If there is one factory that is delighted to get back on the track, it is Aprilia. And for good reason: its RS-GP is completely new with, in particular, a new engine. It is therefore necessary to travel kilometers, collect data and monitor the reliability of everything. This is exactly what Aleix Espargaró and Bradley Smith did with a touch of speed on a Misano track which is not traditionally the cup of tea of the motorcycle coming out of the Noale factories…
Satisfying and encouraging. This is how we could summarize the three days of testing accomplished by Aprilia à Misano. Aleix Espargaró carried out a total of 183 laps and recorded the best time of 1' 32.932. His teammate Bradley Smith, which replaces Andrea Iannone suspended, has for his part accomplished 207 laps and even fell, fortunately without consequences. His best lap time was 1' 33.536.
« It was exciting to be back on the track after such a long break and I can't wait to start the first two races in Jerez. It is important for us to do a lot of laps, because even if our new bike shows a lot of potential, we have to do some kilometers with it ", summary Aleix Espargaró.
Good first impressions confirmed
« Although Misano is not our best circuit, at the end of the three days we were able to establish a good pace and confirm the good impression we already had during the tests in Malaysia and Qatar », added the 30-year-old driver from Granollers.
Smith agrees with his stablemate. After finishing his work, he explained: “ I am really satisfied after the end of these tests, because I had to go from test pilot to regular pilot physically and mentally, and I think I managed to do it, especially considering the last day. At the moment it is important to gain experience with the new bike and generate a lot of data to know how it reacts »
« Although the basic configuration has already proven to be good in Malaysia and Qatar, there is of course much more to be done to fully exploit the potential. From my side too, there is still room for improvement, as we can also see in relation to Aleix's performance. But the gap has narrowed and I feel much better pushing the new RS-GP to the limit ", said the 29-year-old pilot from Oxford.
