Bautista: “As always, we are starting from zero”

Aside from a handful of crashes, the 2016 season has been an incredibly successful one for Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), the combination having made a clear step over 2015. Upgrades and improvements at almost every round have spurred Bautista on and the Sachsenring presents a rather different challenge. Even amongst the variety of tracks on the MotoGP™ World Championship calendar, the Sachsenring is unusual with only three right hand bends. This places incredible pressure on the left hand side of the tyre and finding a bike setup to suit will be incredibly important.

As Aprilia are still developing the RS-GP, they take a step into the somewhat unknown in terms of setting, as they have done in almost every previous GP. A new swing arm that is much lighter than the previous model and has revised stiffness will aid Bautista’s quest for a top result. Alongside this upgrade, Aprilia are hoping new engine components will improve midrange torque. These upgrades, in addition to the layout of the German track have everyone involved ready to fight for another top ten.

Alvaro Bautista: “The break gave me a chance to release the tension from Assen. It was not easy, but now I am motivated and ready for battle. The Sachsenring is a slow, narrow track with a lot of left-handers, very difficult. As always, we are starting from zero, so we'll have to begin working well from Friday morning on the bike setup. We are doing a good job. It would be nice for me to start the summer break with a good race, battling in the top ten as we have in the last rounds.”