For Stefan Bradl, things didn’t quite go according to plans during day two of practice.

On the one hand it was possible for the 26-year-old German rider in Aprilia to work out a proper setting for the race though he wasn’t able to set the joker for a hot time attack during Saturday afternoon’s qualifying practice which decided the starting grid for tomorrow’s round four in Jerez. However, P18 on the grid doesn’t make him too worried.

#6 Stefan BRADL (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, Aprilia), Grid position18th – 1´40.835 (7/8):

“Today we continued our programme to test a lot of different things during both free practice sessions. In particular, we were working to try and improve the confidence for the front with the harder option for the front tyre. In the end we found a good setting for the race pace. Anyway, I remain confident because our situation is better than it might seem after qualifying with this poor result. But on the other hand I can’t say that I’m completely pleased because in QP1 I was unable to find a perfect lap. Obviously I would like to start further to the front, but our consistent performance makes me optimistic for the race tomorrow.”

MotoGP™ Qualifying Classification:
1 #46 Valentino ROSSI / ITA / Movistar Yamaha MotoGP / Yamaha / 1´38.736
2 #99 Jorge LORENZO / SPA / Movistar Yamaha MotoGP / Yamaha / 1´38.858 +0.122
3 #93 Marc MARQUEZ / SPA / Respol Honda Team / Honda / 1´38.891 +0.155
18 #6 Stefan BRADL / GER / Aprilia Racing Team Gresini / Aprilia / 1´40.835 +2.099

Stefan Bradl’s Aprilia RS-GP got an aerodynamic update for the Spanish Grand Prix, although the main task for Friday’s session was to evaluate tyre options for the Andalusian track.

Actually, it was just an upgrade in respect to the electronic announced but this afternoon Bradl’s RS-GP prototype appeared with the recently fashionable winglets on the bike’s fairing. This first test was very revealing so far. However, the 26-year-old MotoGP rider and his crew in Aprilia Racing Team Gresini were focussed on tyres for round four. Apart of that, Bradl was able to confirm his increasing form as he finished two times in P15 of the timesheets.

#6 Stefan BRADL (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, Aprilia) FP1: P15 – 1´42.132 (12/18) / FP2: P15 – 1´41.178 (16/19):

“Today we were working mainly with the tyres. However, the situation is a bit complicated, particularly the choice for the front. I definitely cannot say that I’m at 100 percent. But the good thing is that the lap times are not bad although with a few changes to the bike’s setup we’re able to improve further. In any case we must put together all positive things from today, trying to find more grip at the rear and to improve the feeling for the front. For the very first time we tested winglets on our bike today. It was just a first try but I was able to feel some benefits although this are just first impressions.”

MotoGP™ Combined Free Practice Times:
1 #99 Jorge LORENZO / SPA / Movistar Yamaha MotoGP / Yamaha / 1´39.555 (FP2)
2 #93 Marc MARQUEZ / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / Honda / 1´39.900 +0.345 (FP2)
3 #41 Aleix ESPARGARO / SPA / Team SUZUKI ECSTAR / Suzuki / 1´40.093 +0.538 (FP2)
15 #6 Stefan BRADL / GER / Aprilia Racing Team Gresini / 1´41.178 +1.623 (FP2)

Stefan Bradl looks forward to the series start on European soil with special tension.

Meanwhile since years, the Gran Premio de Espana mark the traditional opening round in Europe. In 2016, round four at the 4.4 kilometres long Circuito de Jerez in Andalucia this weekend is the first one before the Championship goes to the triple header in October for its Asia and Australian tour. Stefan Bradl head into this weekend’s Gran Premio packed by two top 10 results achieved recently in Argentina and Texas. But foremost the 26-year-old look forward to the upcoming tasks because of the track’s layout with short straights and a relatively slow average speed around one lap in Jerez. In any case, Bradl is eager to raise his and the package’s form to collect this Sunday a further good points scoring finish.

Jerez de la Frontera to celebrate these days a special jubilee as it is the venue for the 30th time to held the Gran Premio de Espana. Starting time for the MotoGP race is scheduled for Sunday 2:00pm.

#6 Stefan BRADL (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, Aprilia) – World Championship position 14th (15 points):

“The first European race of the season is always something special and at the same time long awaited. I think, Jerez is the best venue for the series start in European as well it is an interesting circuit because it has a completely different layout to that ones we raced so far this year. Overall, the Circuito is a relatively slow track with short straights where the engine power doesn’t play that much role. So this means an excellent agility for our bike which could allow us to take a further step forward with this still young project. I’m really pumped up for the weekend because we will have the support of our European fans for the first time, who always make their presence and warm welcome Jerez to an awesome event. Beyond that, it is to expect that we will get some electronic upgrades because the guys at Aprilia have been working nonstop at the factory.”

