The summer break came to an end at the Motorland circuit in Aragon, where Alvaro Bautista and Michael Rinaldi underwent two days of testing ahead of the final phase of the season, scheduled for next week at Magny-Cours (France).
After the first day with sub-optimal track conditions and the tricky wind that prevented the riders from getting the best out of the session, both Alvaro Bautista and Michael Rinaldi were able to ride more consistently today.
Bautista completed 91 laps to close with the second fastest time (1’49.169), 67 thousandths behind Rea (Kawasaki), while Rinaldi (72 laps completed) posted a time of 1’50.094 to finish fifth.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing #Ducati 1)
“Today the feeling with the bike was definitely better than on the first day, also because the wind was much lower. We did a good job trying new solutions on the front end to improve the bike, especially in braking areas. We gathered some important data, even though maybe our expectations were higher, but it’s clear that the non-optimal track conditions combined with the wind didn’t allow us to express ourselves at our best. Anyway, I am very satisfied with the work we did with the team.
Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #21)
“We did a good job even though the conditions were quite complicated on the first day of testing. I think, however, that we collected data that can be very useful not only for the Aragon Round but also for the end of the season. We focused on the set-up work rather than the fast lap. I am looking forward to Magny-Cours.”
WorldSSP
Intense work also for Nicolò Bulega and the Panigale V2 of the Aruba.it Racing team: the rider closes the two days at Aragon with the best time of 1’53.941
Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WSSP #11)
“In terms of lap-times, I can’t express myself because we didn’t have many references being only two WorldSSP riders riding together with the other WorldSBK riders. Maybe I was expecting something more but we also have to consider that the track conditions were not the best. Anyway, we worked hard to improve for the next rounds and that is what matters.”
