaged areas of our planet."
-
GREAT QUALIFIERS FOR ALEIX: SEVENTH PLACE TIME AND THIRD ROW
LORENZO PUTS IN IMPORTANT MILES WITH THE RS-GP
With great qualifiers, foreshadowed by the good performance demonstrated in all the practice sessions, Aleix rode his Aprilia RS-GP to the third row with the seventh best time. Times are extremely close, as they had been throughout the weekend, so it looks like it will be a heated race all the way to the chequered flag. A flag which, if the weather forecast is accurate, should be flying in bright sunlight, decidedly abnormal for this time of year.
The weather conditions didn’t seem to help Lorenzo Savadori at all as he looked for answers to the changes in the setup that were intended to improve his feeling during braking. In any case, he continued to progress and that would have been more evident if a worsening of the track in the final stages of Q1 hadn’t undermined his last flying lap.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"I was worried when I saw the rain this morning before FP3, because I knew I could battle to go straight through to Q2. Fortunately, the track started drying off toward the end of the session and I was one of the few who improved - just one tenth, but enough to make it into the top 10. In qualifying things weren’t exactly simple either. With the first tyre, the asphalt was still damp, but fortunately with the second one, I was able to do a good time. Tomorrow I expect to see a lot of riders very close to one another. Nobody seems capable of getting away at the front except maybe Franco and Taka. I want to start well and stay with the group. We lose a bit in acceleration, but I think I’ll be able to stay in the game for a good placement."
LORENZO SAVADORI
"Another strange day in terms of weather - not exactly easy conditions. The damp track kept us from pushing to the limit, so I wasn’t able to see how the feeling is with the front during braking and going into turns, which is what we are trying to improve. In Q1, the asphalt got worse just as I was doing a good lap - a pity. Tomorrow the weather will change for the umpteenth time, with sunshine and higher temperatures. My goal is to maintain a consistent pace in the race and to gain as much experience as possible."
-
Matteo Ferrari’s 2020 MotoE campaign draws to a close with a flash of pride in today’s second and final race at Le Mans. Last year’s title winner put together a great comeback from 15th to 5th, which allows him to maintain second place in the standings behind Torres.
The expectations and hopes at the start of the weekend were very different, but yesterday’s crashed proved to be impossible to recover for the #11 rider of Team Trentino Gresini MotoE, who did a great job today in staying focused and finding what was a great result nevertheless. Ferrari finishes the season with 97 points, the same as Aegerter, but snatches second place thanks to better overall placements during the season.
A flavourless performance from Alessandro Zaccone who got stuck again in the usual turn one chaotic action and struggled to find pace in such a short race. His season ends with 37 points and the twelfth position in what was his rookie year in the series.
-
ALEIX IN THE POINTS AT LE MANS, BRADLEY CRASHES OUT AFTER AN OUTSTANDING START
The final surprise of weekend at the French Le Mans circuit came just a few minutes before the race start, with a downpour that forced teams and riders to drastically change their plans. So, it was a wet race, with Bradley getting off the grid extremely well at the start and Aleix skilfully avoiding Valentino Rossi’s crash and getting into the top 10.
First seventh and then ninth, Bradley confirmed his feeling in the wet before falling victim to a violent high side on the ninth lap. Aleix, on the other hand, complained of poor grip, maintaining his pace all the way to the chequered flag, where he finished fourteenth.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"This was not a race to be pleased about. We know that we struggle with grip at the rear and that becomes particularly clear on a cold and wet track. At the start, I managed to maintain a decent pace after a good start, but when there began to be less water on the track, I simply did not have grip. I was constantly at risk of making a mistake, so at a certain point, I set my sights on finishing the race. Now we’ll think about Aragón, a track that I like a lot. Hopefully we’ll find better conditions there."
BRADLEY SMITH
"Unfortunately, our difficulties got the best of us in the race too. We need to work on the electronics, because in conditions like today, we are too close to the limit. I'm very disappointed because when I crashed, I wasn’t pushing. I had found my pace and was already thinking about how to manage the tyres which, with less water on the track, were beginning to overheat. In any case, I am pleased with what I was able to do. I took advantage of every possible opportunity this weekend to best express the potential of the RS-GP."
-
Aleix and Bradley finished in the points in a race which was chaotic, to say the least. During the eighth lap on the Red Bull Ring, an incredible smash up brought out the red flag and forced a second start, for a second race, shortened to 20 laps. Starting from the tenth (Aleix) and fifteenth (Bradley) position on the grid, the two Aprilia riders concluded the Sunday race in the points, respectively in eleventh and fourteenth place.
This end result does not entirely satisfy Aleix, who felt perfectly at ease after the first start and less incisive in the second. Next week, once again on the Austrian circuit, the team will pick up from the good sensations of the first eight laps.
Bradley had an outstanding second start, moving into the top ten. The English rider then managed tyre wear with a prudent finale, where he fended off the attacks of his adversaries to finish in the points.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"I cannot be entirely satisfied. In the first race I felt very good, managing to maintain the pace of the best, but in the second, I did not find the same sensations. I didn’t want to switch to the medium tyre, so I had to use one soft with a few laps on it. Evidently, with a shortened race, our rivals were able to use a bit of extra grip that kept us from battling like we had during the first eight laps. In any case, I gave 100% and I’ll continue to do so. Maybe we just need to use our heads and not our hearts, getting the most out of the technical package."
BRADLEY SMITH
"I had two great starts and I am very pleased about that. The second race definitely went better, although towards the end I had to manage tyre wear and fuel a bit and that kept me from holding onto my advantage over Pirro and Márquez. In any case, overall it was a solid weekend, where we took some steps in the right direction, including during the race. It was a pity not to be able to use a new tyre for the second start like other riders did. I wanted to stay with the soft, but I didn’t have any others available. We need to keep working hard because in warm-up, the bike gave me the right feeling. It would be a step forward if we could manage to maintain that feeling in the afternoon with the higher temperatures too."
|
