Jerez, (Spain), 4 May 2015 – The day after the Jerez de la Frontera race, where Aprilia Racing Team Gresini continues improving with Alvaro Bautista's performance and the progress Marco Melandri made in the race, development on the RS-GP does not stop.

In the tests scheduled for today on the Andalusian track the seamless gearbox (continuous engagement), active in upshifting as well, made its début and was immediately appreciated by Bautista who was the first official rider to ride it onto the track.

The Italian team's entire season has been and will be characterised by continuous experimentation with technical solutions which serve both to improve the performance of the RS-GP and to provide data and information for the design of the prototype that will race in the 2016 season. For this the technical step today takes on particular importance and paves the way for the new gearbox's race début which could take place in one of the next European MotoGP rounds. The team also worked on new chassis solutions, particularly on a new frame and swingarm. The test results will now be processed at the Noale headquarters in order to prepare for the upcoming races.


ROMANO ALBESIANO (Aprilia Racing Manager)
“Today was a very positive day. For the first time we put our seamless gearbox technology, a particular Aprilia solution, on the track with an official rider. Alvaro liked it very much and found a clear advantage straight away compared to the conventional gearbox. So it was a complete success which now means that we'll have to work hard to get it into a race as quickly as possible. Considering how things went today I think we'll be able to do that soon, within the next two or three races. I'd like to have it for Mugello or at the latest for Barcelona. Marco did his job, bringing in new chassis ideas, some we liked and some not so much, so we still have some work to do in that area. In short I would say that, between the race and the tests, we are finishing up this trip to Jerez pretty well.”

FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager)
“Days like this are fundamental, especially for us as we are taking on a season where we need to learn and grow. They help us understand what steps to take in order to improve. In the end Alvaro also put in a good time with 1’39.766, but in these tests it is just as important to figure out which solutions to reject. Any new information is important, but to understand where to direct the technical advancements and to avoid going down paths that lead nowhere. Everything works together to make progress in the development of such an important project.”

Bautista puts the fifteenth best time on the sheets to take a spot on the fifth row, his best performance thus far in the early stages of the season

Jerez (Spain), 2nd May 2015 - Alvaro Bautista rode his RS-GP to fifteenth place (in 1’39.612) and with his best performance qualifying in this early part of the season he secured a spot on the fifth row for tomorrow's race.

This is a sign of the progress that Aprilia Racing Team Gresini has achieved in the first rounds of the championship, moving the Spanish rider into that group that is the short-term goal at the moment. Now the challenge remains to confirm the progress shown today in a race tomorrow that promises to be difficult due to the hot conditions and poor grip. Melandri is a bit farther back, twenty-fifth (1’41.273) and also hindered by problems with his brakes on his best laps.

ROMANO ALBESIANO (Aprilia Racing Manager)

“My compliments to Alvaro who did very well both in qualifying and in the morning free practice. Now we need to work on making this performance consistent. We have the potential to ride a good race. I'm pleased because we are making progress and strengthening our presence in a group of bikes and riders who are much farther ahead of us in terms of MotoGP experience. This is a great result considering the fact that ours is truly a lab bike and that we are really learning a lot in preparation for next season. It was a shame that Marco also had problems with his brakes and that kept him from performing at his best.”

FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager)

“Today Bautista deserves a great round of applause. He put a really good time on the sheets and lapped fast despite the really difficult conditions due to the heat. He put in a respectable time that gives us confidence for a race that will be hard for everyone. I think we'll be able to do well tomorrow. Starting strong will be important and we have a good spot on the grid. Then it will be important to find the right race pace straight away because it will be challenging both physically for the rider and for the tyres.”

ALVARO BAUTISTA

“We worked well today to improve compared to yesterday. It was a positive day, partly because of all the data we were able to acquire. On my flying lap I simply tried to be as precise as possible, riding the bike that I felt most confident on, but we can even improve more on this, especially in the acceleration phase where I'm still lacking a lot of grip. The race will be hard. This track really eats up the tyres and making the right choice will be important. Today I tested the hard front tyre and I think that's what I'll go with for the race, whereas on the rear we'll mount the soft tyre. I think it is consistent enough for race length.”

MARCO MELANDRI

“We worked hard in all the sessions and then reaped less of a reward than we wanted in the qualifying session. Today I was also having some problems with the brakes but the truth is that I need some really radical changes and until I am entirely confident on the bike I just won't be able to push the way I'd like to.”

