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At Sepang he found himself standing in for Martin and Fernandez, who were taken out of action by two crashes that forced both to return to Spain to undergo surgery. Aprilia's official test rider Lorenzo Savadori will be back on track at Buriram since the world champion will still be absent, while at least the Trackhouse team's rider whose return to the track is scheduled for tomorrow will test.
At the back of the pack in Malaysia, in Thailand the Emilian rider will not be thinking about performance as well as he himself confirmed on the eve of the test: "My task here will not be to aim for performance, but on the contrary I will have to do the work for Jorge so that when he returns he can have a good base for the race. The program includes continuing development and analyzing some new parts regarding aerodynamics and electronics."
Asked if he had had a chance to talk with the ex-Ducati rider, the 31-year-old said, "Yes, I talked to him after the shakedown and also after the operation. Of course, we will also talk to each other at the end of this two-day event. How is he doing? He's fine, he's motivated, he wants to get back on the bike as soon as possible. As I said, I will try to prepare a solid base for him so that he can get off to a good start right away."
Differences in riding styles could be an obstacle, however. "Not really because we don't focus on the set-up since it is something personal, but rather on the macro, on the important areas that apply to everyone. We have a lot of things to try and that's what I'll have to do, so that will partly reduce his work in the race weekend when he won't have time to do all these checks," he explained.
Clearly the intention of the Noale manufacturer is to reduce the gap to Ducati. "In my opinion the RS-GP25 is a step forward in terms of competitiveness, but we will have to see in the race. However, a lot remains to be improved," he confessed.
Returning to the accident that occurred in Malaysia to Martinator, the tester cut short: "I wouldn't know what to say. You have to check the data." And about a comparison with the Spaniard's on-track feedback, he concluded just as hastily, "I honestly haven't had a chance to look at it. In the five days of testing I had a lot of new things to try and I was only thinking about myself and the development of the bike."
