| | Biker News - Regularly updated
Category: Moto GP
-
SEVENTH ROW FOR BRADL AND BAUTISTA'S APRILIAS
The demanding ups and downs of Mugello led to some extremely close MotoGP practice sessions, with narrow gaps and very tight rankings. In FP4, the last free practice session before qualifying, no less than 12 riders were packed into a one second gap and as many as 17 were less than one and a half seconds from the leader.
Bautista and Bradl improved their times with respect to yesterday, Alvaro by almost a second and Stefan by more than ten tenths. This is an indicator that the work being done in the garage is moving in the right direction, despite the fact that the testing done on the two Aprilia RS-GP machines had them putting in a lot of laps on used tyres to gauge race pace.
In qualifying the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini rider set their sights on maximum speed on the flying lap and the tight rankings placed them in nineteenth (Bautista with 1’48,372) and twentieth place (Bradl with 1’48,646) on the starting grid. And so the battle for a finish in the points will have to wait for the 23 laps of tomorrow's race, where the two will start side by side from the seventh row.
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“With the new engine we improved a bit even in acceleration and in general today I had a better feeling than yesterday. We also worked on the chassis and since this morning we have taken a step forward. Then we worked a lot with the used tyre with the race in mind and our pace is not bad. In qualifying we struggled a bit, partly because of the heat that penalises me a bit, but more than anything, on this track power is quite important and that doesn't yet help us. On the corners and in the braking sections we have made good progress, but we obviously need to improve and the race tomorrow will be an important chance to continue doing that, as we have been since the season start”.
STEFAN BRADL
“It's a shame because we were not able to improve as much as we had hoped. Unfortunately, we are struggling in the direction changes and if we try to improve in that area we lose stability. So it is a rather delicate compromise that, even with the many tests we did today, we were unable to get quite right. We will continue to analyse the data, testing a few other things in the warm up. We are obviously disappointed but we won't give up until the chequered flag comes out tomorrow”.
-
ALVARO BAUTISTA: “A DIFFICULT TRACK BUT TOP-10 IS POSSIBLE" STEFAN BRADL: "SPECIAL TRACK AND SPECIAL FANS"
One of the most exciting tracks on the MotoGP calendar is the setting for the first Italian race, an incredible round and long awaited by the fans. The Mugello Circuit, nestled among the Tuscan hills, will also be the first home race for the Aprilia RS-GP 2016, a project that has grown consistently over the first five rounds of the season and that shows great room for improvement.
Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl will have some upgrades available to them, but above all they will be able to benefit from the hard work done during recent race weekends. In fact, thanks to the information gathered, they will be able to focus on finding the best setup solutions for their Aprilias, striving for the best possible result on a rather demanding track.
The Aprilia Racing Team Gresini will therefore be attacking Mugello with an obvious dose of pressure, a positive element for an expert team working with a new and developing project.
ROMANO ALBESIANO - RESPONSABILE APRILIA RACING
“For the Mugello weekend we will once again have new upgrades available, especially in terms of electronics, but more than anything, we want to take on each individual session effectively, focusing on the best possible performance straight away. In fact, up to now we have spent a lot of time during race weekends testing setups, often making drastic changes, and this is a necessary process for exploring the potential of the RS-GP and understanding the way the bike reacts to the various changes. This weekend, on the other hand, we will be starting from a stable base and focusing on the setup straight away on a track where smooth riding and agility are absolutely essential and where painstaking work on the chassis and electronics can really make the difference”.
FAUSTO GRESINI - TEAM MANAGER
“For us, the Italian Grand Prix is a very important round. We are particularly keen to make a good impression and to further improve the RS-GP. Unfortunately, because of the rain, the day of tests at Mugello was just about useless. In any case, the important thing is that our development work is progressing well. This is an effort that we hope will allow us to recover 3 to 5 tenths of a second per lap, which would mean shaving 10 to 12 seconds off of race time”.