Rising star in Moto3 and son of racing legend Wayne Gardner backed by upcoming classic GP extravaganza.

World GP Bike Legends will be in the international spotlight this weekend at the MotoGP World Championship, Jerez, as it teams up with Remy Gardner and team CIP Moto. Remy, son of 1987 World Champion Wayne Gardner, is now carving his own path in grand prix motorcycle racing in the fiercely competitive proving ground of Moto3.

About Remy Gardner and CIP Moto

Remy has been riding bikes since he was four years old and was introduced to road racing aged eleven. After competing in the Spanish CEV championship, Remy is ambitious and dedicated to developing a successful GP career. For 2015 he signed with the CIP Moto team to become the only Australian riding full time in Moto3 – Remy's Mahindra MGP30 is one of nine Mahindra bikes competing in the current season. Remy is the eldest son of 1987 500cc motorcycle World Champion Wayne Gardner and has already shown plenty of that same courage and talent that took the Wollongong Whiz to the pinnacle of the sport.

In 1987 Wayne was the first Australian to win the premier motorcycle racing class aboard a brutal 500cc Honda – he also won the first ever GP at Jerez in the same year. Now he will be racing in the first ever World GP Bike Legends festival, also at Jerez on 19-21 June.

World GP Bike Legends is a full three-day motorcycle festival not only featuring an incredible line-up of former world champions and race winners competing against each other on classic machinery, but also a host of off-track entertainment too. Live music from Bonnie Tyler, Toseland and some of the best-known tribute acts will close the show on Friday and Saturday nights, whilst live action displays, classic and modern bike displays, a classic auction and a shopping village will keep fans entertained from dawn to dusk.

Nick Wigley, CEO of World GP Bike Legends organiser, Goose Live Events, is delighted to have Remy riding under the WGPBL banner, and said: “We've come to know Wayne really well recently and we believe that Remy has it in his blood to do well. It’s fantastic to be able to back a budding young talent at World Championship level, whilst at the same time looking back and appreciating the path riders like his father carved to bring racing to where it is today. We hope that the MotoGP fans making the pilgrimage to Jerez will feel the same way and book another trip to the famous circuit in June and see Wayne racing again.”

Wayne Gardner, rider ambassador for the event, and one of the many legends taking to the track to compete said: “It’s brilliant to be able to share my racing with my boys. It’s Remy’s first full season in Moto3 and he’s learning so much every event – hopefully he’ll be able to give me some tips after the Jerez Moto3 round before I line up on the grid in June! I’m so excited about getting out and racing with my rivals again, and to have World GP Bike Legends supporting Remy is fantastic.”

Remy Gardner, CIP Moto team rider in the 2015 Moto3 World Championship, said: “There are going to be two awesome weekends at Jerez this year – one now and one when my Dad races in June! Everyone knows how hardcore those 500cc 2-strokes were, so I think it’s a great chance for MotoGP fans to go along and check it out. Hopefully we can keep moving forward this weekend and get some strong results for CIP Moto – a big thanks to World GP Bike Legends for supporting me!"

For more information about World GP Bike Legends including ticket details, rider line-up, entertainment, live music and all the latest news about this three-day motorcycle festival, head to www.worldgpbikelegends.com

Some of the greatest names in road racing history will be joined on the TT Mountain Course by some of the UK's leading circuit racers in the RST Parade lap, which will take place ahead of/ following the RST Superbike Race on Saturday 6th June 2015.

RST, the official safety partner of the 2015 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy, has brought together some of their best riders including TT race winners, British Superbike and World Superbike Race winners

Leading the way will be BSB and WSB racer Chris 'Stalker' Walker, four time BSB runner up and World Superbike race winner, will also be appearing. Walker, who currently rides for Tommy Hill's 'Be Wiser' Kawasaki team, will be riding the stunning new Kawasaki H2R, one of the most revered bikes in motorcycling.

Scotland's Niall MacKenzie, triple BSB champion in the mid-'90s also enjoyed a successful 250 and 500cc career at World Championship level, which included 6 podium finishes and a highest championship place of fourth in 1990 riding for the Lucky Strike Suzuki outfit.

Fellow Scot Ian Simpson, who enjoyed success on both the roads and circuits, is another famous RST rider who will be appearing in the parade. Simpson came to prominence in the Supercup 600 championship in 1991 but he will forever be associated with his 1994 Superbike campaign on the Duckhams Crighton Norton. He also enjoyed three TT wins with victory in the 1997 Junior and a Senior and F1 double the following year.

