ALEIX COMES BACK, LAPPING WITH THE SAME TIMES AS THE LEADERS TO FINISH ELEVENTH 13 SECONDS FROM THE PODIUM
A SOLID RACE FOR BRADLEY SMITH AND LOTS OF DATA FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE RS-GP
It was an outstanding race for Aleix Espargaró in Jerez de la Frontera. Starting from the sixth row, the Spaniard moved up no less than four positions during the first lap. His pace, particularly in the second stage of the race, was consistently in the 38.5s and perfectly in line with that of the positions just off the podium. Making up ground lap after lap, Aleix was getting ready to attack Nakagami for ninth and only a contact with another rider while overtaking deprived him of a well-deserved top-10 finish. The narrow gap behind the race winner of just 15 seconds after 25 laps is worth a mention. With the 5 points earned today, Aleix brings his total to 18 - triple what he had at the same race last season.
Bradley Smith rode a solid race, shaking off a bit of rust in the early stages due to his being a tester and not a full-time racer. The Aprilia test rider then found his rhythm, although limited by a less-than-perfect feeling with the front. He battled down to the finish with Oliveira, gaining the upper hand for seventeenth place.
After his bad crash yesterday, Andrea Iannone was unable to take part in the race, with the Medical Centre declaring him unfit. The Italian watched the race with his team from Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s spot along the pit wall.