The longest stretch of fly away races will get underway this coming weekend with the Japanese Grand Prix,. Following on from that we have Australia and Malaysia, all in the space of three weeks as they lead up to the grand finale in Valencia.
The Twin Ring of Motegi in Japan, which has hosted MotoGP since 1999, is the first stop on the world tour and Aprilia is headed into the weekend boosted by the Aleix Espargaró's sixth place finish in Aragón, less than seven seconds behind the winner.
It was a prestigious placement but no surprise, given the constant improvement in performance by the RS-GP that was lacking only the culmination in a race to demonstrate its potential.
"I love Japan,” Aleix said. “For me it is one of the best countries in the world. Motegi is definitely a demanding circuit for us with its violent accelerations. We did a great job in Aragón. We have a truly competitive bike and I will give 100% to achieve the maximum possible result. The atmosphere on the team is fantastic. I can't wait to spend almost a month with the guys."
