RNF’s Raul Fernandez was eager to get his hands on the mysterious start 'system' used by the factory Aprilia MotoGP team of Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales, but it has now been 'banned'.
RNF heads for its home Malaysian MotoGP hoping pre-season testing knowledge can boost the chances of Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez but aware ‘heat is not a good friend of the Aprilia RS-GP’.
While Maverick Vinales joined his fellow riders in supporting the decision to cancel Sunday’s Australian MotoGP Sprint on safety grounds, he felt they should have done a sighting lap as a final check of the track conditions.
Aleix Espargaro says brother Pol is ‘happy’ with a revised MotoGP role at KTM next season, which will see him switch from race rider to test and wild-card duties.
After the frustration of another technical DNF in the Sprint, Aleix Espargaro delivered ‘probably my best performance in the wet’ during Sunday’s Japanese MotoGP.
After seeing his MotoGP title challenge fade away during the overseas rounds last season, Aleix Espargaro aims to make amends by breaking into the championship top four at the flyaways this time around.
Currently racing the 2022-spec Aprilia at RNF, Miguel Oliveira got a surprise chance to try the latest factory bike during the recent Misano MotoGP test.
It wasn’t only KTM’s MotoGP riders that got to try a carbon fibre frame during Monday’s Misano test, with Aprilia also making their version of the composite frame available to Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales.
After being caught up in another rider’s accident for the third time this season at the start of the Austrian MotoGP Sprint, Miguel Oliveira’s grand prix hopes were dashed almost as quickly by a ‘strange’ technical issue.
After reaching ‘our record’ front tyre pressure in Saturday’s Sprint, Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro lined up for Sunday’s Austrian MotoGP with his front tyre ‘almost flat’.
Full Qualifying results and grid line-up for the Saturday Sprint and main Sunday race at the Austrian MotoGP at the Red Bull Ring, round 10 of 20 in the 2023 world championship.
Aprilia caused a stir when Lorenzo Savadori was recently seen with a carbon fibre chassis on the RS-GP during a private MotoGP test at Misano.
RNF team boss Razlan Razali insists that Raul Fernandez's MotoGP seat is not only safe for 2024, but that Aprilia then has a further two-year option on the services of the young Spaniard.
Among those waiting to celebrate with Aleix Espargaro in parc ferme after his brilliant 12th-to-1st victory in the British MotoGP were his children Max and Mia.
When Maverick Vinales tore up a big-money Yamaha MotoGP contract and ultimately split from the factory mid-way through 2021, many were questioning if he had made the right move.