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“We are coming to a very special race, playing on Aprilia's home pitch, where we'll be able to count on new developments for the bike. After the Le Mans race we will be able to start with a better base. In particular, on the race Sunday in France we found the direction we need to go in order to be faster. We will work on that setting and on the new components, that way we'll be able to have a bike that is fast in direction changes and stable at the front end. Battling for a top 10 finish will be hard on such a difficult track, but we are willing to try”.
STEFAN BRADL
“Mugello is a track where we riders have fun racing. The circuit is fantastic, but most of all, the atmosphere and the Italian fans are really welcoming. In terms of layout, it has everything we need: direction changes, slope changes and a long straight stretch. This will be an important race for Aprilia - the first home race - so all eyes will be on us, but I am confident that if we stay focused and patient, we'll continue to demonstrate how our potential is growing”.
-
It was a full practice schedule at Le Mans for Aprilia, busy on the track developing the RS-GP which, introduced just before the season opener, demands additional efforts from the mechanics and riders that go beyond simply looking for the best lap times. In the first two sessions today, Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl worked intensely on both testing the new materials that were introduced at Jerez (and partially tested after the race on Monday at Mugello) and on assessing some changes in the tyre options.
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini will focus their efforts on pure performance tomorrow after the usual analysis of today's activities, having all of the data collected at their fingertips to come up with a base configuration where setup is concerned.
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“This morning the problem was in coming out of the tight turns with the bike being rather twitchy. In the afternoon we tried to improve in this area, managing to shave a bit off our lap times, but in trying to find more stability we lost a little something in terms of handling. So we need to focus on these issues, trying to improve every time we go out”.
STEFAN BRADL
“Today we really had a lot of work to do, beginning with the last comparisons between the old and new frame we started at Jerez. This is a test that we did in both sessions. We decided to carry on with the new version, which provides some advantages going into turns. But there wasn't much time, so there are still a few things left to sort, especially in terms of the rear. Tomorrow we'll focus our efforts on improving coming out of turns as well, based on what we found today”.
-
APRILIA HEADS TO LE MANS WITH ALVARO BAUTISTA AND STEFAN BRADL DETERMINED TO RIDE THEIR RS-GP MACHINES INTO THE POINTS
The second European round of the 2016 MotoGP World Championship will be held this weekend on the French "Bugatti" track at Le Mans. This is an historic international motoring theatre, part of the famous Circuit de la Sarthe that hosts the renowned "24 Hour" endurance competition.
Relatively short with a lot of heavy braking sections and direction changes, the French track with these characteristics could prove to be "friendly" for the Aprilia RS-GP bikes, a new project with developments that continued even this week with a series of private tests at Mugello and that has already demonstrated promising values in terms of reliability and performance.
The unknown at Le Mans that must always be taken into consideration is the weather, which can change suddenly and heavily influence the practice sessions and races. This is another important element that will demand maximum concentration from the entire Aprilia Racing Team Gresini.
ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING MANAGER
“Our development programme continues. On Monday at Mugello we completed a few important electronics tests with Bautista and Bradl in terms of power output, whereas on Tuesday and Wednesday the tests continued with Mike di Meglio and the Aprilia test team. At Le Mans there will once again be aerodynamic changes, engine performance improvements and some further fine-tuning on the electronics package that we will be trying out on the French track. We are coming from a race at Jerez where the RS-GP showed some important signs of competitiveness and we aim to continue the positive trend”.
FAUSTO GRESINI - TEAM MANAGER
“In the private tests and Mugello we tried out the technical updates on the track that had already been introduced in the post-race tests at Jerez, but unfortunately the weather conditions weren't the best. So at Le Mans we'll continue testing the chassis upgrades that already gave us positive indications in Spain with improvements in terms of stability and the way the bike performs coming out of corners. We will definitely be able to take another important step forward, continuing development leading up to the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, which is a very important found for us”.
