Difficult Saturday for Aprilia Racing in Le Mans

May 10, 2025 Michael Le Pard News

Published May 10, 2025 by , Editor‑in‑Chief

MARCO BEZZECCHI SEVENTEENTH AFTER AN OFF-TRACK EXCURSION, LORENZO SAVADORI EIGHTEENTH
The sprint race at the Le Mans Bugatti Circuit ended with Marco Bezzecchi in seventeenth place after running long on turn 8, whereas Lorenzo Savadori, called on to sub for the injured Jorge Martín, finished behind him.

Marco Bezzecchi demonstrated positive signs during Q2, earning a promising seventh spot on the starting grid thanks to an outstanding flying lap – a result that confirms the progress he has made in time-attacks. Bezzecchi started well and with great determination, making up one position at the end of the first lap. Nevertheless, after going long on turn 8 during the third lap, he wound up at the back of the group, compromising his chances of achieving a significant result. After running long, we should point out that, just like in Jerez, Bezzecchi turned laps at times in line with the top riders.

Lorenzo Savadori, busy developing the RS-GP25, continued his work fine tuning some new upgrades rested in the race, finishing eighteenth.
Just like in the Jerez race, unfortunately I went long braking on turn 8, ending up in the gravel and losing any chance of achieving a good result. We need to analyse the data to see if I can do something different in my riding style, trying to remedy the movement of the bike. The problem comes up especially when I’m in another rider’s slipstream. I struggle to brake and the bike moves around, whereas when I’m by myself, I’m able to stress it less. Unfortunately, it was a mistake, so all I can do is keep working.
The start of the sprint race did not go at all badly and then, as the race progressed, my times got higher. In any case, we made some steps forward, for example with the aerodynamics, with some upgrades. The bike is improving and this is positive. We are also working on multiple fronts to try to give Marco greater comfort in the braking stage.
It was a sprint race below expectations, especially considering Marco’s good performance, doing the fourth-best lap of the race. We are beginning to see encouraging signs in terms of performance. Both in qualifying and in the race when it’s time to attack, we are undoubtedly encountering some difficulties. We need to keep working so that good performance translates into a good result. As for Lorenzo, we are continuing to make progress with the various developments to achieve the performance we’re talking about. Despite not having much time to test during the weekend, the data gathered is proving to be extremely helpful.

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