MotoGP™ Zeitplan beim GP de Espana (CET):
Freitag, 22. April: 09:55 – 10:40 FP1
Freitag, 22. April: 14:05 – 14:50 FP2
Samstag, 23. April: 09:55 – 10:40 FP3
Samstag, 23. April: 13:30 – 14:00 FP4
Samstag, 23. April: 14:10 – 14:25 QP1
Samstag, 23. April: 14.35 – 14:50 QP2
Sonntag, 24. April: 09:40 – 10:00 Warm Up
Sonntag, 24. April: 14:00 Rennen (27 Runden – 118,8 km)

Daten Circuito de Jerez:
Erstmals Schauplatz des GP de Espana: 1986
Streckenlänge: 4.428 Meter
Streckenbreite: 11 Meter
Längste Gerade: 607 Meter
Linkskurven: 5
Rechtskurven: 8
Beste MotoGP™ Pole-Position: 1´37.910 (2015)
MotoGP™ Rundenrekord: 1´38.735 (2015)
Stefan Bradl‘s Resultate 2015: Startplatz 19 / 16.

MotoGP™ World Standings:
1 #93 Marc MARQUEZ / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / Honda / 66
2 #99 Jorge LORENZO / SPA / Movistar Yamaha MotoGP / Yamaha / 45
3 #46 Valentino ROSSI / ITA / Movistar Yamaha MotoGP / Yamaha / 33
14 #6 Stefan BRADL / GER / Aprilia Racing Team Gresini / Aprilia / 15

Stefan Bradl enjoyed this weekend’s round three at the Grand Prix of The Americas, which he wrapped up with a strong 10th position.

Bradl’s performance and that one of his factory Aprilia RS-GP is still growing. The 26-year-old MotoGP rider was able to build on his superb race finish last Sunday in Argentina. In addition to that, he clearly gained an edge to his teammate Alvaro Bautista during every single session this weekend.

In dry and good conditions, Bradl made the only mistake this time at the start which was a more or less a disaster. However, once he got his rhythm, Bradl performed clever and rode a solid race to finish in 10th position.

#6 Stefan BRADL (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, Aprilia) – 10th (World Championship position 14th, 15 points):

“I’m very pleased and of course I’m happy about my second top 10 result within one week. The race itself was good as well we performed really strong throughout the weekend. However, my start was a disaster. Like Argentina last week, I had this problem with the clutch again. But in comparison to last time I was able to do some practice starts and we also made some changes to this area although I still miss the feeling when I release the clutch. After my bad start I remained calm because I thought to myself it will be a pretty long race. I managed it well and it didn’t take a long time to get my pace. Later, I stuck in with the Ducati’s of Barbera and Pirro. It was clearly to see that I had a disadvantage to them on the straights. I would have been too risky to catch up these three, four tenth in the corners, which we lose on the straights. Beyond that, my front tyre started to drop down at this time, particularly the right side. From this point of view, I tried to bring the points home in a safe way. Overall, it was a good weekend for us. We were able to make steadily progress in respect to the electronics, which means we did a big step in acceleration. Honestly speaking, I enjoyed this weekend a lot because our packages was competitive, despite of our top speed which is still our weak point. However, our package is already good. The bike is easy to handle through the corners and as said, we are making progress with the electronics. We have learned a lot the last days, which was very important for us. In general, I’m quite confident for the future. Above that all, my crew did a great job again and we now go back to Europe packed by two strong results.”

MotoGP™ Grand Prix of The Americas:
1 #93 Marc MARQUEZ / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / Honda / 43´57.945
2 #99 Jorge LORENZO / SPA / Movistar Yamaha MotoGP / Yamaha / +6.107
3 #29 Andrea IANNONE / ITA / Ducati Team / Ducati / +10.947
10 #6 Stefan BRADL / GER / Aprilia Racing Team Gresini / Aprilia / +40.211

MotoGP™ World Standings:
1 #93 Marc MARQUEZ / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / Honda / 66
2 #99 Jorge LORENZO / SPA / Movistar Yamaha MotoGP / Yamaha / 45
3 #46 Valentino ROSSI / ITA / Movistar Yamaha MotoGP / Yamaha / 33
14 #6 Stefan BRADL / GER / Aprilia Racing Team Gresini / Aprilia 15

Next race: 24 April, Circuito de Jerez / Jerez de la Frontera, Spain

Stefan Bradl and his still all-new Aprilia RS-GP are getting more competitive step by step; 16th spot on the grid for tomorrow’s third race of the season at the very technical Circuit of The Americas proves that fact very well.

