The 2017 RS-GP confirmed at Termas de Rio Hondo the improvement in its competitiveness, such as had not already been seen during the Qatar Grand Prix. A braking error and a transmission problem caused Aleix Espargaro to crash and Sam Lowes to retire from the pits, but the Spaniard proved until the fifteenth lap that the Aprilia could regularly fight among the top ten.
In 2016, Stefan bradl in 1'40.897 qualified the Aprilia 1.4 from pole position Marc Marquez. This year the times were not comparable due to the wet track compared to the previous season, but in the wet Alex Espargaro qualified in eighth position (1.8 behind Marc Marquez), which matched Bradl's best Q2 performance ever.
In the race, Aleix had an average start and was in eleventh place on the first lap in the lead wheel.Álvaro Bautista (who will finish superb fourth) and in front Johann zarco who will not take long to overtake him to embark on a magnificent comeback. Espargaro then fought for seventh position with Danilo Petrucci et Andrea Dovizioso, but made a mistake when braking and fell, involuntarily taking with him Dovizioso who was on the outside at the time. In a gesture of great sportsmanship, Aleix would first inquire about the health of his opponent on the ground, and apologize to him for this incident. It's rare enough to highlight it and be proud of the behavior of certain drivers like him.
In terms of lap times during the race, Espargaro's performance was all the more interesting as it underlined the new competitiveness of RS-GP. During the twelfth lap, Aleix achieved a time of 1'40.060, 0.366 behind the best lap established by Maverick Vinales in 1'39.694, also during the twelfth loop. The speed was there for the Aprilias in Argentina, but a little uncertainty came from the fact that one of the two bikes retired due to a gearbox gear selection problem. It was worrying enough to hope that it was not a chronic problem, which the pilots could encounter again next week in Texas.
According to Alex Espargaro, who are " The first few laps I was a little slower than the others, then things started to work properly. Just as I started to increase my pace and as I approached the group in front of me, I saw Dovi out of the line and dove inside. Unfortunately, I had to brake too hard and lost the front.
“I am very sorry for the team and for Andrea, who was unintentionally involved in my accident. It's a shame because in the second part of the race we would have done well. Now we head to Austin to confirm our progress. »
For the Aprilia competition manager Romano Albesiano, who are " This weekend substantially confirmed the level of our bike, with Aleix doing an exceptional job during testing. In the race, things went like they did in Qatar. I don't think it was an exaggeration to consider a fifth place within our reach. Unfortunately, the crash stopped the ascent.
“We have to work to give Aleix a more incisive bike during the first laps where it is important to be able to come out of the pack. Our setup will continue to be race oriented. Unfortunately, we were unable to reap the fruits of our labors, but we had important confirmation in terms of competitiveness. »
According to the team manager Fausto Gresini, « A bittersweet ride. We know that we have done an excellent job and that in Aleix we have a driver who is capable of fighting with the best. We suffered a little in the first laps, but we caught up. It's a shame about the crash where I think Aleix lost his braking reference, pushed by Petrucci and with Dovizioso rolling a little wide. I'm sorry the crash involved Dovi. It was an unfortunate coincidence. We have a very good technical base. Aprilia Racing and the team are doing a great job. We must continue in this direction. »
Photos © Aprilia
