| | Biker News - Regularly updated
Category: Moto GP
-
SPECIAL INCENTIVE FOR ALVARO BAUTISTA, STEFAN BRADL READY TO CAPITALISE ON HIS RS-GP'S AGILITY
ROMANO ALBESIANO: "CHASSIS, ELECTRONIC AND AERODYNAMIC UPGRADES"
After the overseas start to the season, MotoGP makes its début in Europe with the Spanish round at Jerez. This is a track that marks an important turning point for Aprilia, and not only in geographical terms. In fact, it has a layout with decidedly different characteristics than the tracks from the first three races. This is a layout that, on paper, could favour the peculiarities of the new Aprilia RS-GP.
A scheduled development programme will also begin in Spain, the first fruits of which will be seen this weekend. There are chassis upgrades, developments with the electronics and aerodynamics born out of the experience gained during the first outings of the 2016 prototype. Therefore, after the encouraging results achieved in the first races, for the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini this promises to be a race with multiple incentives, where the primary goal is still to continue racking up kilometres and experience.
ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING MANAGER
"In the first three races of the season we were able to collect a lot of data that also highlight the areas where we need to improve the most right now. Building from there, we have laid out our development schedule for the European races, a programme that will begin already this weekend with the first, important steps in terms of the chassis, electronics and aerodynamics. Jerez is Alvaro's home race and he did very well here last year, whereas Stefan is enjoying a good trend, as his recent results demonstrate. I expect that both of them, also considering the characteristics of the track, will be able to take another step forward in terms of performance".
FAUSTO GRESINI - TEAM MANAGER
"The results are positive, thanks to the efforts of the Aprilia technicians and the entire team. We are preparing for a long series of races in Europe, with the Jerez round representing an important test bench. When a bike works well on this track it is generally effective almost everywhere. So we are anxiously awaiting this GP, knowing we can count on upgrades that can help us make progress".
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“We're beginning the European races after a decidedly positive start to the season, given the fact that we were able to earn points in every race with a completely new bike. And we could have done even better if it hadn't been for a few things that were beyond our control. Jerez is a much shorter track and rather different from the ones where we've raced so far. It will be interesting to see how the RS-GP performs. I think that it will be a fundamental weekend for finding a good base. Until now we have taken on particular circuits with very specific setup needs. I also like it because a lot of fans and my friends will be there, so that will make for a special atmosphere. The goal is to keep going down the path we have already started, finishing the race and staying as close as possible to the top 10”.
STEFAN BRADL
“The first European race of the season is always long-awaited. Jerez is an interesting track because it has a completely different layout that the one on the tracks we've tackled so far. Overall it is a slow track, with short straight stretches where power doesn't count for too much, so the excellent agility of our bike could allow us to take a further step forward. I'm pumped up for the weekend since we will have the support of our European fans, who always make their presence and warmth felt, as well as some electronics upgrades that the guys at Aprilia have been working on nonstop”.
-
Michelin’s MotoGP™ debut at the Circuit Of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, America has been totally dominated by Marc Marquez on a Honda as he secured his fourth successive victory at the Texan track.
Michelin brought new rear tyres to the American circuit following a decision after last weekend’s race to begin production on a brand new version in readiness for today’s race. The tyres began their build process on Monday in Clermont Ferrand, France and were then shipped to Houston in Texas, before finally arriving in separate batches at the track on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening. The new tyres had a stiffer construction with a softer compound, designed specifically for the Texan circuit, and built with a significant respect for safety to counter any incidents like the one encountered in Argentina last weekend, although the result of the analysis of Scott Redding’s tyre is not yet available.
Free Practice and qualifying went well with the new MICHELIN Power Slicks with all teams and riders adapting to the new rubber and dialling in the settings as practice continued, before Marquez secured his fourth pole position in-a-row at COTA on the Saturday afternoon. Today’s race was held in warm, but cloudy, conditions and as the lights changed to signal the start of the race in front of over 56,000 enthusiastic fans, Marquez led off the line, but was passed by reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo. The 2015 champion was unable to make the move permanent and his Yamaha was relegated to second as Marquez again took the lead – a position that he would not relinquish again as he stormed to back-to-back victories on Michelin tyres, the first rider to do so since Valentino Rossi in 2006.
