APRILIA RACING TESTS AT JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA EUGENE LAVERTY AND SYLVAIN GUINTOLI BUSY WITH TWO DAYS OF TESTING IN ORDER TO BE FULLY PREPARED FOR THE NEXT RACE WEEKEND AT ARAGON. Jerez de la Frontera, 15 March 2013 – The start of the World Superbike season at Phillip Island in February was definitely reinforcement for the confidence of the Aprilia Racing Team and its standard bearers, Eugene Laverty and Sylvain Guintoli. Two wins, full spoils in the manufacturer championship, a tie for the leadership of the rider championship and the high level of competitiveness also demonstrated by the satellite team bikes are reason for high hopes in the 2013 season. The long break before Aragon (14 April) allowed the team from Veneto to work on the RSV4, a package which has proven to be in just as good condition as its riders, but there is always room for improvement. This is exactly why the testing session organised at Jerez de la Frontera that ended today plays an essential role in the balance of this first leg of the championship. The Aprilia RSV4 has not been radically modified since last season, but it has undergone a targeted evolution to make fine tuning easier and to make it less susceptible to variations in weather conditions, affecting only the chassis set-up and the electronics. Both riders agree that the 2013 advancements are positive, demonstrating their confidence in view of the upcoming races but without overestimating the extraordinary Australian result. The Aprilia Racing Test Team was also present at Jerez, along with test rider Alex Hofmann. Looking at the numbers, Eugene Laverty put in 140 laps with his best performance clocking in at 1’41.47, while Sylvain Guintoli took 121 laps, putting in a best time of 1’42.79. “We certainly got off on the right foot at Phillip Island – confirmed Gigi Dall’Igna, Aprilia Racing Technical and Sport Director – with results that provide us with confirmation of the good job we did over the winter break. However, in the racing world if you snooze you lose, especially if you base everything on a single, albeit excellent, result. We are fully aware that not every weekend will be like the one in Australia, so we will keep working on the RSV4 and testing new solutions that will allow us to gain precious tenths of a second. These tests are also important for the riders. A long break between the first and second round could lead to a drop in tension. I must say that Eugene and Sylvain are two great professionals. They are very skilled at enhancing and developing the work done by our engineers and mechanics. This is an excellent calling card for the rest of the season”. More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: Jerez de la Frontera, 15th March 2013. The BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team conducted another two days of testing at Jerez de la Frontera in southern Spain. Thus, the team made use of the long break between the first two rounds of the 2013 FIM Superbike World Championship. From the Superbike team, it was factory rider Chaz Davies (GBR) who was on duty on his own, as his team-mate Marco Melandri (ITA) is recovering at home from the shoulder surgery he underwent after the season opener at Phillip Island (AUS). In total, Chaz completed 489 kilometres of testing (114 laps) on Thursday and Friday. The squad mainly worked on electronic strategies in order to further improve the rideability of the BMW S 1000 RR. Weather conditions were good on both days, with sunny skies and mild temperatures from the late morning until the afternoon. The Superbike team was joined by the Superstock squad, with riders Sylvain Barrier (FRA) and Greg Gildenhuys (RSA) using the test to prepare their new BMW HP4s for the 2013 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup. This series starts at the second round of the FIM Superbike World Championship, which will be contested at the Spanish Motorland Aragón circuit from 12th to 14th of April. In early April, the Superbike and the Superstock teams will conduct more days of testing at Aragón. Chaz Davies: Bike: BMW S 1000 RR “We accomplished a lot of work over the last two days and it was a very productive test. We fully focused on working on the electronics and tested a lot of new strategies. It was really interesting and we came up with solutions that have a lot of potential. There is some more work needed but we have another test in a couple of weeks. I think all was very positive, everybody has worked well and I am reasonably happy.” Marco Melandri: “My recovery is proceeding well and according to plan. I am training in the pool and – carefully – in the gym. Overall, I am satisfied. Some movements that caused pain before the surgery are no longer a problem. I still have some bone pain, but that is normal after the operation. Now I have to work on fully recovering the joint and the muscle tone. Yesterday I had an ultrasound examination and a visit to Dr. Porcellini, and he was positive as well. Unfortunately I could not join the team for the tests but we are regularly in touch so I was constantly updated on how the tests proceeded and which solutions they were finding.” Stephan Fischer (Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport): “The team is very happy with the test. It was clearly defined as an R&D and not as a performance test. Our intention was to confirm on track the strategies we had developed in theory and we were able to achieve this. Also Chaz’ feedback was broadly positive. The data we gathered will now form the base for the next tests, when we will also continue our work regarding the performance. The Superstock team had two productive days of testing, too. The squad collected important information for the work with the BMW HP4. In the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, the new bike will be raced regularly in an international championship for the first time.” Serafino Foti (Sport Director BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team): “The good weather conditions we had during our two days of testing Jerez allowed us to make a very good job. We were able to do on-track testing of new strategic solutions from our R&D department. They are doing an excellent job in developing the bike. In early April, we will continue testing and all of us wish Marco to get well soon; we hope to see him back with the team already at this test.”