Aprilia

Aleix Espargaro has said he can view the near future in a positive light once more after gaining ten places in the Australian round of the MotoGP series while racing Aprilia’s updated RS-GP to a promising ninth position.

Eugene Laverty described his first day performance in Qatar as “pretty special” after topping both FP1 and FP3, while showing consistency with a second in the session in between.

MotoGP Race Director Mike Webb has explained the reasoning behind Freddie Spencer’s appointment as the Chairman of the FIM Stewards Panel for 2019, stating the respect commanded by the American will compliment the experience and understanding of racing incidents that he brings to the role.

Not even visiting a personal favourite that suited his bike in the past is a guarantee of a positive weekend, according to Aleix Espargaro, who will have a new Aprilia RS-GP at his disposal for the MotoGP outing at Phillip Island.

Eugene Laverty has said he is “devastated” to learn of Shaun Muir Racing’s (SMR) decision to replace him with Tom Sykes, and believes it will be a struggle to find a competitive spot on next season’s World Superbike grid.

Bradley Smith says the extremely competitive level in MotoGP came out with his last-lap battle against Scott Redding to secure the final point place in 15 th at the first-ever Thailand round as he seeks answers behind pace problems in the first Asia flyaway race.

Scott Redding has revealed he threw up inside his helmet in the closing stages of Sunday’s MotoGP encounter in Thailand as he felt his body was overheating in the draining afternoon temperatures.

Aleix Espargaro took the tyre gamble none of his MotoGP rivals risked, while also going against Michelin’s recommendations, on his way to securing 13 th place for Aprilia in Thailand.

Scott Redding has detailed his reasoning behind the decision to race in the British Superbike Championship in 2019 and ’20, with the World Superbike series very much in his sights for the seasons that follow.

A day after wishing the 2018 season would finish as soon as possible , Aleix Espargaro celebrated 'one of the better days of his career' by matching the best ever MotoGP result for the Aprilia RS-GP.

To say that Saturday at Aragon was a day to forget for the Espargaro family would be a massive understatement. It began with factory KTM rider Pol re-breaking his healing left collarbone in morning practice, sending him back to hospital for surgery.

Aleix Espargaro hopes Aprilia have taken a step closer to understanding their present problems and future direction after being 'immediately fast' on his return to the 2017 RS-GP during a private post-race test at Misano.

Full WorldSBK qualifying results from Portimao

Full Superpole qualifying results for the tenth round of the 2018 World Superbike Championship at Portimao, Portugal. Full Superpole 2 results 1. Eugene Laverty IRE Milwaukee Aprilia RSV4 1m 40.705s

Bradley Smith may have lost his full-time MotoGP ride, but he will be lining up on the grid at the 2019 Qatar season-opener.

Aleix Espargaro has conceded getting up to speed with the new Aprilia engine configuration made it a tricky Friday at Misano while also completing a debut day with his new crew chief.

Scott Redding hopes to have a decision on his future within the next week while his options narrow following Aprilia’s appointment of Bradley Smith as its test rider for next season.

It has been officially confirmed that Bradley Smith will become an Aprilia MotoGP test rider next season.

Bradley Smith has revealed he is edging closer to confirming his role as Aprilia’s MotoGP test rider for 2019 while reiterating a aim of being a full-time presence in the paddock the following year.

As reported , Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro will have a new crew chief from this weekend's San Marino MotoGP with Pietro Caprara parachuted in to replace Marcus Eschenbacher.

Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro will have a new crew chief at this weekend's Misano MotoGP round. Pietro Caprara, technical director and crew chief at the Sky VR46 team before joining Aprilia, is to take over from Marcus Eschenbacher for the remainder of the season.

Former world champions Max Biaggi and Loris Capirossi returned to track action at Mugello with the Aprilia Racers Days event.

Aleix Espargaro would welcome the arrival of Bradley Smith as an Aprilia test and wild-card rider in 2019. The struggling Italian factory is among the teams looking to boost its development programme by signing a test rider with proven MotoGP speed and experience.

Aleix Espargaro arrived in England hopeful that a new chassis can fuel a turnaround after a series of frustrating MotoGP for both he and Aprilia.