Behind the dominant Marquez, Lorenzo rode a lonely race and was never really pressured as he took a comfortable second place, with Andrea Iannone in third on a Ducati to complete a podium of three different manufacturers. The variation in machines continued into fourth place after a race-long battle between Suzuki riders Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaro, saw the former just edge out his team-mate. Sixth position and the honour of First Independent Team Rider went to Ducati’s Scott Redding, While Yamaha’s Pol Espargaro finished in seventh. Eighth and ninth positions went to Ducati, one ridden by Michele Pirro and the other by Hector Barbera respectively, whilst a solid ride from Stefan Bradl secured tenth for Aprilia and the fifth different brand in the top-10. Marquez’s victory takes him to the top of the championship classification after three-rounds, in front of Lorenzo and Yamaha’s Rossi – who unfortunately crashed on lap-three due to a clutch issue he suffered at the start of the race.
Michelin and the whole MotoGP paddock now heads back across the Atlantic ocean on its way to Europe as it moves to Jerez in Spain for round-four of the championship, which will be held on Sunday 24th April in the heart of Andalucía.
Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda:
“During this weekend we have all done a really good job together. I want to say this victory is not only for me and my team, but for my Michelin Technician, because he convinced me that the soft front tyre option was good for me and it would be the right option for my riding style and that really convinced me. With this choice I was able to do a great race and I am very happy with the result. Now we go to Europe, these are tracks that are very different to where we have already been and also Michelin has more experience on them – because the tracks are older – so we will try to work hard again when we get there.”
Nicolas Goubert - Deputy Director, Technical Director and Supervisor of the MotoGP Programme:
“What we really wanted to do here was to show that we could react in the correct way after the issue that Scott had in Argentina. We did exactly what we said we would do and brought some new tyres that were based on the extra tyre that we should have run in Argentina, but with compounds more suited to the track here. It was tight in the factory to get it done, but it worked and the tyres did a pretty good job, so we are pleased about that. Considering this is the first time that we have had these constructions on the race-track we are quite satisfied with the results.”
Piero Taramasso - Manager of the Two-Wheel Motorsport Group:
“This has been quite a demanding week, because after Argentina we had to react quickly, so we had to build the tyre, ship it, get it through customs and then get it delivered to the track, so the logistics of that were not easy – but luckily everything went well. We got all the tyres in time so that the teams and the riders had time to test it properly and make the correct settings and then make the right tyre choice for the race. I really want to give a special mention to the Michelin technicians and fitters here at the track for their hard work this week, and especially the staff back in the factory who pushed so hard to make sure the tyres were made and sent here for us to use.”
-
 Having followed up a third placed finish in the opening race of the Moto GP season in Qatar with victory in Argentina last time around, Marc Marquez is seemingly growing in confidence with his Honda team. The rider, who is unbeaten at the Circuit of Americas since joining Moto GP back in 2013, has set the fastest time in practice in Austin. With riders testing out new soft and medium Michelin tyres following previous issues with Scott Redding’s Pramac Ducati, it was Marquez who looked the most comfortable as he posted the fastest lap of the day in 2 minutes 04.953 seconds.
His closest challenge in Austin on Friday was world champion George Lorenzo who managed to close to within 0.252 seconds of his countryman. Marquez had earlier recovered from a crash in which he lost control on the final corner of the circuit, eventually regaining his composure in the afternoon session. The Spaniard was favourite for the championship at the start of the season, and early performances have done little to effect this, with bookmakers Betway offering him odds of as little as 1.66/1 on to claim glory come the end of the campaign.
Italian Andrea Iannone ended the day in third place in practice, however the Ducati rider a massive 0.617 seconds adrift of leader Marquez. Marquez certainly looks to be the man to beat this season, with his performances on his way to a dominant win in Argentina last time around having his nearest rivals worried. Having seen of early pressure from Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi in Argentina, Marquez was left to watch the carnage unfold behind him as the conditions led to collisions across the circuit. The two Ducati riders collided on the final lap, in a race that had already been shortened by twenty laps due to tyre concerns https://sports.betway.com/ win, lose or draw offer the best odds on motor racing around, with team mates Iannone and Dovizioso priced at 9/1 and 12/1 respectively to recover from events in Argentina with victory.
It remains to be seen who will pose the greatest threat to Marquez, who won the world championship in both 2013 and 2014. The Spaniard is one of only four riders to have won titles in three different categories, after successes in Moto2 and 125cc. The talented rider will certainly be difficult to stop this year, however the unpredictability of Moto GP means that nothing is ever certain.
-
The latest MotoGP practice sessions on the Austin circuit promise a rather interesting race tomorrow. In fact, there are quite a few riders who will be contending for a position in the points, a compact group that includes Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl's Aprilia RS-GP machines.
