Complicated sprint race for Aprilia Racing in Motegi

VIÑALES NINTH, ESPARGARÓ CRASHES OUT

Maverick Viñales confirmed his good sensations from Friday in qualifying as well, taking the third spot on the starting grid. This was an encouraging result for the Spanish rider, who had not started from the front row since the Assen GP. Nevertheless, in the sprint race, a less than perfect start and the initial scrum forced him all the way back to eleventh place by the end of the first lap. In spite of his efforts to recover, the comeback proved to be complicated, and Viñales finished the sprint race in ninth place.

Aleix Espargaró showed signs of improvement during the sprint race, where he managed to make up several positions despite starting from the fifteenth spot. Unfortunately, a crash just two laps from the end as he was lying eleventh made all his efforts in vain.

MAVERICK VIÑALES
“At the start of the race, I didn’t disengage the front device and I lost several positions. Sunday will be a new race, but I am still optimistic. In qualifying, I managed to work some magic, so I hope to be able to do the same in the long race too.”

ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
"I improved a bit in the sprint race. I tried a different setup, very similar to Maverick’s. It worked well and I felt comfortable. In fact, I was coming back, but then the temperature and the front tyre pressure raised quite a bit. At that point, it was extremely hard to ride the bike, and the front end locked up, making me crash on turn 1.”

ROMANO ALBESIANO
“Maverick’s third place in qualifying was a result that gave us confidence. It’s a shame about the start and the opening scrum, because Maverick had the potential to bring home a good result in the sprint race. Aleix made a leap forward in terms of performance in the sprint race, managing to recover several positions to get close to the group where Maverick was too. It’s a shame about the crash just two laps from the end. In the long race, we’ll have a new chance to demonstrate our potential.”