250 cc – Istanbul QP2 – Aprilia still protagonist, De Angelis on pole and Stoner 2nd

Aprilia still protagonist with Alex De Angelis star on the new Istanbul Park track. In the two days of testing, the MS Aprilia Italia Corse rider not only achieved pole in 1'56"930, but also the highest top speeds, 263,6km/h today and 266,5km/h in the first round of official testing.

“I am happy above all for the fact that we obtained pole on a circuit never used before – said Alex – it is a sign that our working method is working well. We were immediately fast, starting from free practice on Friday, this means that the bike-rider complex is working properly. Today I didn't have any particular problems, I pushed hard but I saw that I could go fast even with the race tyre. I realized this when I went back to put on the tire some time ago, before I came back my pace was still very high. Tomorrow's race will be difficult, also because we are all close, we'll see."

In second position Casey Stoner (Carrera LCR), despite a forehand in the final seconds of the official session.

“To be honest – said Casey – I'm really happy with today because we made a change to the suspension which wasn't very effective. With the new set-up I couldn't brake with the necessary force and aggression right into the corner and the bike became difficult to ride. Tomorrow in the warm up we will have to find the right direction for the race.”

Off the front row with the fifth fastest time, Sebastian Porto (Aprilia Aspar 250) will start tomorrow. The Argentine also seems not to have hit the right suspension set-up on the new Turkish track.

“I'm disappointed – said Sebastian – yesterday we did a great job, but today we took a step back instead of forward. At the moment my bike is at 80%, but I'm sure we can find an acceptable condition already tomorrow morning in the warm up.”

Aprilia is fighting for the 250 class World Brand Championship, four championship points from the top.

Racing Aprilia