Paddock rivals have issued a serious warning ahead of the MotoGP weekend at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit. Luca Marini has openly stated that all four Aprilia riders could prove virtually unbeatable this weekend, pointing to the formidable pace of the RS-GP machine.
Last year, the Noale factory showed immense speed in Indonesia through Marco Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez, who locked out the front positions in qualifying and dominated the Sprint. Bezzecchi was the heavy favorite for the Grand Prix before a first-lap tangle with Marc Marquez paved the way for Fermin Aldeguer to take his maiden victory.
Aprilia's strength is now multiplied with four competitive riders on track, led by championship leader Jorge Martin. Marini acknowledges that the overall grid has improved significantly, but still views the RS-GP as the absolute benchmark at Mandalika.
"Last year I was fighting for the podium. I think this year it will be not possible, because all the other competitors improved so much," Marini said, as reported by Crash.net. "But we will try to do our best to stay a little bit more inside the top 10, top 7 will be a fantastic result. This is a track that I love, but I think the four Aprilias will be unbeatable here.">>
Echoing Marini's thoughts, KTM youngster Pedro Acosta also labeled the Italian manufacturer as the clear pre-event favorite. Acosta recalled Bezzecchi's frightening pace from last season and believes the presence of four competitive bikes will pose a massive challenge for the rest of the field.
"Marco was having a pace during all weekend last year that was really scary, being honest. Now, there are four Aprilias on track, really competitive ones in the last couple of GPs, and Martin making a really good step and fighting for the championship. For this, it will be a matter of time that we see, but for the moment Aprilia is the clear favourite," Acosta stated.
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