Aleix Espargaro “welcomes” difficult 2024 Aprilia: “Important thing is we are faster”

Aleix Espargaro doesn’t care that the 2024 Aprilia RS-GP is ‘difficult’ to ride: ‘The impo🎃rtant thing is that we are faster’.

Aleix Espargaro, Qatar MotoGP test, 19 February
Aleix Espargaro, Qatar MotoGP test, 19 February

168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Aleix Espargaro says he doesn’t care that the 🐠raft of aerodynamic updates for the 2024 Aprilia MotoGP machine make it more 'difficult' to ride.

Aℱll that matters to the Spaniard is how fasꦉt it is.

And having been the top non-Ducati with fifth at the Sepang te⛦st, then third in Qatar - when he also set a searing Sprint simulation until a fall - Espargaro is giving the new machine a warm welcome.

“It’s not an easy bike. I would say the 2024 is one of the most difficult I have had to ride, but at the same time it is more competitive. So, welcome!🦩” he smiled.

By difficult, Espargaro me☂ans that, “Due to the downforce the bike is quite heavy.

"I don’t know if heavy is t🉐he right word, but to change direction and to throw the bike in [to the corners], sometimes if you don’t have the right grip then you have to force it so much.

“So it is not easy to understand how to do it, but at the end of the day, ♌the important thing is that we are faster.

Aleix Espargaro, Qatar MotoGP test, 20 February
Aleix Espargaro, Qatar MotoGP test, 20 February

“I’m super-happy," he addeꦓd. "It is just testing but I am enjoying a lot this year. I r𝓀eally like the ’24 spec bike. Malaysia and Qatar are completely different circuits, completely different grip and I’m fast.

“For the time attack I n﷽eed to i𝔍mprove a bit but in terms of pace with used tyres I’m very strong.”

Espargaro explained that it’s difficult to pinཧpoint one specific area of progress, but: “The [static] weight of the bike is a bit less. The rigidity of the chassis is a bit different. The aerodynamics is completely different.

“Everything has been updated but the aerody💟namics is obviously the biggest thing you can see.

“Especially in terms of stability, the bike has improved a lot. A lot. With used tyres it is a lot easier to maintain the lap time so this ༺is very good. Just sometimes when there is not a lot of gri😼p, it is difficult to understand how to ride the bike because you have to force it a lot more.”

Otherwise, Espargaro’s only technical concern is engine performance, while it remains to be seen how the ’24 RS🎀🔯-GP will perform in a 'real' race situation.

But as testi🧔ng concluded it was a case so far, so good.

“If youꦛ are fast from the beginning on two completely different tracks [Sepang and Qatar] then thജis is positive. They don’t give points for testing but it is always important to feel good.”

The seasꦦon-opening Qatar Grand Prix starts oꦰn Friday.

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