It's a smiling Aleix Espargaro who has finished his first day riding his new Aprilia in Valencia. However, he is only fourteenth and 1.247 seconds behind his former teammate on the Suzuki, Viñales now on a Yamaha and at the top of the timesheet. But it must be said that Pol's older brother expected much worse.
We talked about it less, but alongside Vinales, Lorenzo ou Iannone, Aleix Espargaró is one of the official riders of the 2016 season who changed factories for 2017. But it must be said that going from the Suzuki to the Aprilia is a bit like going down a level. A fear which had been reinforced, according to the pilot's own admission, during recent conversations with the boss on the track Albesian et Baptist ! Then the first laps were completed, and the doubts dissipated.
The one who will have as a teammate Sam Lowes commented: “ frankly, the bike is better than expected. I expected worse and there I discovered a competitive bike. I loved her from the first round. It's a nice bike ". He specifies: “ we haven't worked on the geometry of the bike yet and I've been shooting with worn tires. I took the bike the way Bautista and Bradl had it set up. As for the electronics, I am very satisfied. I immediately felt at ease. Tomorrow we will collect even more information ».
« We know where we have to work for 2017. The RS-GP is stable. We don't need a new framework. On the other hand, we are sorely lacking in acceleration. Top speed is good, but it accelerates us much better than that. The curve hold is good. Our problem is acceleration ».
And the team? “ The team works very well and is very professional. Plus, they are happy to have me and they have faith in me. Eugène Laverty is there as a test pilot and it's very good. He knows MotoGP and he rides at a very good pace. His contribution can only be beneficial ". But not a word about Sam Lowes, his designated teammate…
Aleix Espargaró achieved a time of 1'32.177 while Laverty signed a 1'32.935 synonymous with twenty-second place. Sam Lowes was satisfied with 1'33.359, i.e. twenty-fourth place which is also that of the last of the three beginners in MotoGP.
