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                      APRILIA NEWS

                     MOTOGP and SBK

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SBK - Phillip Island (AUS)-Sunday

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Rain hits Race 1, Edwards win and Corser got the sixth place. Race two

was cancelled due to the adverse weather condition. Today Phillip Island

was not easy going.

Bad weather condition hit Race 1, with the track almost not practicable.

On the straight was possible to hear the sudden engines acceleration due

the tyres spinning into the puddles. Any way, Race 1 could be well

finished with Edwards as a winner, followed by Okada and Bayliss. Corser

set an bad start but after that he rode clean waiting the rivals actions

and finishing the race at the sixth place. But the weather was getting

worst before the Race 2 start, while the circuit was hardly hit by rain,

strong blowing wind and short visibility. The green flag was showed to

start race 2 and Corser, after a rapidly briefing with Edwards, who

already did the warm-up lap, asks for race cancellation. A bit late the

official forced abandonment of the event.

Temperatures: Race 1: 14° air/14° ground - Rain.

"After a bad Race 1 star, I lost many position, I decided to wait what

the other riders could do and I've trying to ride as smooth as possible

for the rest of the race, keeping a good lap timing" said Troy Corser,

that after the first Race 1 lap was riding in the 14th position. " I

miss the grip on tyre's shoulder. That's why I asked to Dunlop to do

more cuts on the tyres side parts. Let's talk about Race 2 cancellation

request. I have to say in advance that my personal target is to reach

the necessary riders safety condition on the track. Just start Race 2

was effectively too dangerous. I got Edwards opinion into his box. Colin

said me the he would set the warm-up lap to better understand the track

and give on it his judgement. I have the maximum trust in Colin's

opinion, and he just confirmed what I strongly believe about the race

condition: really too dangerous for all of us. I reached the race

direction and there I asked to cancel Race 2. Just only one thing

disturbed me, the decision to locked Race 2 start was taken by riders. I

thought that somebody could call me, and some colleagues, to go for a

check lap by car with the race director. In this way, all together, we

could reach an evaluation and understand if race could be safety. It did

not append, and I was really impressed by that."

Race 1: 1° Edwards (Honda) 39'58.665 - 2° Okada (Honda) +4.455 - 3°

Bayliss (Ducati) +22.884 - 4° Yanagawa (Kawasaki) +49.731 - 5° Parkes

(Ducati) +1'17.183 - 6° Corser (Aprilia Axo) +1'17.998 - 7° Chili

(Suzuki) +1'38.610 - 8° Chambon (Suzuki) +39.639.

WSBK Championship after 5 races: 1° Bayliss 96 - 2° Corser 92 - 3°

Edwards 73 - 4° Bostrom 54 - 5° Lavilla 45 - 5° Chili 45 - 7° Yanagawa

42 - 8° Chambon 32 - 9° Laconi 31.

 

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MOTOGP - SOUTH AFRICA GP - Welkom

The lion is back!

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83 as a scanty as important millisecond separated Marco Macio Marco

Melandri and his Aprilia Rsw 250 to a memorable exploit: Macio  fired

himself to within a fraction of a second off the Kato’s victory, so he

just shaved his fist worthy 250 Gp victory. He was satisfied about the

second race place, his best 250 result, that show how much now he  is

matured and self-confident and definitively able to beat Kato: without

an obstacle which was a rider, probably Marco could reach the victory.

Harada got a good third place, even some small engine problem.

Marco "Macio" Melandri (MS Aprilia Racing) # 5

2°  in 42’31"454

"I am really happy, but I’m sorry.... because if within two laps off the

race-end Cesar Barros didn’t slacken me, probably I could challenge with

Kato for the win. But I don’t want to say that he totally faulted

because, to be honest, I could not see any blue flag warning that faster

riders as me was coming behind as well. It’s also true he was one lap

delay from Kato, he could be also a bit more careful and check behind

him, while I was so closed so he damaged me.

