The new seamless gearbox makes its debut at Mugello on the Aprilia RS-GP bikes ridden by Bautista and Melandri. Development also continues on the chassis and aerodynamics

Scarperia (Italy), 26 May 2015 – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini is back on the track to take on one of the classic rounds of the season, the Italian Grand Prix on the Mugello circuit. Precisely for the home Grand Prix, the Italian team will use the seamless gearbox in the race for the first time on both of the Aprilia RS-GP bikes ridden by Alvaro Bautista and Marco Melandri.

The new transmission, seamless in downshifting as well, was successfully tested by Bautista in the sessions held 4 May on the Jerez circuit. Positive results encouraged the Noale Racing Division to streamline introducing this solution which, in any case, will not be the only technical change that Bautista and Melandri will be able to take advantage of during the Mugello weekend.

ROMANO ALBESIANO (Aprilia Racing Manager)

“Mugello, with everything that comes with a home round, represents another step in this season of growth for Aprilia. It is a particularly important occasion because right here on the Tuscan track our seamless gear shift system will make its début, available for both our riders. The positive feedback Bautista provided after the tests at Jerez immediately following the Spanish Grand Prix convinced us to speed up development on this solution in order to have it ready to race as soon as possible. As important as the new transmission is, in any case it will not be the only new feature. We have prepared various changes in terms of aerodynamics and chassis as well with respect to the bike that started off the season. All of this is part of our path of improvement which we hope to successfully move forward at Mugello.”

FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager)

“The Italian Grand Prix represents an important round, not only because we’ll be racing in front of our home fans, but also because we’ll be taking a lot of technical changes to the track in various areas of the bike. The Aprilia mechanics have put in a lot of effort preparing these advancements and this is a fine demonstration of the great desire that drives the entire team and the racing division. We are expecting a weekend of hard work, but we are confident that these efforts will soon be rewarded with some nice results.”

ALVARO BAUTISTA

“At Mugello we’ll be taking a lot of technical changes onto the track, beginning with the seamless gearbox that I tested at Jerez with good results, so we are very motivated as we approach this round. We’ll also have some other upgrades available in various areas of the bike, so I’m confident that we’ll be able to take a big step forward. We expect this weekend to be more demanding than usual because we will have a lot of things to test and not much time to do it, but we are ready to work hard. If we manage to find a good setup on a difficult track like Mugello I think this will be helpful to us in the upcoming Grand Prix races as well, so I’m anxious to get onto the track to begin checking the quality of the technical advancements. Our main goal is still bike development, although I won’t hide the fact that achieving a good result in Aprilia’s home Grand Prix would be nice.”

MARCO MELANDRI

“Italians get very excited about the Mugello round, so we always try to achieve that little extra. For us it will be another race in our apprenticeship, although I hope that the new seamless gearbox will provide the advantages we are expecting and consequently allow us to take a step forward. Hopefully it will be able to represent a new starting point for us to continue improving, along with changes to the chassis that may help me to achieve more of a feeling with the bike.”