Aleix Espargaró and Maverick Viñales went to Noale to see the work carried out by Aprilia engineers during this winter break which is ending. They were able to secretly see their RS-GP version 2022, and they also reassured about their state of health since it was also a question of a check-up in preparation for a long trip to Sepang in the midst of a health crisis. Good humor was clearly evident, as we can judge from this gift offered to Aleix Espargaró, who appreciated the present at its true value...
The days that pass are now devoted to medical examinations, final factory meetings and private training for the MotoGP teams who are preparing to fly to Malaysia. Aleix Espargarò et Maverick Casa Particular in Viñales went to Noale, headquarters of the good brand Aprilia for a briefing on the new RS-GP22. “ Long and intense day of meetings in Noale, to find out the news and details of the RS-GP22 », wrote the Granollers pilot who was treated to a little surprise…
So, the team aprilia-racing, who will thus display his colors in 2022, for the first time since the start of the RS-GP project in MotoGP, reminded his rider that he had fallen five times in the only Grand Prix of the Americas on an Austin track so degraded that he had angered Aleix Espargaró... " It was a shit weekend but you're still our captain » was the dedication which accompanied the handing over of the pieces damaged during this meeting, and framed for posterity. Humor appreciated by the Spaniard: “ I take with me the memory of the worst Grand Prix of last year, that of Austin, where I crashed 5 times! But as the bosses say, it is in the most difficult days that we see their “Captain”. I am excited to begin ! » can be seen on GP One.
Vinales: “ there's no reason we can't win«
To Maverick Vinales, this will be the first full season with Aprilia, after his debut with the Venetian brand in Aragon last September. He finally seems to have found a smile again, although he is aware that in 2022 it will not be possible to fight for the MotoGP title. “ I want to feel a team around me. I changed stables to have this atmosphere, this passion ". For the old pilot Yamaha , it will be a season of adaptation, in which he will try to grow and perhaps achieve his first victory with the Italian brand. It will be recalled that the room for maneuver to make other improvements to the motorcycle is great, given that the manufacturer of the group Piaggio can still count on the concession points in the settlement.
From the first test with the RS-GP, Maverick Vinales felt the great potential. The test of Sepang will help to understand how engineersAprilia worked during the winter. “ As soon as I got on the Aprilia, I felt that it had great potential... At Misano, a circuit that I really like, we went quickly. It was a shame to start 19th, because starting from the second row we could have been on the podium. This is incredible for what was only the second race with a new bike ».
It is difficult to make predictions for the next MotoGP season with this Aprilia. But a lot will depend on the five days of testing this offseason: “ If everything works well then we can aim very high. There's no reason we can't win » ends Top Gun.
