Marco Bezzecchi
Aprilia are finding a level of success they’ve not had in years, and it has come down to the performance of one figurehead.
Given the gulf between the two sides, Aprilia have been taunting Ducati all season with their success this season in the championship battle.
And even with Marc Marquez’s brilliant comeback win in Hungary, there is still a huge gap between the two teams and their riders.
Marc Marquez is now 72 points off Marco Bezzecchi after the Hungarian GP 👀 How do you rate his title chances now?
Ducati have been the dominant force in MotoGP for several years, but Aprilia have started to usurp them this season with their performances.
And even though Ducati have the brilliance of Luigi Dall’Igna to rely on, Aprilia’s technical director Fabiano Sterlacchini believes he gives the team exactly what they need to succeed.
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Fabiano Sterlacchini claims he gives Aprilia what they were ‘missing’ to compete for a championship
Aprilia’s technical director, Fabiano Sterlacchini, spoke in a recent interview with Benzine, about the impact he’s had on the team.
Not one for modesty, Sterlacchini claimed that he has been able to bring what was missing at Aprilia, and the team needed him to achieve the results they have this season.
“In a certain sense. In any case, many of the things I do and decide here are the result of a series of ups and downs I’ve had in my training. I must say, the results also speak for themselves.
“But from what I see, what I perceive in my life, history, and in the lives of others within the company. I realise that perhaps I am precisely that thing that was somewhat missing in Aprilia.
“So I realise that I’m more useful than normal in some ways because there was a real need for someone a bit like me to do just that thing.”
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Fabiano Sterlacchini doesn’t want Aprilia to get carried away with current success
Speaking further in the interview, Sterlacchini suggested that he doesn’t take too much stock in the praise he’s received in the last few months, as he doesn’t want himself to get complacent.
“Sometimes I see certain characteristics in myself, but I control myself a lot. You risk getting high on your own success.
“Instead, what led me to do what I did in my life was always to focus so much on creating the conditions to get where I wanted to get to and that was my mantra.”
Even with talk of Marco Bezzecchi’s potential championship win being undermined by the injury issues faced by Marc Marquez, there is no denying just how brilliant he and Aprilia have looked this year.
And even if Marquez at full strength could have hurt Aprilia, the performances from Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin this season have shown just how competitive Aprilia can be going forward.
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