MOTOGP – APRILIA AT THE FIRST HOME RACE
ALVARO BAUTISTA: “A DIFFICULT TRACK BUT TOP-10 IS POSSIBLE”
STEFAN BRADL: “SPECIAL TRACK AND SPECIAL FANS”
One of the most exciting tracks on the MotoGP calendar is the setting for the first Italian race, an incredible round and long awaited by the fans. The Mugello Circuit, nestled among the Tuscan hills, will also be the first home race for the Aprilia RS-GP 2016, a project that has grown consistently over the first five rounds of the season and that shows great room for improvement.
Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl will have some upgrades available to them, but above all they will be able to benefit from the hard work done during recent race weekends. In fact, thanks to the information gathered, they will be able to focus on finding the best setup solutions for their Aprilias, striving for the best possible result on a rather demanding track.
The Aprilia Racing Team Gresini will therefore be attacking Mugello with an obvious dose of pressure, a positive element for an expert team working with a new and developing project.
ROMANO ALBESIANO – RESPONSABILE APRILIA RACING
“For the Mugello weekend we will once again have new upgrades available, especially in terms of electronics, but more than anything, we want to take on each individual session effectively, focusing on the best possible performance straight away. In fact, up to now we have spent a lot of time during race weekends testing setups, often making drastic changes, and this is a necessary process for exploring the potential of the RS-GP and understanding the way the bike reacts to the various changes. This weekend, on the other hand, we will be starting from a stable base and focusing on the setup straight away on a track where smooth riding and agility are absolutely essential and where painstaking work on the chassis and electronics can really make the difference”.
FAUSTO GRESINI – TEAM MANAGER
“For us, the Italian Grand Prix is a very important round. We are particularly keen to make a good impression and to further improve the RS-GP. Unfortunately, because of the rain, the day of tests at Mugello was just about useless. In any case, the important thing is that our development work is progressing well. This is an effort that we hope will allow us to recover 3 to 5 tenths of a second per lap, which would mean shaving 10 to 12 seconds off of race time”.
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“We are coming to a very special race, playing on Aprilia’s home pitch, where we’ll be able to count on new developments for the bike. After the Le Mans race we will be able to start with a better base. In particular, on the race Sunday in France we found the direction we need to go in order to be faster. We will work on that setting and on the new components, that way we’ll be able to have a bike that is fast in direction changes and stable at the front end. Battling for a top 10 finish will be hard on such a difficult track, but we are willing to try”.
STEFAN BRADL
“Mugello is a track where we riders have fun racing. The circuit is fantastic, but most of all, the atmosphere and the Italian fans are really welcoming. In terms of layout, it has everything we need: direction changes, slope changes and a long straight stretch. This will be an important race for Aprilia – the first home race – so all eyes will be on us, but I am confident that if we stay focused and patient, we’ll continue to demonstrate how our potential is growing”.
