APRILIA READY TO DEFEND ITS LEADERSHIP IN THE MANUFACTURER CHAMPIONSHIP, SYLVIAN GIUNTOLI IN THE HUNT FOR THE RIDER TITLE.

 

BOTH TITLES STILL UP FOR GRABS IN THE FINAL ROUND AT LOSAIL IN QATAR.

 

Qatar, 29 October 2014 - The Superbike season which is coming to an end could be the inspiration for an excellent screenplay: great entertainment, continuous upsets and a wide open grand finale which is the stuff of a great action film.

The key players will most certainly include Aprilia and Sylvain Guintoli, respectively the Manufacturer Championship leader and the second place contender in the rider competition. At Losail, a track that is back on the calendar after a four year absence, the races will be held at night with the aid of a sophisticated artificial lighting system. Another "theatrical stroke" worthy of the best Hollywood director.

 

While Aprilia is leading the Brand World Championship with a 23 point advantage, spoils that must be defended in Qatar, a 12 point gap stands between Sylvain and his first Rider World Championship. The Aprilia Frenchman has made a sensational comeback to close a 44 point gap since the Laguna Seca round. Guintoli has a good record on the Losail track and for his assault he will be able to count on an RSV4 which has demonstrated brilliant performance in the last four rounds, taking as many "one-two" wins with two riders consistently on the top two steps of the podium.

Sylvain Guintoli: “Last visit to Qatar I won the race ("8h of Doha") and the Team I raced for was World Champion (Endurance), back in 2010. I love the track and it will suit the RSV4 like a glove. I am very excited about this weekend and very focused on our target. I have worked very hard for this and since Laguna we have closed the gap from 44 to 12 points. Sykes is defending well but we are now very close”.   

Marco Melandri, who has shown great progress, has great expectations for the Losail race. Coming off of 4 wins in the last six races, the rider from Ravenna is now lying third in the rider standings with a wide margin from the nearest contender. Marco also has an excellent change of finishing the season with honours.

Marco Melandri: “I'm very happy to race at night in Qatar. I really like both this place and this track and I'm sure that my RSV4 will adapt very well. I really want to continue my position streak and help Aprilia take the Manufacturer World Championship”.