Story Highlight
– Aprilia suffered two engine failures in FP1 session.
– Jorge Martin’s bike emitted smoke early in practice.
– Raul Fernandez’s bike leaked oil and coolant on track.
– Team manager cites usage of older engines for issues.
– Both riders completed Friday without further problems.
Full Story
Aprilia’s debut at the Balaton Park Circuit in Hungary was marred by an unexpected turn of events during the MotoGP’s first free practice session. In a puzzling occurrence, both Jorge Martin and Raul Fernandez suffered engine failures just minutes apart, raising concerns within the team and among fans.
The session kicked off with excitement, but it quickly turned into frustration for reigning champion Jorge Martin. Shortly after the green light, smoke began to billow from his motorcycle, prompting him to bring the bike to a halt in the gravel trap. This incident highlighted not only the challenges of the new circuit but also raised questions about the machinery’s reliability.
However, the troubles didn’t end there. Just moments later, Raul Fernandez’s Aprilia also encountered significant issues entering Turn 5, resulting in a substantial oil and coolant leak on the track. This necessitated a prolonged yellow flag period to clear the surface, contributing to a disrupted session for all teams.
Team Manager Paolo Bonora addressed the media swiftly following the incidents, indicating preliminary investigations suggested the failures stemmed from distinct causes. “We need to analyse these two issues further. They likely have different origins,” Bonora explained, discounting the notion of miscalculations in settings during their inaugural outing on this unfamiliar circuit.
He elaborated that, given the nature of their equipment used during this session, which included older engines, wear and tear could have played a significant role. “On Fridays, we typically utilize older engines to allow our riders to get acquainted with the circuit,” said Bonora. In Martin’s case, the bike was previously involved in a crash at Spielberg, which raised additional concerns. “We conducted thorough checks post-race to ensure the reliability of the engines brought to the track,” he added, noting that current efforts involve a detailed examination of both faulty motors.
Despite the disappointing excitement, Bonora reassured that there was no connection between the issues faced by Martin and Fernandez and the newer engines in the other Aprilia bikes. Subsequent to the earlier turmoil, the remaining six bikes functioned without complications throughout the day.
Fernandez, reflecting on the day’s events, downplayed the significance of the failures. “It’s not uncommon for older MotoGP engines to fail. We were using them to learn the track and lines,” he stated, adding that the engine failures, while unfortunate, were not a cause for alarm. “It’s just a bit of bad luck that it happened to Jorge and me. It’s nothing serious as we were running on well-used engines.”
Martin echoed his teammate’s sentiments, confirming that the issues were unrelated to his prior crash. However, the overall performance of the team was less than ideal, as all four riders missed the direct advancement to Q2, with Martin falling short by a mere thousandth of a second.
As the team processes the day’s events, both riders are expected to continue without concerns regarding their machinery as they prepare for the upcoming sessions.
