Misano Adriatico, 13 September 2015 - At Misano the true main player of the MotoGP race turned out to be the weather. Starting under grey skies but on a dry track, the riders were forced to make two bike changes during the race: once just a few laps after the start to use the wet setup bike on a rain dampened track, only to go back to the dry configuration in the second half of the race.

The Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders, off the line well when the lights went out, returned to pit lane for the first bike change. Bautista, however, was unable to find the right feeling with the new configuration, struggling more than expected. Bradl also lost confidence in the wet with a bike which was new to him, whereas his feeling on the dry setup was decidedly positive. Once the rain stopped and the track had begun to dry out, it was time for the second change with ten laps to go and both riders in points positions: Alvaro Bautista was lying thirteenth and Bradl was holding on to fifteenth place. Both riders left pit lane after dropping four positions, but with the tarmac drying out more and more, Alvaro and Stefan resumed their pace to come back and finish respectively in fifteenth and sixteenth place.

ROMANO ALBESIANO (Aprilia Racing Manager)
“Definitely a crazy race. Rider instinct on the bike change, which is decisive in these conditions, made a big difference, as well as how quickly they are able to adapt to the new conditions, first wet and then dry again. Especially in the wet we had a bit of a struggle and we missed the chance to have Bradl finish in the points as well. A race like this one is also not very useful from a technical point of view in terms of developing the bike. But overall we gathered a lot of information throughout the weekend and Tuesday we'll be here to work on the bike. We are planning a series of tests, aimed mainly on proper use of the front tyre.”

FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager)
“This was a complicated race and we should probably have brought the riders in a bit sooner to get them on the bike with slicks more quickly. Hindsight is always 20/20 in these situations, but if we had risked a bit more today we would have been able to bring home a better result. We are not entirely satisfied with fifteenth and sixteenth place, but we still brought home another point.”