The 2019 MotoGP circus heads to Europe and Aprilia once again has three bikes on the grid, as they did for the opening round in Qatar. Bradley Smith and the test team will be working alongside the factory Aprilia Racing Team Gresini that will have ‘first string’ riders Espargaró and Iannone on the grid.

Participation of the third bike in the first Spanish race is another waypoint along the growth path that Aprilia Racing, with a drastically revamped structure for the 2019 season, has defined in order to get close to the leaders, stabilising the positive signs that the fledgling RS-GP project has so often demonstrated. This is why the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini will also be staying on the Andalusian track Monday after the race for a day of testing with the three riders and their respective teams.

Aleix and Andrea will be arriving at this fourth round of the season intent on continuing the growth trend demonstrated in the early tests and opening rounds of the year. Bradley has had the chance to prepare for his second wild card with two days of testing on the recently resurfaced Spanish track. The new asphalt will be precisely the unknown of the weekend, along with the four front and rear Michelin tyres that will need to be assessed in anticipation of the race.


ALEIX ESPARGARO'

"Jerez is a track that I really like a lot and it is also nice to get back to Europe after three races far from home. We have a clear objective which is to battle consistently for a top-10 finish and, given the level of this championship, it is not at all a simple task. We continue working with this goal and that is why we will also be on the track in Jerez on Monday for testing."

ANDREA IANNONE

"We are heading back to Europe, but for me it is still all new with Aprilia, so our approach will remain the same. We learn something new every time we go out on the track. I do not want to make the mistake of doing everything in too much of a rush. Instead, I want to keep growing step by step. I have embraced this challenge and I have all the right motivation to move forward with it."

BRADLEY SMITH

"I'm obviously happy to be back on the track with Aprilia for this wild card. Competing against the other riders is certainly more exciting than watching them on TV from home! We did two tests in Jerez after Qatar, managing to take a nice step forward. I hope that our help will be useful for Aleix and Andrea to have a better approach to the European races."