FEATURE
2016 MOTOGP TESTING AT VALENCIA
P60
A
prilia used the test primar-
ily to test the Michelin
rubber as they will have
an all-new prototype machine for
the Sepang test next February,
replacing the CRT-derived (but
heavily modified) Aprilia RS-
GP machine used in the 2015
season. As a result, no runs
were made on the new control
Magnetti Marelli ECU they must
use in 2016. However, Aprilia will
get another test at Jerez at the
end of this month, and will be
joining Ducati with Dovizioso and
Michelle Pirro on track.
"These were two very intense
days with the big change being
the tires and we still need to do
a lot of work on them," said Bau-
tista. "The rear end performance
is already quite good, but there
is still a lot of room for improve-
ment on the feeling with the front
end. We will definitely have to
change a lot both in terms of
settings on the bike and riding
style. To take the best advantage
of the new tires you have to favor
braking with the bike straight."
Bradl, like Bautista and test
rider Mike di Meglio, was a
victim of a front-end crash on
the French rubber and knows he
has a big job ahead of him to get
the most out of the new tires.
"The Michelins have a very
different feeling than what we
were accustomed to, especially
the front, and that caused a lot
of crashes," said the German.
"So we worked a lot on the bike
setup to try and improve this
feeling and to get the tires to
work as best as possible. We
worked on fork adjustments, ge-
ometries and weight distribution.
We still haven't achieved the
results we had hoped for, but it
was important to begin this job."
Bautista (pictured)
and teammate will be
looking forward to
getting a new bike
at Sepang.
APRILIA RACING
TEAM GRESINI
19
TH
– STEFAN BRADL 1:32.492 21
ST
– ALVARO BAUTISTA 1:32.847
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