WSBK – WSBK 2017: Laverty back on an Aprilia RSV4 – Pre-owned APRILIA

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WSBK 2017: Laverty back on an Aprilia RSV4

WSBK - WSBK 2017: Laverty back on an Aprilia RSV4 - Pre-owned APRILIA

After two years of fighting in the MotoGP peloton, Eugene Laverty finally escapes to the World Superbike! There he will find the handlebars of a factory Aprilia, prepared in 2017 by the Milwaukee team. Objective: the world title, finally !

Eugene Laverty is one of the world’s best motorcycle racers. Third in the British Supersport Championship in 2006 – behind Cal Crutchlow and Tom Sykes, then as little known as him – the Irish driver immediately tried his luck in GP250, without success..

In World Supersport, on the other hand, "Youdjine" suddenly got up to speed: after two solid freelances as a replacement for our national Fabien Foret within the official Yamaha team, he only lost in the WSSP general classification by 7 points. against Cal Crutchlow in and 11 points against Kenan Sofuoglu in …

Then mounted in World Superbike, the sympathetic "elf" also finished second in the championship after a magnificent second season on Aprilia (see statistics below). He was then 23 points less than the Ninja Tom Sykes and 22 more than his teammate Sylvain Guintoli, crowned on the same RSV4…

Discarded in 2014 from the official Aprilia team in favor of the more "bankable" – but more irregular! – Laverty has since fought to enter the Top 10: in WSBK on an old Suzuki first, then in MotoGP on the disappointing

Mounted in the premier class to fight against what he considers to be the three best drivers in the world, Eugene never had the opportunity to do so, in concrete terms. This is what he explained very recently to our British colleague Adam Wheeler, from the online magazine OTOR…

"I run with them on the same track", admits this big fan of cycling in his. "I really wanted to measure myself against these guys to see how I would do it, but without having the same material, how to find the half or the three-quarters of a second that you miss in front of a guy who is already maybe the fastest driver in the world? "he still wonders today….

Hence his decision to rejoin the ranks of the World Superbike in 2017 with a competitive machine prepared by a serious team: Eugene will drive a factory Aprilia RSV4 next year, within the Milwaukee team, who won the British Superbike in 2014 with Josh Brookes and Yamaha, present in WSBK for a year with the same rider and BMW.

"I am excited to be back in World Superbike with Aprilia," said Laverty. "I had a lot of success in this category and it was a good period." On average, Eugene has indeed finished a third of his Superbike races on the podium (33 out of 104) and 13 times at the top..

“During my two years in MotoGP, I learned a lot,” also makes a point of positively promoting the current Ducati Aspar rider, 11th in the 2016 provisional classification. “There have been difficult times, of course, but I have improved a lot. as a pilot and I am looking forward to a new stage in my career ".

The 30-year-old’s goal is clear: "I’m really motivated, because over the past two years it’s been a different style of brawl. I’ve been in the middle of the pack, looking to progress. So, coming back with a Factory Aprilia with which I have the chance to win races and the world title is a different mindset for which I am really prepared ".

This is also what Shaun Muir, big boss of the Milwaukee team, is looking for, who is about to change his bike for the third year in a row and still wants – or precisely, thanks to this … – to shift into high gear..

"Signing for three years in WSBK allows you to take your time", recently appreciated the future boss of Eugene at the microphone. "We weren’t up to the task this year, we recognize that and we have never underestimated the challenge and the championship".

"We knew the challenge was up," insists Mister Muir, "and we received enormous support from Dorna, their teams especially in terms of logistics, but we were penalized at the start because we did not decide that last November, leaving us very little time to test before taking off for Australia ".

Like the excellent Althea team – titled with Ducati and Checa in! -, the Milwaukee team failed to exploit the supposed "Kolossal" potential of the S1000RR, Josh Brookes and Karel Abraham struggling to pass the SP1 jump-off in practice and exceptionally finishing their race in the "Top 10"…

By partnering next year with the Noale plant, the Milwaukee team should this time be able to achieve its objectives which, despite a first year below expectations, remain perfectly clear in the mind of the team. manager: "appear regularly in the Top 8 and play the podium".

Shaun Muir even goes a step further: "There are two factory teams currently leading and we must end this hegemony. This first season was for us a learning year, on which we intend to capitalize to attract top pilots who will lead us to the forefront ".

Site in turn goes a little further: it would be good for the whole discipline to kick the British drivers (English, Welsh or Northern Irish, follow our gaze …) off the WSBK podiums, right ?! Last year, the British had won 65 "medals" out of the 78 put into play. This year, they are at 41 out of 54…

With Eugene Laverty therefore, the Aprilia Milwaukee team offers itself the services of a very great driver, capable of overtaking Marco Melandri from the outside (during the!), To ensure Max Biaggi a second WSBK title (in ) and above all to win the title next year.

One goal: to become world champion

Provided of course that the Aprilia RSV4 finds its best level: the bikes entered this year by the Iodaracing team and entrusted to Superstock 1000 champion Lorenzo Savadori and former MotoGP rider Alex de Angelis are not at the level of the Ninja and Official panigale.

"Next year will be really exciting," says the Irishman. "There are a lot of good riders now and there will be more next year with Stefan Bradl coming from MotoGP and myself. It will be really competitive. Of course Jonathan Rea is the world champion and leading the title race. today. He will be hard to beat, but many are motivated to beat him. ".

"I come back with only one goal: to become world champion", concludes the n ° 50 … that we would dream of associating with another n ° 50, French this time, but just as eager to find the outposts , eager to beat the British and motivated to (re!) become world champion: !

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