Published Apr 27, 2026 by Michael Le Pard
| MARCO BEZZECCHI THIRD, JORGE MARTÍN NINTH. TRACKHOUSE MOTOGP TEAM ALSO PERFORMS WELL WITH OGURA FIFTH AND FERNÁNDEZ SEVENTH |
| The opening day of track action at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto ended on a positive note for Aprilia Racing, which put four RS-GP26 bikes directly into Q2, something not achieved since Aragón 2024.
Marco Bezzecchi finished fourth in FP1 and third in practice, securing direct access to Q2. Jorge Martín also progressed directly to Q2: despite a crash in practice at Turn 13, from which he escaped unhurt, he finished ninth. However, he will receive a three-place grid penalty for Sunday’s long race for dangerous slow riding. Lorenzo Savadori, appearing as a wild card and working on the development of the RS-GP26, ended the day in twenty-second place.
The performance of the Trackhouse MotoGP Team riders is also worth highlighting: Ai Ogura finished fifth and Raúl Fernández seventh, both qualifying for Q2. |
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Overall, it was a good Friday. It is always important to secure direct access to Q2. I am fast, but not yet as fast as I would like to be. In any case, the start beat expectations, considering the difficulties we encountered on this track last year. |
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The team did an excellent job: we achieved our goal, which was to get into Q2, despite the crash. I feel good on the bike, but I struggle a little more with the soft tyre: it is mainly a matter of confidence. We need to figure out how to improve with this tyre, because it will be decisive. |
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I am pleased to see all four Aprilias in Q2. It was a positive day for me: some solutions worked better and may help us in future, others a little less so, but we are still close to the factory riders in terms of pace. |
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It is certainly a good result to have all four Aprilia riders in Q2, but we need to keep working because there are still some sectors of the track where we need to improve, both for Marco and Jorge, so that we are ready for Saturday’s sprint. |
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Michael Le Pard (“Mr. Totalmotorcycle”) is the Founder of Total Motorcycle, the world’s largest motorcycle information site, trusted by over 430 million riders since 1999. With over 34 years of experience in motorcycles, gear and rider culture, he has built a global community dedicated to empowering and inspiring motorcyclists.
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