Moto GP private testing in Aragon comes to a halt…

A few Claiming Rule Teams (CRT) riders took part in the last Moto GP private practice session on Thursday and Friday at the Motorland circuit in Aragon (Spain). Largely amputated by bad weather conditions, these tests nevertheless allowed Randy de Puniet to refine his Aprilia engine ART..

A few Claiming Rule Teams (CRT) riders took part in the last Moto GP private practice session on Thursday and Friday at the Motorland circuit in Aragon (Spain). Largely amputated by bad weather conditions, these tests nevertheless allowed Randy de Puniet to refine his Aprilia engine ART..

The grain of sand…

With less than a month before the start of the MotoGP 2012 season, every minute spent on the track can be an opportunity to find that last little detail that will make the difference when the lights go out (and come on!) April 6 on the starting grid of the GP of Qatar…

There’s fire for Pirro !

The only rider on a Honda-powered CRT, Michele Pirro, Alvaro Bautista’s teammate at Gresini, is starting to find the time long: for lack of a motorcycle ready on time, the Italian rookie did not take part in any training session. tests and never even rode his motorcycle ! While due to ride this week in Aragon, this Moto2 rider learned that the design of this CRT with an FTR chassis and powered by a CBR1000RR 4-cylinder was still behind schedule … Pirro will now have to deal with it. in a hurry in Jerez on March 23 and 25 during the last offseason tests. A big blow for the Gresini rider who confides that he "never thought of finding myself in this situation when I arrived in MotoGP"… The rookie Danilo Petrucci also had to give up at the last minute on the Aragon tests because his team Ioada Racing Project was in the process of assembling his second final bike, an Aprilia engine CRT equipped with an Ioda chassis..

Especially for the CRTs, these famous "sub-MotoGP" powered by an engine derived from the series installed in a prototype chassis, which are entering the premier class this season..

Relegated to several seconds during the offseason tests (between 3 and 6 seconds per lap depending on the circuits, the bikes and the riders), the Claiming Rule Teams still need development, and therefore time to close the gap with the MotoGP 100% prototypes (read in particular our box opposite).

Under these conditions, the last private practice session which took place last week in Alcaniz (Spain) was eagerly awaited by teams like Power Electronics Aspar, Paul Bird Motorsport or Avintia Racing, which intended to finalize the race. development of their Aprilia engine CRT on the Aragon track.

Unfortunately, strong winds forced Randy de Puniet and his teammate Aleix Espagaro (Aspar), James Ellison (Paul Bird Motorsport), Yonny Hernandez and Ivan Silva (Avintia) to stand on the first day. The Briton and the Italian tried to do a few loops at the end of the morning, but the gusts of wind quickly redirected them to their box !

Two days lost

And the second day was hardly more productive, since the wind of the day before brought a lot of sand on the track while the rather cold temperatures did not allow us to work in good conditions. Result: Randy de Puniet mainly focused on ergonomics and his driving position on his ART (Aprilia Racing Technology) by completing only a few laps.

Ducati launches GP12 on Facebook

Monday March 19 at 1:00 p.m., Ducati offers to attend the world presentation of its Desmosedici GP12 on the. This is a great first for the Italian manufacturer who usually presents its MotoGP at the Wrooom, this gala week organized jointly with Ferrari at Madonna di Campiglio (read in particular). But as the perimeter-frame MotoGP Ducati was not ready at the start of the year, the official baptism was delayed..  The two official Borgo Panigale drivers, Rossi and Hayden, will be present for this virtual launch alongside five privileged fans who will have the chance to follow the ceremony "live".

"I couldn’t really test anything, small modifications, a saddle, and we also confirmed that we didn’t have a ‘dribble’ up front. It’s a shame to have lost two days of testing, but that’s how it is ", explains the resident of Andorra.

Aleix Espargaro focused on the starts, while the Avintia Racing drivers (Silva and Hernadez) mainly worked on their FTR chassis..

Ivan Silva concludes this test with the best unofficial lap time in 1’53.373, a modest performance (Stoner turned in 1’48.451 in the race in 2011) which should however be taken with a lot of tweezers given the very bad track conditions..

The returning James Ellison for his part stopped his program at midday, following a high side from which he fortunately escaped without physical damage..

The former Tech3 rider (in 2006) will continue the development of his ART team Paul Bird in Jerez on March 23 and 25 during the last official tests, in which all MotoGP riders will participate this time. To follow naturally on Site: stay connected !

Rossi and Hayden will try to return to the forefront in 2012

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