Laverty and Guintoli on the pace at Jerez private test
The start of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island was definitely a confidence booster for the Aprilia Racing Team and its works riders Eugene Laverty and Sylvain Guintoli. The long break before Aragon allowed the Italian team to work on the RSV4, a package which has proven to be in just as competitive as its riders, although there is always room for improvement.
The testing session organised at Jerez de la Frontera that ended today plays an essential role in the balance of this first leg of the championship. Both riders agree that the 2013 advancements are positive, demonstrating their confidence for the upcoming races without overestimating the outstanding Australian result. The Aprilia Racing Test Team was present at Jerez with test rider Alex Hofmann.
Looking at numbers, Eugene Laverty put in 140 laps with his best performance clocking in at 1'41.47, while Sylvain Guintoli completed 121 laps, setting a best lap time of 1'42.79.
"We certainly got off on the right foot at Phillip Island" confirmed Gigi Dall'Igna, Aprilia Racing Technical and Sport Director "with results that provide us with confirmation of the good job we did over the winter break. However, in the racing world if you snooze you lose, especially if you base everything on a single, albeit excellent, result. We are fully aware that not every weekend will be like the one in Australia, so we will keep working on the RSV4 and testing new solutions that will allow us to gain some precious tenths of a second."
"These tests are also important for the riders" he continued. "A long break between the first and second round could lead to a drop in tension. I must say that Eugene and Sylvain are two great professionals. They are very skilled at enhancing and developing the work done by our engineers and mechanics. This is an excellent calling card for the rest of the season."