Bradl and his experienced crew in Aprilia Racing Team Gresini are working tireless to develop the team’s still young project quickly. After his first top result last Sunday in Argentina, things went encouraging too during both days of practice at the Texan circuit. Not just in terms of lap times which Bradl could improve steadily but foremost the German rider and his technicians keep making progress at all. The biggest step achieved this weekend, was to improve the pace with already used tyres towards the end of a race. From this point of view, Bradl is very eager and motivated to head into tomorrow’s third race of the season.

#6 Stefan BRADL (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, Aprilia), Grid position 16 – 2´05.625 (6/6):

“Today’s qualifying was definitely a good one for me. I’m just a bit disappointed about that fact that I wasn’t able to line up my best performance in various sectors. Unfortunate I didn’t found a perfect lap in terms of consistency. Although, during my time attack for a super-fast lap I had to overtake a rider and that cost me a few tenth on the next straight for sure. However, I’m pleased how things went so far this weekend, because we found some good solutions during the practice sessions that allow us to race a high and consistent pace even though with used tyres. In any case I look forward to an interesting race tomorrow. The Aprilia RS-GP is performing well on such a difficult track like this, which means that we are moving in the right direction. We still have a few things to try and sort out during Warm Up, especially the hard option for the rear tyre that we will evaluate. But so far we’re ready for the race.”

MotoGP™ Qualifying Classification:
1 #93 Marc MARQUEZ / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / Honda / 2´03.188
2 #99 Jorge LORENZO / SPA / Movistar Yamaha MotoGP / Yamaha / 2´03.257 +0.069
3 #46 Valentino ROSSI / ITA / Movistar Yamaha MotoGP / Yamaha / 2´03.644 +0.456
16 #6 Stefan BRADL / GER / Aprilia Racing Team Gresini / Aprilia / 2´05.625 +2.368

Stefan Bradl was pleased how things went during both Friday sessions in order to find a rhythm for the challenging Texan track.

In good conditions, Bradl and his crew in Aprilia Racing Team Gresini mainly worked with tyres and some first settings for the demanding and varying layout of the Circuit of The Americas. In doing so the 26-year-old German was able to set decent lap times in both free practice and most important he could lower the gap by less than two seconds this afternoon. However, in comparison to FP1 he failed to finish again in the top 15. Nevertheless, it was an encouraging start into round three.

#6 Stefan BRADL (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, Aprilia), FP1: P14 – 2´07.135 (14/14) / FP2: P17 – 2´05.922 (14/14):

“After our experience made last week in Argentina, I expected to struggle more with the tyres here, but instead I haven’t found any big problems. The track is slightly bumpier in the first section than it had been in the past, but overall I’m quite satisfied with both today’s sessions. Of course there are a lot of small things to sort out and in particular we need to find traction, but I think that if we continue to improve step by step than we’ll be able to find a proper setup for Sunday’s race.”

MotoGP™ Combined Free Practice Times:
1 #93 Marc MARQUEZ / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / Honda / 2´04.034 (FP2)
2 #29 Andrea IANNONE / ITA / Ducati Team / Ducati / 2´04.740 +0.706 (FP2)
3 #25 Maverick VINALES / SPA / Team SUZUKI ECSTAR / Suzuki / 2´04.895 +0.861 (FP2)
17 #6 Stefan BRADL / GER / Aprilia Racing Team Gresini / 2´05.922 +1.888 (FP2)

Stefan Bradl heads into this weekend’s round three at the demanding Circuit of The America with a strong seventh place last time in Argentina in his back bag.

The 26-year-old German MotoGP rider was pleased in only his second race aboard the all-new Aprilia RS-GP to score his first top 10 finish last Sunday. But there was no time for celebrations as the entire grand prix paddock immediately moved forward for the next race in the USA. In Texas, Bradl and his Aprilia Racing Team Gresini to face a particularly tasks now because the 5.5 kilometres long track at the Circuit of The Americas is entirely different to that one’s of the previous two rounds in Qatar and Argentina. Many hard breaking zones and a variety of fast changes of direction are challenges to tackle in terms of a proper setting to the team’s bike. Nevertheless, Bradl is eager to confirm his strong performance last time out at the Argentina track.

