The Aprilias did exceptionally well on the first day of practice at the Red Bull Ring ahead of the Styria GP scheduled for Sunday.
The RS-GPs took to the track with light blue winglets and badges in the Italian colours to celebrate the victories, from the Euro football cup to the Tokyo Olympics, which are making this summer an unforgettable one for Italian sports. The special livery, dedicated to all Italian athletes, did indeed bode well for an extremely positive first day of practice for the Aprilia riders.
Both with the Austrian track dry in the morning and in wet conditions during the afternoon session, Aleix Espargaró and Lorenzo Savadori were protagonists, riding their RS-GP machines to the top of the standings.
With the sun shining and in ideal asphalt conditions in the morning, Aleix finished with the third-best time (1’24.183), confirming the progress of the RS-GP which was competitive on a track that has traditionally been difficult for it. In the final stint, with new tyres, Aleix turned a series of fast laps that kept him in the running for the top spot all the way until the end, where he finished third, just 37 hundredths from the provisional pole position time.
In the afternoon FP2 session, conditions changed completely due to the rain. In wet conditions, Lorenzo Savadori was the one who shone. The Italian rider took full advantage of his skills in poor grip conditions, taking first place with a time of 1’31.304. Aleix also did well, finishing fifth just 927 thousandths behind his Aprilia Racing Team Gresini teammate.
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