Aprilia Racing WSBK- Aragon races

EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE BY SYLVAIN GUINTOLI WHO STRENGTHENS HIS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD WITH TWO SECOND PLACE FINISHES. 

APRILIA LEADS IN THE MANUFACTURER CHAMPIONSHIP. 

LAVERTY, OUT FRONT IN BOTH RACES, IS HELD UP BY A TECHNICAL PROBLEM AND THEN A CRASH. 

Aragon (Spain), 14 April 2013 – Aprilia confirms the lead in all the World SBK standings.

Sylvan Guintoli strengthens his hold on the championship lead with two strong second place finishes and widens the spread between him and the nearest rival to 22 points, now Englishman Davies - double winner at Aragon.

An exceptional performance by the French Aprilia RSV4 rider who has been in the top two for the first four races of the season. In the Australian round he took the win in the opening race and second place (behind team mate Laverty) in Race 2. In Spain he confirms his role as a key player in the championship with two second place finishes. This is a streak that earns him 85 points which put him in the lead of the championship, ahead of Davies (63 points), Aprilia Racing team mate Eugene Laverty (45) and Melandri (43).

As a result of the performance by the French rider and his Aprilia RSV4, Aprilia Racing maintains the Manufacturer Championship lead with 90 points. The Italian bike is followed by BMW (79 points), Kawasaki (49), Honda (37), Suzuki (35) and Ducati (28).

“In the first race I was a bit worried – confessed a smiling Sylvain Guintoli – because I was really struggling, as I had been throughout the weekend. Aragon is perhaps my most dreaded track, so two second places are a really great result. I must thank the Aprilia Team, the engineers and my crew chief, Aligi Deganello, because thanks to them I was able to ride very well in Race 2. The changes we kept making to the RSV4 worked as they should have even if Chaz was really impossible to beat. I'm going to Assen with a lot of confidence. The results today are a perfect way to announce the arrival of my fourth child!”

Eugene Laverty had an incredible weekend, turning up with the championship lead and showing that he was definitely in the run for the win during practice sessions, but having his ambitions slip through his fingers while in the lead for both races. In the first race he was stopped by a mechanical breakdown of the exhaust valve motor while, after leading from the start, he was trying to break away from the pack. In Race 2, in the lead once again, it was a crash – without injury to the rider – that put him out of the race. However, the potential Eugene displayed is assurance of his return as a key player for the Assen round.

“Race 1 was truly disappointing. I was in the lead and had a good pace, but I had already noticed that something wasn't working properly on the bike. I had to stop in the pits which cost me 6 laps, but I knew I could make a comeback in Race 2. Instead, the double starting procedure created some problems for me because the tyres cooled off a bit. In fact I lost the rear first and then the front which caused me to crash. It definitely wasn't the perfect Sunday, but there is still plenty of championship left and I'm encouraged by the fact that I had all the prerequisites, hard luck permitting, to aim for a good result here too”. 

ARAGON WSBK – RACE 1

1. C.Davies - BMW

2. S.Guintoli - Aprilia

3. M.Melandri - BMW

4. J.Rea - Honda

5. L.Baz - Kawasaki

6. J.Cluzel - Suzuki

7. C.Checa - Ducati

8. M.Fabrizio - Aprilia

9. L.Haslam - Honda

10. A.Badovini - Ducati

ARAGON WSBK – RACE 2

1. C.Davies - BMW

2. S.Guintoli - Aprilia

3. T.Sykes - Kawasaki

4. D.Giugliano - Aprilia

5. M.Melandri - BMW

6. L.Baz - Kawasaki

7. J.Cluzel - Suzuki

8. C.Checa - Ducati

9. L.Haslam - Honda

10. A.Badovini - Ducati

RIDER STANDINGS

MANUFACTURER STANDINGS

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