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MotoGP, Albesiano: at Phillip Island without testing and with less data

Aprilia was not in Australia over the winter, but the riders are confident: "Finishing in the top-10 is a realistic goal"

Albesiano: at Phillip Island without testing and with less data

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Aprilia is on an upward trend for this season finale and the goal of staying in the Top Ten, announced at the end of the season, is being achieved more and more often. At Motegi, both of the riders succeeded, with Bautista bringing home his best result so far on the RS-GP: 7th under the wire.

Now the men from Noale will have to take on Phillip Island, armed with a confidence boost from recent performance, but also hindered by a handicap. In fact, in February Aprilia abandoned the winter tests in Australia, preferring to have the new bike take its maiden run in Qatar.

Racing Manager Romano Albesiano recalls: “The team did not participate in the IRTA preseason tests at Phillip Island because we went to Doha early for the 2016 bike's first outings. This means that we are arriving on the island with a bit less information than our competitors have. In spite of the forecasts, we will be hoping for stable weather conditions from Friday so that we can put together a suitable set-up. The bike and the entire team confirmed important growth at Motegi, so we are expecting a good race here in Australia too.”

This does not take away from the riders’ enthusiasm, beginning with Alvaro Bautista.

"After the good result in Japan, we are coming to Phillip Island rather enthusiastic - he confirms - The track is fast and demanding, plus the weather does not make things easy, given the strong wind, the generally low temperature and the high chance of rain. This track has special characteristics, different from the standard, so we will need to do a very good job in the practice sessions. It will be important to find that feeling we had in recent races here as well. A top-10 finish is a realistic goal that we need to confirm."

Stefan Bradl is also keen to do well.

"I really like the Phillip Island track - he says - It is completely different from the Motegi track, more flowing and fast without violent braking sections. We will need a rather different set-up and that will be our biggest challenge in Australia. I feel confident. We have built up a certain amount of experience with the R-GP, so we have a clearer idea in terms of what changes to make. The goal is to keep up the good work we have been doing in recent races."

Translated by Jonathan Blosser
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