MOTOGP MAKES ITS THAI DÉBUT

A NEW TRACK AND ANOTHER STEP IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE APRILIA RS-GP

Preparation for the 2018 MotoGP World Championship continues with the second test of the season, where the Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing teams will be busy on the Chang International Circuit of Buriram in Thailand. This will be the first time for MotoGP on the relatively new Thai track which is 4554 metres long and was designed by German Hemann Tilke. The circuit is located near the city of Buriram, more than 400 kilometres from the capital of Bangkok.

In the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini camp, the spotlight will obviously be shining on the 2018 Aprilia RS-GP which Aleix Espargaró and Scott Redding introduced for the first time in Sepang. Initial opinions were positive for both riders, but verification on a different and brand new track will be fundamental for growth ahead of the official season start in Qatar.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“The track seemed a bit strange to me, with a lot of straights, but I am confident that we’ll have a good test. For us, it is fundamental above all to put the new RS-GP through its paces on a different circuit in order to have the most possible information and to continue improving it before the season start.”

SCOTT REDDING

“This will definitely be an interesting test on a track that is new to everyone. There will be two goals: to find a good feeling in view of the race and to keep developing the new bike. There are some things that I want to check after Sepang and some other aspects that we will experiment with. I like taking on a new circuit. It’s exciting. At the end of the three days, we’ll have a clearer idea of where we stand.”