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Raul Fernandez was excited to get on the Aprilia. Tomorrow he’ll start his 2023 on the Italian bike with Razali’s RNF team, and he can't wait. Also because the Spanish rider’s debutting season in the MotoGP with KTM was a chapter he wanted to end, in order to start writing another one with better pages.
“I’m very excited. I can’t say how much I want to ride the Aprilia!” Raul smiled. “After a very difficult year, I’m happy to do these tests. I don’t want to go crazy but want a lot of laps to regain confidence. It’ll be my main job. When I succeed, then I can think about being faster, but that’s not my goal right now. Now I have to think about myself and go back to having fun on the bike, because I never did last year. And, when that happens, it’s a difficult situation for a rider to handle.”
How do you feel about the new team?
“I’m very happy with the team and Aprilia. I entered the garage and felt at home. I can’t say why, but it was a completely different situation than in the past. Maybe because Noe Herrera came with me. He had been my head coach in the Moto2. I’m very excited to start working after a long winter.”
Is it that important to have your old boss with you?
“You have to believe in the people around you and, after a fantastic season together, we believe in each other. It’s the confidence that comes from getting good results.”
What was your impression of the Aprilia after the first test in Valencia?
“It was a nice surprise. The bike was easy to ride, and the engine was extraordinary. I can’t explain everything, but I found a very different bike than the one I was used to. The thing that impressed me the most was that the Aprilia isn’t very physical to ride. It's also true that I was coming from a bad weekend. I had fallen and had been in the hospital, so I wasn’t in perfect shape, but I felt really good on the bike.”
Is that what you needed?
“When you have a difficult year, and then you change everything, you breathe a breath of fresh air, and I’m very happy about that. I’ll start from scratch. It’ll be another story.”
Did you get to talk to Espargarò during the winter break?
“I trained a lot on the cross bike, which I like. I tried to have fun and not think too much about the MotoGP. I’m not yet at the point where I can confront Aleix or Maverick. I’m just focused on myself. ”
