FEATURE I 2022 FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
P92
APRILIA
The continued growth of Aprilia was one
of testing's big takeaways. Not only was
Aleix Espargaro second aboard the new
RS-GP in Malaysia. Maverick Vinales was
able back-up, posting the fifth-fastest
time.
"The '22 bike is not super different from
last year's bike," said Espargaro. "It's just
a little bit better everywhere. I feel that
we are strong." Aprilia has narrowed the
frame of the machine, leading Espargaro
to comment that it felt like "sitting on
a Moto2" bike. Agility and handling are
even better than before, an impressive
feat considering its 90-degree V4 engine
layout. "I was behind Aleix half a lap and
the turning potential of the bike was a lot,"
commented Quartararo at Sepang.
Top speed wasn't far off the Ducatis
either, meaning Aprilia is well placed to
build upon a positive 2021, which saw
them score a first premier-class podium in
20 years and finish less than 10 seconds
behind the victor on eight occasions (from
2002-'20 it happened just four times).
Vinales remains something of an enig-
ma. He's been fast over one flying lap and
insists he is still finding the limits of the
RS-GP. "I'm having some issues but I'm
still able to be fast. I'm really happy that
I'm not at the maximum and the lap times
are there," he said. No expense has been
spared. Factory bosses hired personal
trainer Fabrizio Maganzi—formerly with
F1's Fernando Alonso—to condition the
Catalan away from the track. For the first
time in the four-stroke era, Aprilia now has
two potential podium runners in its ranks.
Can Aprilia finally
turn preseason
promise into
consistent podiums
and perhaps that
long awaited
race win? When
everything clicks,
Maverick Vinales can
be fast and he's yet
to fully unlock the
RS-GP's potential.
