Although the first half of the season was a mix of progress and engine problems, Romano Albesiano is confident for the second half of the season and praises Aleix Espargaró.
In Assen, the Aprilia Racing Gresini team could breathe, because after the two engine failures experienced at Le Mans and Barcelona, Aleix Espargaró was finally able to reach the finish line in 10th place.
The problem with the engines was identified as coming from the pneumatic valve return and, while waiting for a new version of this mechanical system, a reduction of 800 rpm was applied to the maximum engine speed to make it more reliable. With the resulting loss of power...
However, the Aprilia Race Director, Romano Albesiano, remains positive despite this half-empty or half-full first half of the season, depending on where you stand: “It was quite satisfactory in terms of pure performance. We had some very good performances during the practice sessions and in some races. We have taken a step forward in the cornering and engine areas. The electronics were already pretty good. Now we have to be consistent in terms of final race results. We have narrowed the gap with the best and, in this respect, we are very satisfied. »
Concerning his human resources, Albesiano is not stingy with compliments towards Aleix Espargaro: “Aleix is an experienced driver who can immediately offer solid advantages. For Sam, his first season is not so easy. But there are some good signs of improvement in testing and racing, and we are very confident. »
What will happen next in the second half of the season?
“We expect a significant increase in engine power for the remainder of the season. For the races after the summer break, we are really confident, including on tracks that require a lot of engine power. We can do really well. »
Provisional ranking of the World Championship:
1 Marc MARQUEZ-Honda 129 points
2 Maverick VIÑALES-Yamaha 124
3 Andrea DOVIZIOSO-Ducati 123
4 Valentino ROSSI-Yamaha 119
5 Dani PEDROSA-Honda 103
6 Johann ZARCO-Yamaha 84
7 Jonas FOLGER-Yamaha 71
8 Danilo PETRUCCI-Ducati 66
9 Jorge LORENZO-Ducati 65
10 Cal CRUTCHLOW-Honda 64
11 Alvaro BAUTISTA-Ducati 44
12 Jack MILLER-Honda 41
13 Scott REDDING-Ducati 33
14 Aleix ESPARGARO-Aprilia 32
15 Loris BAZ-Ducati 31
16 Andrea IANNONE 28
17 Tito RABAT 23
18 Hector BARBERA 21
19 Karel ABRAHAM 20
20 Pol ESPARGARO 14
21 Bradley SMITH 8
22 Alex RINS 7
23 Michele PIRRO 7
24 Sam LOWES 2
25 Sylvain GUINTOLI 1
Source and photo credit: MotoGP.com
