Before the Aprilia World Superbike team went to Aragon for a two day private test, Max Biaggi and Eugene Laverty were in Miami as guests at the Piaggio Group Americas Dealer Convention where the Italian manufacturer announced their plans to open a new Advanced Design Center in Pasadena, Calif.
, to be headed by Aprilia RSV4 designer Miguel Galluzzi and also revealed that the 2012 liquid cooled version of the Guzzi California 1400, as well as their Aprilia SRV850 maxi-scooter, the Vespa 946, and Aprilia Caponord 1200 will be sold in the U.
S.
Talking about the opening round, the two Aprilia riders who left Phillip Island in 1st and 13th in the standings had this to say:“The season started in the best possible way, said Biaggi.
We won Race 1 putting pressure on Carlos Checa and Ducati, pushing him into a mistake, while the comeback from last to second place in Race 2 was without a doubt one of the best performances of my career.
That had never happened to me before.
After the contact with Sykes in the first turn I didn’t think I’d be able to make it, but seeing the good times lap after lap, I gained confidence and pushed to the limit until the chequered flag came out.
These are two results that paid us back for all the work we had done during the weekend and which give us high hopes, because when you start the season winning the atmosphere is positive”.
The feeling with the new team, headed up by Aligi Deganello, also seemed excellent: “If it’s true that ‘well begun is half done’, we are definitely off on the right foot.
We established a good rapport right away with my new crew chief, Aligi Deganello, and with the mechanics, in spite of the little time we had to bring the new team together.
It was important to understand right from the start what I needed and how the team would have to work to help me obtain it.
The results of the first round give us confidence for the rest of the season”.
After the jump Eugene Laverty’s video, which doesn’t need a translation.