It is in an honorable ninth place thatAleix Espargaro closed his Spanish Grand Prix, an edition which marked its 200rd start of career in Grand Prix. Not so bad but the Aprilia official wants more with an RS-GP with good dispositions that he would like to achieve further up the table. Especially since in Jerez, we saw a KTM driven by his brother tickle him. The day after the Andalusian meeting, he handed over the collar for testing. And there was work to be done.
At Aprilia, we pulled out all the stops for tests in Jerez which ended in a good fourth place, less than four tenths behind the leading official Yamaha led by Maverick Vinales. Riding the RS-GP, the Spaniard tested a swinging arm, new electronic parameters as well as air intakes directed towards the tank. The Aprilia rider also looked at the aerodynamic fairing late in the afternoon. All without forgetting the testing of the famous Michelin tires with a rigid carcass.
A great day of work since Aleix was the only one, with the leading trio, to be able to claim a time below 1'39 per lap. “ We actually tried a lot of things » commented the teammate of a Sam Lowes still far from the mark. “ The most important thing was to stabilize the front when braking. This is what we have been fighting against since the start of the season. The bike is under control in downforce, but when you release the brakes it disunites ».
A pitfall that the trendy 2016 Michelin tires tend to overcome: “ with the stiffer carcass, it's better, the stability is greater and the weight remains on the tire. We tried things on the frame to test its rigidity. We examined a fairing. These tests were productive in temperatures a little higher than during the race ».
Now if Aleix Espargaro leaves Jerez with a clear opinion, it's good on the tires: " with a softer carcass tire, temperatures are still high. It doesn't matter if the rubber is hard or soft. With last year's stiffer carcass, things are much better. I'm more comfortable, without a doubt ».
« When braking, the bike is more stable, which means that our current concern is the tire. We are totally dependent on the tire. I hope to be able to use the 2016 tire in the future ". Apparently, it will be best for Mugello, if a majority of the field agrees and after validation by the safety commission.
#JerezTest: Chronos
1. VIÑALES Maverick, Movistar Yamaha, 1:38.635 min
2. MARQUEZ Marc, Repsol Honda, +0.002 sec
3. PEDROSA Dani, Repsol Honda, +0.081
4. ESPARGARO Aleix, Aprilia, +0.364
5. DOVIZIOSO Andrea, Ducati, +0.395
6. LORENZO Jorge, Ducati, +0.489
7. CRUTCHLOW Cal, LCR Honda, +0.684
8. BARBERA Hector, Reale Avintia Ducati, +0.825
9. ZARCO Johann, Monster Yamaha Tech3, +0.893
10. REDDING Scott, Octo Pramac Ducati, +0.901
11. MILLER Jack, EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda, +0.913
12. RABAT Tito, EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda, +0.941
13. IANNONE Andrea, Suzuki Ecstar, +1.019
14. FOLGER Jonas, Monster Yamaha Tech3, +1.162
15. PETRUCCI Danilo, Octo Pramac Ducati, +1.244
16. ESPARGARO Pol, Red Bull KTM, +1.324
17. SMITH Bradley, Red Bull KTM, +1.476
18. TSUDA Takuya, Suzuki Ecstar, +1.528
19. BAZ Loris, Reale Avintia Ducati, +1.742
20. KALLIO Mika, Red Bull KTM, +1.747
21. ROSSI Valentino, Movistar Yamaha, +1.828
22. LOWES Sam, Aprilia, +1.937
23. GUINTOLI Sylvain, Suzuki Ecstar, +2.625