Likewise, the South American round, the championship’s visit to Texas is still a young entry to the calendar with the inaugural Grand Prix of The Americas back in 2013.

#6 Stefan BRADL (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, Aprilia) – World Championship position 13th (9 points):

“The result in Argentina last Sunday gives us great motivation. Austin, actually is completely different. The track’s layout there is quite demanding in terms of the bike’s setup. However, we will try and improve session by session as always. But I must say, that I like the CoTA circuit a lot and that I’ve had good results in Texas before. But we’ll see how my Aprilia perform there. For us, every race is like a debut and this gives us the chance to discover new characteristics of the 2016 bike. The growth trend is encouraging and we need to keep going this direction.”

MotoGP™ Zeitplan beim GP of The Americas (CET):
Friday, 8 April: 16:55 – 17:40 FP1
Friday, 8 April: 21:05 – 21:50 FP2
Saturday, 9 April: 16:55 – 17:40 FP3
Saturday, 9 April: 20:30 – 21:00 FP4
Saturday, 9 April: 21:10 – 21:25 QP1
Saturday, 9 April: 21.35 – 21:50 QP2
Sunday, 10 April: 16:40 – 17:00 Warm Up
Sunday, 10 April: 21:00 Race (21 laps – 115.8 km)

Facts Circuit of The Americas:
Frist time venue of the GP of The Americas: 2013
Length: 5.513 meters
Width: 15 meters
Longest straight: 1.200 meters
Left corners: 11
Right corners: 9
Best MotoGP™ Pole-Position: 2´02.135 (2015)
MotoGP™ Lap record: 2´03.575 (2015)
Stefan Bradl‘s Results 2015: Grid Position 14th / DNF

MotoGP™ World Standings:
1 #93 Marc MARQUEZ / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / Honda / 41
2 #46 Valentino ROSSI / ITA / Movistar Yamaha MotoGP / Yamaha / 33
3 #26 Dani PEDROSA / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / Honda / 27
13 #6 Stefan BRADL / GER / Aprilia Racing Team Gresini / Aprilia / 9

The 26-year-old MotoGP rider come home in Sunday’s second race this year in an excellent seventh place.

Bradl was pleased about his first top 10 finish aboard the team all-new RS-GP prototype. Conditions were not easy to handle at any time throughout the weekend. However, conditions got worse due to changed weather with overnight rain. For this reason, the shortly scheduled practice for Sunday morning had to be cancelled as it wasn’t possible to test the option tyre which was foreseen for the race in dry conditions.

Due to this fact and for the possible case of a dry race, race distance was shortened to 20 laps as well one pit stop to swap bikes at halfway point was required. So it happened as the track dried out completely till starting time a 4pm local time. The Gran Premio de la República Argentina was declared as dry race.

For Stefan Bradl, the race started very unfavourable due to lasting clutch issues. But once he found his rhythm and the team decided for an early stop, he got more comfortable and safe in terms of assessing the difficult track conditions. Nevertheless, the remaining distance didn’t run without any problems. Bradl was more than happy to see the chequered flag with a strong result.

#6 Stefan BRADL (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, Aprilia) – 7th (World Championship position 13th, 9 points):

“I’m absolutely happy! Today’s seventh place is a super result for me, for the entire team and for Aprilia. It was such a difficult race, which got underway with serious problems right from the start. We endured issues with the clutch throughout the weekend. For this reason, I wasn’t able to do any practice starts. So from this point of view it wasn’t a surprise that I didn’t leave the line in the right way. The early stages of the race continued in the same way actually so I was forced to slow down a bit after I made some mistakes. I was close to crash several times when the front folded. However, I was lucky to stay on the bike till the end. But I was able to finish my first stint in a decent pace. But then, our strategy with an early stop for changing the bike paid off as the timing was perfect as well it all went smoothly. After that, my pace with the second bike first was good too which was the key to secure the gap to the riders behind me. However, unfortunate I couldn’t push towards the front. For safety reasons, today we run with a higher than usual air pressure on the rear. Although, in our case it increased lap by lap for which I endured massive vibrations from the rear. So I couldn’t push anymore. However, the biggest difficulty today was to remain on the bike without doing any mistakes. As we have seen, some guys crashed out of the race. That said, I’m convinced that we did a very, very good job today. This result is enormous important, not only for me but also for my guys as well for the factory. We had many problems throughout the weekend which of you must solve in the future again but this time we managed it well to overcome that issues. Conditions were definitely quaint and we certainly benefited from some crashes. But as said, first you have to finish before you finish in this position and this of course was the main task today at all.”