Any way, I’m happy considering the warm-up problems we got with the

first bike, we had to racing with the second one: I could use it only

for about fifteen minutes but the squad was great to set it up as well

as the first one, even if a bit slower. Moreover my bike’s feeling was

not  perfect during the firsts laps, with a full  fuel tank. The bike

was to much nervous. At that time Harada, with a bike a bit well setting

as mine could pass. After this we damaged each other, challenging

between us. Eventually I could push strongly to take a better lap timing

and try to reach Kato. The bike worked so well, I had the right feeling

and the Suzuka’s luxated shoulder was not so painful. So I started to

make up: I loose for 83 millisecond only, almost nothing and it means

that without the double rounded rider misunderstanding I could attach

the Japanese within the last corners. I could try to do but it was too

risky.  I’m happy  that I could show that also him is beating, is not a

monster. It also true that with a good bike as the Aprilia today, a good

training and concentration, I can reach the victory. Now Jerez is

coming, it’s a track that I don’t like so much and where is important to

be calm during the qualifying session due to avoid mistakes. Any way it

never happened that I come back to Europe gaining 30 points. So I am

quite satisfied about this first two races, even if without Suzuka’s

troubles I could reach much more.".

Tetsuya Harada (MS Aprilia Racing) #31

3° in 42’47"177

"It’s a pity that the bike had not such efficiency as it could: suddenly

I suffered an engine hardening like if it got a seize, I lost engine

power that wasn’t enough to attack Kato and Melandri.".

Klaus Noehles (MS Aprilia Racing) #12

14° in 43’26"656

"I had a good start, but somebody push me out from the track: when I

could control the bike again it takes a bit to  find the right feeling,

but I could reach the riders ahead if I didn’t finish the front tyre.".

After the victories in the two last Welkom’s GPs edition, unfortunately

Aprilia could not reach the third one. A first the bad luck hits Simone

Sanna # 16 (Safilo Oxido Race), which even could reach the row due to

the Saturday morning  qualifying session crash:” Really I could not

ride, the head hurts me, and I had a bad sight. What a pity!, but it was

the only possible right choice.”.

So the best Aprilia’s rider it seemed to be Gaspare Caffiero # 20

,(Bossini Fontana Racing), fighting for the podium until the Spaniard

Elias smashed down him: “I was into the corner a bit wide but the

Spaniard Elias hit me on the side so I was down. Everybody sow this. For

five or six laps he was slackening me, but when I passed him he pushed

me down. Could be a good race!”.

As usually Lucio Cecchinello # 9 , mistook the start (even if he could

not gain any specific advantage), so he got a “stop and go” penalty:

“still I have to improve to have a good sprint with Aprilia: I let go

the clutch a bit, the bike just moved few centimetres ahead, so I was

next to the start line with the front tyre: may be it’s better if I

stand a bit far from the line, due to avoid risks. Any way it could be

not a positive race, because I set on the bike a faulty rear tyre.

Moreover I have to solve how to sprint with this bike. Still I have to

improve.”.

Max Sabbatani #11 (Bossini Fontana Racing): the GP’s extra light rider

also suffered stomach ache  during the race. “ Probably the

anti-inflammatory that I took to reduce the knee pain after the crash I

had yesterday, caused me a stomach problem, but the result satisfied me

enough even if without this problem I am sure I could reach the

podium.”.

So the best Aprilia’s rider is Gino Borsoi # 23, (LAE UGT 3000), that

could finish the race at fourth place, even if he was not an easy going

race: “ On the half race I ride a bit on the grass, so I pushed to move

the time off to reach the guys ahead but to do this I stressed the tyres

and also the engine was no more so performing. It’s a pity , I could

reach the podium.”.

Steve Jenkner #17(LAE UGT 3000), the small German with glasses closed

the race at the eighth place strongly motivated to improve the way to

take the start: “ I want a box of a new clutches a straight and a

training week, so I will learn how to do and take my chance. After the

start I was basically the last rider.”.