During the 2016 season, the boss of the group Piaggio which includes the Aprilia brand, had sharply criticized Noale's troops for their poor result in MotoGP. We were then at the Red Bull Ring and these were the RS-GP drivers of the time Baptist et Bradl who were notably shaken in this way. In 2017, neither will be part of the adventure alongside a competition director of the brand Roman Albesian which still pays homage to them.
It took the end of the story to have some recognition. Alvaro Bautista finished twelfth in the 2016 MotoGP championship with ten top 10s after eighteen races, while his teammate Stefan bradl made six. The Spaniard who saved his head in MotoGP by joining his Aspar roots for a Ducati collected 82 points against 63 for the German who will start a new career in WSBK next year with Honda.
Alex Espargaro et Sam Lowes will ensure their succession. But the boss Albesian don't forget them: It wasn't easy for our pilots. I thank them because they were very professional. The work they did will help us in 2017. They did a lot of development work and it wasn't the most exciting situation for them. In fact, this 2016 season was the first for us with new tires and new electronics, a situation that was favorable to us because our competitors were in the same situation. I am very grateful for the work done by Álvaro and Stefan ».
And 2017? “ We took a very fast driver in Aleix Espargaró who showed his know-how in 2012 and 2013 with the claiming rules regulations. When he was free, we didn't hesitate. Sam Lowes is a 26 year old pilot. Our expectations will be high for 2017 because our bike will evolve. We look to the future with confidence ».
