Aprilia complete Misano private test

2 days and 4 riders as the Noale factory gear up for the Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini

Aprilia have completed two days of testing at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl were present, as well as the two development team RS-GP machines, entrusted to former 125 world champion Mike di Meglio and next year's MotoGP™ graduate and current Moto2™ rider Sam Lowes.

With a good number of laps completed in good conditions on the Riviera di Rimini, the work in the two garages followed rather different paths. Bautista and Bradl conducted tests in preparation for the GP on all fronts, including chassis, electronics and tyres. The riders tried new Michelin options, in parallel with setup tests aimed at tackling the 28 laps of the Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini when the paddock returns to Italy in September.

For Sam Lowes, the two days at Misano are part of his gradual learning process on the Aprilia RS-GP bike, which he will be riding next year. The British rider improved his feeling consistently, getting to grips with a bike that is decidedly different from the Moto2™ machine he rides now.

Mike di Meglio conducted a testing programme that dealt with the transmission (gearbox and clutch) and the cooling system, as well as electronics and settings management. Some of the new features from the two days of tests will be available already for the next race at Silverstone.

Alvaro Bautista: "These were two rather physically demanding days after the two races in a row. In any case, we did a great job, starting from checks on a swingarm that we had already tested but that needed further verification. We made some changes on the chassis and the setup, both for the race on this circuit and for other tracks, gathering a lot of information that we will analyse thoroughly now. We also tested two new front tyres from Michelin, giving the techs some good indications. Overall there were some positive responses and some not so positive, but after each test we definitely have a clearer idea of which way to go in development. Now we’ll have a week of well-deserved rest and then we’ll be back on the track at Silverstone."

Stefan Bradl: "We can consider ourselves satisfied with this test. We had many things to try, especially with the chassis, that allowed us to improve the RS-GP, particularly in terms of stability in braking. We put together a good number of laps with rather satisfying times. We were able to take some steps forward and I am sure that the tests from these two days will be very helpful for the coming races."

Sam Lowes: "For me this was a very good test, because we got to the point of also starting to do some tests, beyond simply getting to know the Aprilia RS-GP. For me it is never easy to get off the Moto2 bike and get on the MotoGP machine. The first day I tend to take some less than perfect lines for the way these bikes should be ridden, but the second day, even looking at the telemetry, I get close to the style of the other riders. At the end of the day the gap is not bad at all. The potential of the bike is definitely high and I am more and more happy to be part of this project."