James Whitham, instantly recognisable as the face of ITV4 TT coverage, will be swapping his microphone for a bike and taking to the TT course again. Whitham made his Mountain Course debut in the 1985 Manx Grand Prix. His career highlights included finishing runner up in his only BSB season in 1996, winning ten races and a five-year WSB campaign that included six podiums.

James's fellow TV commentator Steve Plater will also be joining the line up. Plater, the 2009 British Supersport champion, is probably best known for his TT exploits. After becoming the fastest ever newcomer in 2007, a record that stood for 6 years until Josh Brookes broke it in 2013, Plater won the 2008 Supersport race and crowned his successful career with victory and a race record in the 2009 Blue Riband Senior TT.

Ian Hutchinson followed Steve Plater onto the top step of the Senior TT the following year. Hutchinson's victory crowned the perfect week as it came after victory in all four preceding races. The Bingley Bullet will be appearing in the parade lap alongside the man who previously held the record for most wins in a week - four - Phillip McCallen, whose 11 outright TT wins place him 5th on the overall winners list. Hutchinson's appearance will be particularly noteworthy, as he will be riding Paul Bird's MotoGP Aprilia.

Other TT race winners include Cameron Donald, who will be appearing on the Norton Domi Racer. Donald has three TT wins to his name including his double in 2008. The Australian will be riding for Norton in this year's RST Superbike and PokerStars Senior and will also be representing Valvoline Racing by Padgetts Motorcycles in the two Monster Energy Supersport Races.

Gary Johnson, who has secured strong rides at this year's races with Mar Train Yamaha in the Supersport class and GB Moto Kawasaki for the Superbike, RL360 Superstock and PokerStars Senior TT, will be hoping to add to his two TT titles this year while Lee Johnston, who secured his maiden Mountain Course win with victory in the 2014 Motorsport Merchandise 350 aboard an MV Agusta, is another RST ambassador who will be appearing in the parade lap.

Other current TT riders due to participate include reigning TT privateer champion Ivan Lintin, Kent based racer Steve Mercer and MCN's Adam Child, who has competed in the Lightweight and Supersport classes. Jonny Towers, MD of RST distributors Moto Direct will also be joining the parade. Towers is no stranger to the TT Mountain Course having competed in the 1987 production TT Race.

 Honda Racing riders John McGuinness and Conor Cummins completed a two-day test at Castle Combe, Wiltshire yesterday in preparation for the forthcoming 2015 North West 200, which will take place in Northern Ireland 10-16 May.

The first day of the test saw the team complete a full day on track, while overnight rain and intermittent showers on Wednesday morning meant McGuinness and Cummins were only able to get out in the afternoon on their Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP machines.

The outing has proved positive for both riders who were testing various Dunlop tyre compounds, trying different electronic settings and fine-tuning the suspension with the K-Tech engineers who were on-hand.

The Castle Combe test was the second time McGuinness has ridden the CBR this year, following a test in March at Monteblanco in Spain. The 21-time TT winner is feeling confident and fit ahead of the North West and also this year’s Isle of Man TT races after suffering a wrist injury last year, which affected both events for the ‘Morecambe Missile'.

Team-mate Cummins is in his second year with the Honda Racing squad and had a successful debut with the team in 2014, scoring three Superbike podiums in total with one at the North West and two at the TT. The Manx-man leaves the test confident and looking forward the races ahead.

The North West 200 takes place in two weeks time from 10-16 May, with McGuinness and Cummins competing for Honda Racing in the two Superbike races on Saturday 16 May. Forming a triangle between the Northern Irish costal towns of Coleraine, Portrush and Portstewart, the 8.970-mile course is one of the world’s fastest.

John McGuinness

It's been a really solid test at Castle Combe over the two-days. I’m really happy, motivated and looking forward to the next two months, which will be busy for us all with the North West 200 and also the Isle of Man TT. The whole package is awesome with the bike, the team and also my team-mate. My wrist is feeling good and I’m feeling bike fit and strong. Both of the pre-season tests have been positive and I just can’t wait to be on my bike again for the races.

Conor Cummins

We've worked hard and on a lot of different settings over the two days. We tried a different electronics package on the bike, which is different to last year and required some hard work and lots of laps. It's been really productive and worthwhile and I'm happy with the direction we have and can work towards now. The best thing about this year is the amount of time on-track we've had on the CBR and I can't wait to get to the North West now.