The Aprilia Racing Team Gresini standard-bearers will start tomorrow from the sixth (Bradl, 16th) and seventh (Bautista, 19th) row on the grid after also demonstrating a greatly improved race pace. Something is still lacking on the flying lap, a condition that is definitely affected by the inexperience in the saddle of the new Aprilia prototype.
In view of the race, the weather factor is not to be underestimated. Today on the Texan track, the rain, although light, had an impact on a few of the cadet category sessions, whereas the MotoGP FP3, FP4 and qualifying sessions were held on a substantially dry track.
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“This morning we did a very important test on the setup, trying to improve, but it didn't provide the results we had hoped for. So in the afternoon we made some less drastic changes in what we felt was the best direction and I tried using the hard rear tyre. All told, it didn't go badly, a lot will depend on the temperature we find for the race tomorrow. We need to improve acceleration, coming out of the corners the bike tends to become unstable and that costs us time. In qualifying I improved my time and I could have done even better, but unfortunately another rider got in the way. In any case, we know that we can improve a lot in the race. We'll see what the weather is like tomorrow and we'll do our best”.
STEFAN BRADL
“These were good qualifiers for me. My only disappointment is that I wasn't able to line up my best performance in the various sectors. On my flying lap I also had to overtake a rider and that cost me a few tenths in the straight stretch, but I'm satisfied anyway, especially because in the practice sessions we found some good solutions that give us a good pace even on used tyres. It will be an interesting race. On such a difficult track the RS-GP is performing well, so we are moving in the right direction. We still have a few things to try during the warmup session, especially the hard rear tyre option that we will evaluate”.
-
MOTOGP - APRILIA HEADS TO TEXAS SEEKING CONFIRMATION
AFTER THE POSITIVE SIGNS IN THE FIRST TWO RACES, BRADL AND BAUTISTA ARE KEEN TO CONTINUE IMPROVING
In 2015 the Austin circuit in Texas had Aprilia taking its first championship point in their new MotoGP adventure. This year things are rather different. The new 2016 Aprilia RS-GP began its path of growth well and, despite being a brand new project, in the first two races of the season it demonstrated reliability and finished in the points (in Qatar) and twice in the top ten (in Argentina) with Bradl seventh and Bautista tenth across the wire.
This is an encouraging start for the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini as they will now take on the COTA - Circuit of the Americas - seeking important confirmation.
ROMANO ALBESIANO - APRILIA RACING MANAGER
"We are coming from a race where we skilfully managed a complicated situation, finishing with an encouraging overall result that could have been even better. In any case, this does not distract us from our main objective which, in this first part of the season, is still to develop and to get in as many kilometres as possible. In Texas we will continue to follow our testing schedule. We have identified a few good solutions, especially where electronics are concerned, but we have also found a few factors that limit our performance where we need work, in particular a vibration at the rear that keeps us from being 100% incisive. The track in Texas is a complex one that puts various characteristics of the bike to the test, so it is a good test bench for us".
FAUSTO GRESINI - TEAM MANAGER
"Despite some difficult conditions, in Argentina we brought home a positive result. Let's not forget that the new RS-GP has barely a thousand kilometres behind it and obviously there is still a lot that needs to be developed. The project started off well and finishing the race with both bikes in Argentina as a team along with other riders allowed us to collect important information and see more clearly which direction to take. Now we are preparing for the Austin round that will finish out the first phase of the championship, with three non-European races that are traditionally the toughest".
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“We are headed to a track that is new for us, very different than Qatar and Argentina. There are a lot of tight turns, a lot of acceleration points, a long straight stretch and a few changes in slope. It is a rather complete track where we'll be able to see how the new Aprilia reacts. We are in a good period where performance in the last race was positive, especially in the first part of the race where I was competitive against much more experienced bikes. The pace we demonstrated makes us confident, although we are still not at 100%. Our goal is still to get as many laps in as possible in order to gather information and get to know the new bike better. It would also be nice to earn a few more important points before heading back to Europe”.
STEFAN BRADL
“The result at Termas gives us great motivation. Austin is completely different. The layout of the track is quite demanding in terms of setup. As always, we will try to improve session after session. I must say that I like the track and that I've had good results in Texas before. We'll see how my Aprilia performs here. For us every race is a début and it gives us the chance to discover knew characteristics of the 2016 bike. The growth trend is encouraging and we need to keep going in this direction”.
|
