A GOOD START FOR THE APRILIAS IN FRANCE
ALEIX SECOND AND MAVERICK SIXTH TO GO STRAIGHT THROUGH TO Q2
At a Le Mans circuit already invaded by French fans, the first practice sessions on Friday were held on a completely dry track. Aleix and Maverick began their weekend well, taking the RS-GP into the top ten in both sessions and therefore, at the end of the day, earning the right to go straight through to the Q2 session which will determine the first four rows of the starting grid.
Both of the factory RS-GP machines took to the track with a special message on the fairings, dedicated to the upcoming Aprilia All Stars event which will convene thousands of Aprilia, World Grand Prix Motorcycle racing, and motorsport enthusiasts at the Misano circuit on 27 May.
Despite a crash on turn 9 during P2, Aleix did good times both on his long runs and in his final time attack, with a 1'31.069 that earned him second place.
It was also a positive day for Maverick who, after working hard on his race configuration with aerodynamic and setup tests, took the final step with a sixth place which means that he will also be going straight through to Q2.
Regretfully, we must report that Raùl Fernandez who, recently operated for compartment syndrome, was forced to stop just a few laps in and his weekend came to an end with the goal of coming back at 100% fitness for the Mugello GP. Aprilia Racing test rider Lorenzo Savadori, who is subbing for Miguel Oliveira in Le Mans, took advantage of his first day to work on becoming more familiar with the French track.
Aleix
"The bike is really working well, especially with the soft front tyre. It is obviously only Friday, but it’s always important to be fast and I’m satisfied. We are using some new aerodynamic features that help me in acceleration and on turn 1, where you really go in fast and the bike tends to move around a lot. Tomorrow we’ll set our sights on pole position, but we know how difficult it always is here in Le Mans."
Maverick
"Today was a very good day. We took a lot of things that we tried in the tests out on the track, collecting a good amount of data and the fact that they worked, even on a very different circuit, is extremely positive. Now we have data to increase our potential and to try to push harder tomorrow. I feel strong and I think that we have margin for improvement for Saturday. Today going through to Q2 was important and we did just that, so now we’ll wait to see what the weather will be like, but in any case, we are ready to do a good job."