For Aprilia's Competition Director, the bike is more important than the rider, because according to his way of seeing things, it is more difficult to design and build a machine capable of winning races than to recruit a top pilot.
“The truth is that I am more technical director than sports director, explains Romano Albesiano, and from this point of view I must say that the competitiveness of the bike is crucial. Of course, I have a dream regarding pilots, but I don't want to talk about it. »
“I think Marc Marquez would win on any bike, but that's just a guess. A rider is capable of taking a motorcycle to victory, or is not capable of it. »
This season, Aprilia can count on Alex Espargaro, as well as on top Scott Redding which replaces Sam Lowes. Redding was chosen after rejections from Danilo Petrucci, Jack Miller, Alvaro Bautista, Andrea Iannone and Cal Crutchlow.
Nevertheless, Aprilia's Competition Director is satisfied. In an interview with Corriere dello Sport newspaper, Albesiano said about his duo Aleix Espargaro et Scott Redding for 2018: “Aleix was very important to us and helped us get closer to the top. Redding has a lot of potential, which he will show with us – as he already did in Moto2. »
In the longer term, the Italian does not want to chase the big names either, as he notes regarding the driver market in 2018: “First of all, we try to stay out of this competition, if it works. For us in 2019 and 2020, continuity is certainly a priority. It is not excluded that we continue beyond 2018 with both or at least one of our current drivers. »
Photo © Gresini Racing Aprilia
Sources: Speedweek. com, Corriere dello Sport
