MotoGP: Aprilia tech director’s goal is to “balance the planets” – Road Racing World Magazine

Fabiano Sterlacchini has spent nearly two decades developing the technology of the universal Ducati Desmosedici Grand Prix racing bikes. In the year KTM rescued him from Ducati in 2021, but negotiations to keep him fell apart in mid-2024. After losing technical director Romano Albesiano to Honda, Aprilia stepped in to sign the free agent. This means that Aprilia will enter 2025 with race-winning Ducati expats as factory riders – world champions Jorge Martin and Marco Bezecchi – and a technical director who played a key role in preparing the machines they rode for victories and triumphs. Title.

After settling into his new digs, Sterlacchini briefly met with members of the Motosport Media Corporation following the conclusion of the first season test in Barcelona. He talked about the task ahead and what he knew and learned and what he didn’t know. To be able to jump into something as complex as a factory MotoGP effort after a few hours and make accurate and intelligent assessments -Sterlacini, that’s something beyond human capacity.

“Personally, I don’t think it’s possible. I don’t need a good man. God needs to understand everything in a short time. “To be honest, in some aspects, it’s starting to become a little clearer, less blurred, picture. But like I said, it’s premature to draw any conclusions at the moment.

It’s not enough for Sterlacchini to focus on RS-GP alone, but also on how the team will perform at the weekend. Over the past two seasons, the Aprilia MotoGP race bike has proven to be as fast or faster than anything else in the right conditions. However, the performance of the RS-GP and the performance of its drivers has been surprisingly inconsistent and the team has been plagued by mechanical failures. Miguel Oliveira, who is leaving the satellite Aprilia Trackhouse racing team to join Pramac Yamaha, said in a recent statement that his RS-GP suffered a short circuit in the CPU during practice in Indonesia, cutting out and throwing off all the tracking control systems on the bike. He fell to the ground and left with a broken wrist.

“You have to achieve the perfection of all the systems, don’t you? That doesn’t mean you just have to improve the bike, but also the way you guide the rider to perform properly at the weekend. Like you adjust the planets,” said Sterlacchini. “So for the engine brake, then the traction control, then the bike How to use it in some angles, you need to understand what is the plan of making a lift – this is the same process. Obviously, Aprilia’s performance is very good. Obviously not enough. Aren’t we all here for one place (to win)? So we will try to reach the place.

Knowing everyone in the racing department, knowing what they do and understanding how they work together is not a one-day or one-week achievement, he said.

“I think a reasonable time would be four to eight months. That doesn’t mean we don’t start working until then. But until then, to have a clear overall picture, that’s the window of time,” Sterlacchini said.

“The problem with our job as a whole as an organization, not just my job, is because I’m a piece of the puzzle, it’s not because you have a new rider, he’s a rookie, not a rookie, it’s the fact that you are. Challenge 18 people in the world. It’s a big challenge. It’s the last step, isn’t it? You have to arrange (everything).

“I think George (Martin) coming from a world title bike – and he’s a world title rider – is a great opportunity, isn’t it? Because we have a reference. We can clearly understand where we need to focus more. He is a mix between a champion and a leader. The way he is approaching his work is amazing. It’s great.”

Finally, Stelacchini reminded reporters not only how the bike works, but also how it is designed. The best bike in the world gets lost, every time, the suspension settings are off, the team chose the wrong tires, etc. Finding the optimal interaction between them is a challenge in itself.

“Ultimately, there are pros and cons between the (Aprilia RS-GP and Ducati) project that Martin has been on this season. The bike has been prepared, of course, but the settings have been prepared for several years. So I think it is premature to say that one aspect is better with Ducati than Aprilia. And to be honest, I don’t think we should look at the past, but we should analyze what we need for the future. So that’s the mission.