Aprilia MotoGP rider Bradley Smith had something of a hero to zero day on Friday at Le Mans.
But even crashing in the afternoon didn’t take the shine off his delight at setting the fastest time in opening French Grand Prix practice as he continues to make real progress with the RS-GP.
Riding Aprilia’s radically different 2020 machine in wet conditions for the very first time, Smith was able to end this morning’s wet session fastest by 0.1s over Johann Zarco.
“I’m a little sore but I had a fabulous day!” :: Bradley Smith
It was the first time Aprilia had topped a MotoGP session since Smith’s team-mate Aleix Espargaro in second practice at Phillip Island in 2017.
He then got caught out on the damp-but-drying track in the afternoon and limped away from a crash at the Garage Vert right-hander.
But Smith nonetheless ended the day happy with what he had achieved.
“I’m a little sore but I had a fabulous day!” he said.
“Of course, no one is really risking on a cold Friday morning at Le Mans, but I was willing to and it’s nice to put the Aprilia on P1.
“It doesn’t mean anything, but it’s still good to say thanks to all the people in the team and the factory who put so much hard work into the bike.
“I was feeling good this afternoon as well, and I felt like I was managing the situation quite well until I got caught out.
“The traction control didn’t catch me in time and down I went, but until that point I was running top six and felt really good.
“The general shakedown in the afternoon was good though, because we learned more about what’s going to happen with the slick tyres on a damp track than we would have on wets.
“And let’s be honest: it could be like that for the race and I’m happy to be sore today but to know where the wet patch is!”
This morning’s wet session marked the first time that the radically-different Aprilia RS-GP has taken to track in rain conditions, meaning that the 45-minute session yielded valuable data as the team continues to understand the bike.
That’s something that Espargaro says could be invaluable going forward. So far unable to refine any electronics strategy for the bike in the wet thanks to a lack of track time, he says he didn’t particularly enjoy it but that it was necessary for Aprilia.
“This morning, I felt not that bad even though the position wasn’t great,” he said.
“Last year I wasn’t fast at all in the rain but today I felt a little bit better lap by lap.
“I won’t say that I enjoyed it but it wasn’t a disaster.
“We still have to improve the electronics, especially the traction control, because we’re far from where we need to be.
“The truth is that we haven’t had wet time and it’s difficult for the engineers to give me a good setting in one session, but it’s one of the most important things for us to improve for the future.”
“I would imagine that if Andrea’s cleared he’ll be on a flight as soon as possible to Aragon and on track. But I see that he’s opening a disco that day” :: Bradley Smith
However, it’s perhaps hard for Smith to look too far into the future with the Aprilia project, as he still doesn’t know whether or not he has a job beyond this weekend.
He’s still technically only deputising for the banned Andrea Iannone, and the Italian’s anti-doping appeal will be heard next week in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
While Iannone’s trying to have his 18-month ban for the illegal steroid drostanolone either reduced or expunged completely, a counter-appeal by the World Anti-Doping Association could mean it’s extended to a maximum of four years if the court refuses to accept his defence of accidental contamination.
That’s left Smith in the tricky situation of not knowing whether he’ll even be at next weekend’s race at Aragon.
“It’s not something that’s really been talked about,” he admitted to The Race yesterday.
“I know you might not believe that, but if you’ve ever worked inside an Italian team you might believe me!
“It’s a subject that’s not been talked about, but right now I have my flights booked.
“I wish the best for Andrea, but obviously what happens there affects the rest of my year.
“I would imagine that if he’s cleared he’ll be on a flight as soon as possible to Aragon and on track on the 16th.
“That’s what I’d do, but I see that he’s opening a disco that day.”
As Smith says, Iannone has already made alternative plans for next weekend, with the opening of his new nightclub The Jungle Club in Lugano, Switzerland, scheduled for Friday night.
If Iannone’s sentence isn’t reduced to under a year, Aprilia’s options for beyond 2020 also remain up in the air.
It’s known to be courting both Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso for 2021, and it’s believed by The Race’s sources that Aprilia made an initial financial offer to Dovizioso yesterday.
However, with Aprilia’s limited financial resources meaning that the offer is believed to be less than a quarter of what Dovizioso wanted from current employer Ducati to remain with it before those talks collapsed, it’s uncertain what the response will be.
That potentially leaves the door open for Crutchlow, who brings similar development abilities to the project but would be considerably cheaper than three-time championship runner-up Dovizioso.
Crutchlow was first in line for the Aprilia seat – which officially still belongs to Iannone until his situation is resolved – before the dramatic developments at Ducati brought Dovizioso into the frame too.
