One of the aspects that Aprilia riders have been asking for more progress in is the start. In yesterday’s test at Jerez, the manufacturer introduced new solutions, but according to technical director Romano Albesiano, it will still take some time to bring them to the races.
The engineer explained that the equipment needs refinement: ‘It will take some time, because there’s still something to be improved – not in the start, but in the riding conditions. In the starting phase there’s definitely an improvement’.
Naturally, riders want to have better means than their opponents. However, Albesiano emphasized that this is not an easy task, despite Aprilia making considerable improvements in the starting phase:
– What the rider is asking is actually to be better than the others. So when the qualifying is not super good like it was here unfortunately, you have the opportunity to recover. But everybody is pushing a lot, so even if we improve, we are doing unbelievable numbers in terms of starting time, but everybody is doing so. So it’s difficult.
The Italian added: ‘We have to push, push, push, you improve, and you are at the same level as the others. Except KTM which is probably one step ahead, I think we are OK, but it’s not enough to recover a lot of positions in the start. We are working for it’.