HIGH AMBITIONS FOR ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
SAM LOWES ENCOURAGED BY AN IMPROVING SENSATION
The Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas brings back pleasant memories for Aprilia. In 2016, the début year for the new Italian MotoGP bike, it was at the COTA that two RS-GP machines finished in the points. But recent history would indicate that the third race of this season can be approached with even higher ambitions. The 2017 RS-GP machines have shown tangible progress in the first two rounds, placing consistently with Aleix Espargaró among the group of riders battling for a top-6 finish.
In Argentina, only an unlucky crash kept Aprilia Racing Team Gresini and the Spanish rider from a grand finish to a weekend where they had been protagonists up to that point.
So this is the situation as the American MotoGP weekend kicks off on the spectacular 5.5 km COTA track. A complete circuit that demands a lot of work on the setup in order to achieve the best possible compromise. An indicative test bench for the 2017 Aprilia RS-GP.