MotoGP™ Gran Premio de la República Argentina – Race Classification:
1 #93 Marc MARQUEZ / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / Honda / 34´13.628
2 #46 Valentino ROSSI / ITA / Movistar Yamaha MotoGP / Yamaha / +7.679
3 #26 Dani PEDROSA / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / Honda / +28.100
7 #6 Stefan BRADL / GER / Aprilia Racing Team Gresini / Aprilia / +50.983

MotoGP™ World Standings:
1 #93 Marc MARQUEZ / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / Honda / 41
2 #46 Valentino ROSSI / ITA / Movistar Yamaha MotoGP / Yamaha / 33
3 #26 Dani PEDROSA / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / Honda / 27
13 #6 Stefan BRADL / GER / Aprilia Racing Team Gresini / Aprilia 9

The 26-year-old MotoGP rider was able to report about satisfactory progress after day two of practice at the South American round.

Changed conditions with more ambient temperatures than yesterday was obviously a help for Bradl and the still young project in form of the all-new Aprilia RS-GP. However, Bradl was able to set decent lap times throughout every Saturday’s sessions and to qualify for 16th spot on the grid is a big step forward too in comparison to last time at the opening round in Qatar two weeks ago. In any case, today’s performance underlined the potential of the project but foremost it made good prerequisites for a possible continuation of this steady form rise for tomorrow’s race day. However, there still remaining a big question mark in terms of tyre option for the race.

Due to a rear-tyre failure involving Scott Redding during today’s FP4 session, Michelin has made the decision to not make either rear tyre available for tomorrow’s race, siting concerns for safety. Instead, a special-compound tyre that is brought for such occasions will be introduced. Four of these tyres will be made available to each rider in the MotoGP field. In order for the teams and riders to adapt to the situation, Race Direction has added an extra 30-minute free-practice session before the normal 20-minute warm-up session.

#6 Stefan BRADL (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, Aprilia), Grid position 16th – 1´40.897 (7/8):

“This was definitely the best day with our new RS-GP so far. We made a lot of progress compared to yesterday. But we know that we could be faster if we got all the small details sorted. It was in FP4 where we made the important step forward, particularly where the electronics concerned and with a change to the rear shock. During the Qualifying session our strategy paid off using two new rear tyres. In doing so I was able to set a strong lap time. But now we just need to wait and see how the decision for the tyres will be. We’re quite ready for the race but we need to wait and see how the new tyre will work we will collect for race day.”

MotoGP™ Qualifying Classification:
1 #93 Marc MARQUEZ / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / Honda / 1´39.411
2 #99 Jorge LORENZO / SPA / Movistar Yamaha MotoGP / Yamaha / 1´39.786 +0.375
3 #46 Valentino ROSSI / ITA / Movistar Yamaha MotoGP / Yamaha / 1´39.944 +0.533
16 #6 Stefan BRADL / GER / Aprilia Racing Team Gresini / Aprilia / 1´40.897 +1.486

Extremely hot temperatures and difficult track conditions made it to a tough opening day at the Gran Premio de la República Argentina.

Sweltering and humid heat as well a very dusty track accompanied day one of practices at the South American round today. In case of Stefan Bradl and his Aprilia Racing Team Gresini these circumstances appeared particularly negative as he and his crew struggled a lot to get the tyres to work properly.

#6 Stefan BRADL (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, Aprilia), FP1: P16 – 1´45.519 (18/18) / FP2: P20 – 1´43.892 (11/17):

“This was not an easy day for us. Due to the heat and the dusty track, conditions were anything else than ideal. Particularly, we struggled with the tyres. Mainly it was the front tyre which didn’t work at all and apparently we were the only one to endure this problem. In addition, I felt a significant difference between the two bikes in my garage. However, I think a close view on the data will fix this issue quickly. But for tomorrow I expect improvements overall. I mean that we will be able to setup the bike better as well track condition improves with each session though we have to wait and see how the weather will appear. The forecasts say that the temperature should drop but that case would be a great thing for us.”

MotoGP™ Combined Practice Times FP1/FP2:
1 #93 Marc MARQUEZ / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / Honda / 1´41.579 (FP2)
2 #26 Dani PEDROSA / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / Honda / 1´41.604 +0.025 (FP2)
3 #25 Maverick VINALES / SPA / Team SUZUKI ECSTAR / Suzuki / 1´42.047 +0.468 (FP2)
20 #6 Stefan BRADL / GER / Aprilia Racing Team Gresini / 1´43.892 +2.313 (FP2)