WSBK, ROUND 3 - ARAGON

RACE 2

It was another double points finish for Milwaukee Aprilia riders Eugene Laverty and Julián Simón in a tough Race 2 at Aragon on Sunday

After both scored well on Saturday, they lined up in Race 2 aiming to build on their results. Eugene, starting 5th via the reversed grid rules, made a good getaway and ran as high as second as he diced with Alex Lowes and Michael Van Der Mark. He again used the Aprilia RSV4 RF horsepower to full effect, but as he struggled with his braking he was unable to maintain his pace consistently. After a tense battle with Jordi Torres and Xavi Fores, Eugene eventually settled into his final position of 9th.

Julián built on his first Superbike race experience from Saturday to deliver a strong performance in Race 2. After a slow start and high winds at the track initially held his progress back, he soon found his rhythm and began his march towards the points. Running just outside the points for half of the race, Julián got stuck into a thrilling battle with Randy Krummenacher and Markus Reiterberger for the final points positions. He executed some strong passes and managed a good pace on his way to finishing 15th.

The team now have an important day of testing at Aragon on Monday, where they will make full use of the weekend's data to improve the RSV4 RF ahead of Round 4 at Assen. With teammate Lorenzo Savadori sidelined by injury, Eugene will be the only Milwaukee Aprilia in action and will take advantage of his experience this weekend to progress.

Mick Shanley, Team Manager
Another difficult race for the team today. Eugene got away well at the front initially, but it's clear to see at the moment we're having an issue running with the guys at the top of the field. I want to say thank you to Julián, he's been a brilliant stand-in rider at such short notice. He improved every time he got on the bike and had two solid race results, and I wish him every success in the future. It's a really important day for us tomorrow with the test. We'll be trying various strategies and things that we need to rectify the issues we're having, and hopefully we'll have a clear direction at the end of tomorrow.

Eugene Laverty #50 / Grid - 5th / Race - 9th, 7 points
It was a tough weekend overall, and I did what I could today to bring it home with some decent points. At the start I was up to 2nd and was up for a good fight, but the other guys just rode around me. The wind was really bad out there too and it affected all of us. I was getting pushed wide by it a few times and they were difficult conditions to ride in.
At the moment we don't have a bike we can fight with, there's something that we are missing. We need to find lap time as soon as we can, and I'm struggling to get it stopped and turned.
There's an underlying issue, but with a test day tomorrow I think we can get to the bottom of it and hopefully get the bike where we need it..

Julian Simòn #3 / Grid - 17th / Race - 15th, 1 point
Today was a difficult ride for me. There was a lot of wind in the first and second sectors, and it was hard for me to find the same rhythm as yesterday.
Even though it was harder than Race 1 I was able to have a battle with Krummenacher and Reiterberger, and I was strong in the third sector where the wind was less.
I am really happy with the whole experience this weekend. I improved every session and to get points in both races is fantastic. I just want to say a big thank you again to the whole Milwaukee Aprilia team for the support.

RACE 1

Milwaukee Aprilia riders Eugene Laverty and Julián Simón brought home a double points haul in Race 1 at Aragon in a close-fought race

Starting in 9th after a solid Superpole 2 performance, Eugene was in the thick of the action as the lights went out at Motorland Aragon. For most of the race he was involved in a tight battle with Stefan Bradl and Nicky Hayden, with Eugene coming out on top as he made full use of the Aprilia RSV4 RF's impressive horsepower to finish 8th.

WorldSBK debutante Julián Simón, starting 17th in his first race on a 1000cc bike, was involved in his own fight for points. After seeing off stern challenges from Randy Krummenacher and Alex De Angelis, Julián battled admirably to finish 13th with 3 points.

The team will now analyse and evaluate the data gathered from Race 1, and will put it to full effect to build on their progress in Sunday's Race 2.

Mick Shanley, Team Manager
It was a difficult race for the team. With Eugene, both the team and certainly himself expect to be closer to the front. We need to analyse the data thoroughly and work out why we're losing out in the lap times to the front guys.
Julián did really well in his first race on a 1000cc bike, he's gaining experience every lap and moving forward. It's good to see him enjoy riding the RSV4 RF, and I'm sure he can have another good race tomorrow.
We have a good idea of what we need to improve to help the rider. Aprilia are working hard on this to test in morning warm up ready for Race 2, and hopefully we'll have a better result for both riders.

Eugene Laverty #50 / Grid - 9th / Race - 8th, 8 points
It was a really tough race. P8 is more than I thought I'd get at one stage, but I managed to stay ahead of the group behind me and had a good fight with Bradl and Hayden.
I struggled with the braking which made overtaking hard; I was able to use the Aprilia's horsepower well on the straights, but the braking is something we need to address for Race 2.
We've got time tonight and tomorrow to look at the bike and evaluate where we are missing out. If we can solve our issues from today then I'm confident we can deliver a stronger result on Sunday.

Julian Simòn #3 / Grid - 17th / Race - 13th, 3 points
I am really happy with how the race went. When I was on the grid I didn't expect much from the race, but I wanted to enjoy it and to get points on my debut is great.
At the start it was difficult to find a good rhythm, but after a few laps the bike was feeling good and I could push hard. I made some small mistakes in the first and last corners, but I came back and made some good passes on Krummenacher and De Angelis.
Tomorrow I hope we can improve the feeling on the bike and get a better result, and I would like to say thanks again to SMR and Aprilia for the support.