What an Aprilia!
There is a lot of satisfaction at home Aprilia at the end of the second and last day of testing at Losail, which definitively closed the pre-season testing period. Aleix Espargarò has in fact promoted the competitiveness of the RS-GP24 with flying colours, signing his best performance 1:51.260 and finishing Day 2 in third place, just over a tenth behind Francesco Bagnaia.
All the happiness of Espargarò
The 34-year-old, author of three victories last year, praised the qualities of the Noale bike, expressing his satisfaction: “It's going well, I'm very, very happy – has explained – we are at a higher level than I expected. I'm fast everywhere and Aprilia is better everywhere. We just need to improve the bike a bit from an engine point of view. We need a little more torque and power, especially for the soft tyres. We are at the limit. We can't get more from the tyre. We will probably have some problems on Saturday. In terms of race pace on the medium tyre, it was wonderful – he added – we were flying today, so I'm very happy! The RS-GP 24 is very good. But if you check my laps before I crashed after just 10 laps, it was incredible: the pace was crazy. I did some laps in the range of 1:51, an incredible time on the medium tyre. However, if you take the soft tyre, you should be at least a few tenths faster, but that wasn't the case. In some places it feels like you have a flat tire. I need more power in those spots. Don't get the wrong idea: The bike is fantastic, we just need to find something for the performance of the engine.”
All indications that led Espargarò to express the most emblematic comment while awaiting the first round of the world championship: “It's the same story year after year, tests are just tests. It could be a good season, but we're waiting for the races. But when you're as fast as you are today, you have the right to be excited. I feel like I'm riding better than ever, and the RS-GP 24 is the best bike I've ever had“.
Viñales not yet at the top
Less satisfaction on the part of Maverick Viñalesalthough there were some indications of particular progress compared to last season: “I would have liked to have had a little more time to work on the bike, because I don't feel 100% yet – the Spaniard concluded, 6th and just over 4 tenths behind the top – the situation is still positive, especially because we have improved in the fastest sectors where last year I struggled. The engine braking still doesn't satisfy me completely, especially on long runs, but it's something that can be resolved with the setup and we can work on it during the race weekend.”
#happiness #Espargarò #Aprilia #crazy #pace
