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The head-to-head between Aldeguer and Ogura has already begun in the winter tests: at Sepang it was the Spaniard on the Ducati who had the better, while at Buriram it was the turn of the Japanese rider on the Aprilia. For Fermin and Ai the apprenticeship is over and soon it will be time to get serious, with the first race of the year in Thailand. Both did not cut a bad figure however in their first contact with MotoGP.
"I think I'm more or less ready because I did a lot of laps at Sepang and also at Buriram, where we will run the first race - was the view of the Team Gresini rider - The feelings in Thailand were different and I have to keep working. I think I'm physically prepared, but it's all new to me and maybe I'll have some surprises at the end of the race. I don't have to think about these things, but about my feelings on the bike, the work to be done."
Ducati has set its sights on Aldeguer and wants to repay the trust, so of course the first challenge is to beat the other rookies. "My goal is to be the best rookie of the year," Aldeguer doesn't hide his intention. "Ogura went well and so did Chantra, but at Buriram Ai made the difference. For now I'm just thinking about myself and we'll see during the season what my level is."
Of course Fermin asked for advice from those who have more experience than him and no one is better than Marquez. "I talked with Marc about everything from riding style to tires. We can talk, but in the end I have to put into practice what we said to each other on the track."
Adapting to the Michelins is the first hurdle to overcome.
"I worked well with the tires, they are different here than at Sepang, but lap by lap I understood how they behave," he explained, "I have to keep adapting, but I'm getting there. When you put on the new tires it feels like you're riding a different bike, I can brake very hard, but I still have to figure out how to exploit the rear for time attack, when I can do that I can take a big step forward."
Ogura also has more or less the same doubts and certainties. "I am happy about our performance. For me the Aprilia is an easy bike for a rookie, at least as far as I am concerned," was his view. The Japanese rider worked methodically and unhurriedly, as befits a rookie. Evaluating his efforts will be the Thai GP.
"Just making laps with your pace is much easier than the time attack, and that's exactly where I struggled in Sepang and yesterday," admitted Ai , "But here it was kind of like I broke the wall and I could find two or three tenths more. , that's the way to go. I worked on braking and you started to see results. I only did Sprint simulations yesterday, but in Sepang I had no problems for the main race distance. After the first race you can see a much better picture."
The new tires were also an area for him to focus on.
"I think it's good. I was struggling on the straight braking, but now I felt much better. The lap time was easier to come with the confidence I now have with the front tire, and the lap time was easier. I think we are adapting slowly, but well," he said, "The tyre is much harder than Moto2, so is much more stable but it gives less information."