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“Le Mans is a relatively small track with a lot of direction changes and really unpredictable weather. We'll have one eye on the sky in every session! After the good weekend at Jerez, despite my crash in the race, we hope to continue improving my feeling in the saddle and the bike's performance. In the tests after the race we put in a lot of kilometres, continuing our development programme with upgrades that we will continue to focus on in France as well. I would like to battle like I did last round, going through to Q2 in the qualifiers and battling in the top 10 zone during the race”.
STEFAN BRADL
“I'm very anxious to get to the second European round at Le Mans. We'll have some upgrades and this is a track that I think can really cater well to the characteristics of our bike. In terms of layout it isn't a very fast track, but there are a lot of heavy braking sections where the RS-GP has proven to perform rather well. We'll arrive at the French round ready for action. We are working well and I'm sure that we'll bring home important championship points here as well for me and for Aprilia”.
-
APRILIA IN THE POINTS WITH STEFAN BRADL - BAUTISTA CRASHES OUT WHILE BATTLING FOR A TOP TEN SPOT
ALBESIANO: “WE IMPROVED THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND, WE HAD THE POTENTIAL FOR A BETTER RESULT”
Alvaro Bautista crashed out in the sixth lap of the Spanish GP race while battling for a top ten spot astride his Aprilia RS-GP in the group made up of Laverty, Barbera and Crutchlow. For Alvaro, who suffered no physical consequences from the crash, this ended a weekend where his performance had been steadily improving. After just missing out on qualifying for QP2 twice and taking the best spot on the fifth row anyway, Bautista confirmed the progress his Aprilia had made in the race as well.
The crash was partially compensated for by the result earned by his Aprilia Racing Team Gresini teammate, Stefan Bradl who, despite lagging behind the entire weekend, rode a shrewd race, staying in the points zone and in the finale overtaking Hernandez to take fourteenth place and two championship points.
The team from Veneto still has the satisfaction of a weekend that highlighted the Aprilia RS-GP machine's progress. Now there will be tests at Jerez tomorrow and the next few races will be new rounds to improve a promising project.
ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING MANAGER
“The race certainly did not go as we had hoped and up to our potential. Both Alvaro and Stefan got off the line well, immediately moving up a few positions. Bautista was in the group that was jockeying for a spot in the top ten. He crashed but these are things that happen when you're trying to push to the limit. Bradl, on the other hand, set up a more cautious race, bringing home a few points, thanks in part to a nice move just in the final phases. We were expecting a better result and it was within our potential, especially after what we saw in the practice sessions, but in any case we worked hard once again this weekend, improving and identifying other areas that need work to move the RS-GP project along”.
FAUSTO GRESINI - TEAM MANAGER
“Alvaro was riding a great race and he was really close to the top ten. In general we had a good weekend where we definitely took some steps forward. The bike is growing. We can see the improvements and it would have been interesting to cross the wire with the rider who had been having the better weekend. That's the way racing goes, but from tomorrow, with the day of testing, we'll be focused once again on development”.
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“After a good start that earned me a few positions, I was battling with the group between eighth and eleventh place when I lost the front end in a fast corner. It's a shame and I'm sorry for the entire team that worked so hard, but that's racing and it's only right to make a go of it. In any case this was still a very positive weekend. We did well during practice, I felt at ease in the race and I didn't have any problems battling in that group. Anyway, now we need to look forward and keep improving the bike the way we have been doing so far”.
STEFAN BRADL
“The final result is positive. We worked hard on the settings to find the right feeling with the rear tyre. It was a rather demanding weekend in terms of grip. We also tried to take another step forward during the warm up session but it didn't pan out, so in spite of going back to the previous solution I had a few misgivings at the beginning of the race. I got off the line better than I had in the last few races and in the first laps I felt good. Then I felt a drop in performance from the front tyre that forced me to slow down. Lap by lap I found my pace and I was also able to catch up our rivals, overtaking Hernandez at the end and earning a few points”.
|
