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EIGHTH PLACE FOR THE SPANIARD IN FP2, SAM LOWES IMPROVING
Practice conditioned by the weather has by now become a constant factor of recent MotoGP rounds. Even in Austria, the first day began on dry asphalt but under looming clouds which obviously influenced the teams' plans.
Aleix Espargaró, not entirely at ease in the early laps of FP1, continued working on the setup for his RS-GP throughout the session, using only one set of tyres and without ever attempting the final time attack in view of qualifying as almost all the other riders on the track did. His fifteenth place time in FP1 therefore did not worry the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, a sensation that was confirmed by Aleix's outstanding performance in FP2. After the rain, the Austrian track dried out progressively during the second session, allowing him to improve his time by almost one second. His 1'24.726 earned him ninth place in the combined standings and provisionally sends him straight through to Q2 tomorrow.
There was a lot of work for Sam Lowes, skilfully shaving off almost a half a second from one session to the next and eighteenth in the combined standings with a time of 1'25.270.
ALEIX ESPARGARO' "I am happy with the way we finished the day, because this morning I did not have a good feeling with the RS-GP. Especially in braking, so much that we decided to try a big change in the geometry. Precisely for this reason, I did not use a soft tyre at the end of FP1, finishing quite far back in the standings. Fortunately, in the afternoon we had a dry track to work with, reconfirming the bike's improvements and gaining provisional access to Q2. I also tried the aerodynamic fairing. On this track, where wheelies are a problem, I found some benefits that we will continue to test."
SAM LOWES "Things did not go too badly for the first day. I improved on the 2016 Aprilia times and that is a first important step for me. The first half of FP2 was a bit difficult because of the track conditions, but toward the end we had dry asphalt and a good temperature, continuing to do a lot of work on the bike. I had fun. At the end of the day we got close to the top ten times, so I am feeling optimistic about tomorrow."
... with friends to the hotel. They were due to come down on their motorbikes. Sadly the British weather was not at its best and they resorted to the car. During their stay, Debbie discovered that Pete and Lewis had organised a motorbike ride in aid of the Friends of The Wisdom Hospice in Kent.
They sadly lost their father in September 2016. The hospice is a charity close to Debbie’s heart, as she to lost her dad there, in 2007. Debbie raises money for the hospice through sending overnight holiday vouchers to them for raffles, collecting small change from guests through the year and Debbie’s children’s book “The Adventures of Mr Rusty Futteridge in Bournemouth” has been selling in the hotel and £1 of every sale donated to the hospice.
It was a shame not to have seen the group on their bikes, however they kindly have allowed us to share their photo, outside of the hospice in Rochester Kent from their charity bike ride. (Pete and Lewis are on the right of the photo)
The Rosscourt welcomes Bikers from all over the country and Europe. Free on site parking, en-suite comfortable rooms with plenty of space for all the motorbike equipment and flexible breakfast options, makes it an ideal location for rest and relaxation or a base to explore the Dorset countryside and beaches.
APRILIA UPGRADES PUT TO THE TEST BY A RATHER PARTICULAR TRACK
The second MotoGP race after the summer break has the top class teams taking on the historic Austrian Red Bull Ring. Opened in 1969, it has been completely revamped, becoming one of the most modern structures on the championship calendar. Its almost 6 kilometres of asphalt are characterized by long straights separated by demanding braking sections that put rider and bike to a rather severe test, but different than the other rounds on the calendar.
The technical upgrades introduced from the Brno race by the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini on the RS-GP machines piloted by Espargaró and Lowes were appreciated immediately by both riders. In fact, they see the Austrian track as the best possible test bench for them. After the good feedback received during the race weekend, the upgrades were confirmed in the post-race tests in the Czech Republic.
ALEIX ESPARGARO' "The Austrian track is a strange one, very different from all the others on the calendar. Last year I had fun here. It is a track where the engine counts for a lot. With the steps forward we have made recently during the Brno weekend I am confident. I am truly curious too because already last year the Aprilia RS-GP had a good pace here and did one of its most competitive races of the season."
SAM LOWES "During the Brno tests we did a lot of work in view of this race. The initial part of braking is where I still struggle to get the best out of the RS-GP, but I think that the tests on Monday helped us to take a big step forward. The new technical package Aprilia introduced in the Czech Republic should help us. This is a start-and-stop track where braking and acceleration are crucial."
We recently asked the member of our facebook group, which books have inspired you to ride, travel or even fix your beloved Motorbike...
Wondering if it was Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Jupiter's Travels, Race to Dakar (Charley Boorman), the very funny Bonjour! Is This Italy? or one of four great Adventure Motorcycle Travel Books by Sam Manicom? Or maybe even our own book from THE BIKER GUIDE!
