Back to Spain for round seven of the 2016 MotoGP™ World Championship at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya. In 2015 the RS-GP showed promising signs at the circuit and Stefan Bradl is out to show just how much the bike has improved since. Work rarely stops in Grand Prix racing, especially when you’re developing a motorcycle while racing. Between the round in Mugello and in Barcelona, Bradl ran the bike in Misano alongside Mike De Meglio in a private two-day test. In the test the pair assessed new chassis solutions to increase stability and grip with an emphasis on the rear. This test will pay off further down the line as well, allowing the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini man to arrive at the Misano GP later in the year with a foot already in the door.
After finishing a somewhat disappointing 14th in Mugello, Bradl is hoping for a result closer to the top ten. Since stepping up to the premier class in 2012, Bradl has never finished lower than eighth in Barcelona.
Stefan Bradl: “Catalunya is a great track, where we need to get back to our level. In the last two races we learned a lot, accumulating experience on the RS-GP, so I expect to start from a better base at Barcelona that we can build on throughout the weekend. Usually temperatures are very high for this race, another element that we will have to take into consideration. In the Misano tests we tried various new setting, collecting data that will definitely be useful in Spain.”