Shadowed by Alex de Angelis
Last week, the first day of 250cc Irta testing on the Jerez de la Frontera circuit finished with an unleashed Jorge Lorenzo dominating the session with a time of 1`43”432.
The rider from Team Fortuna Aprilia completed 76 laps and didn`t hide what was on his mind, opening stating his thoughts on the 2006 4-liter title. Lorenzo was still polishing his moves when he was called back into the box towards the end to avoid any unnecessary risks.

Again close behind was Alex De Angelis. The rider from San Marino (racing with an RSW 250 of team Master Aspar) was only 0”111 seconds away from Lorenzo. His 1`43”453 was an optimal mark seeing that his bike had a few problems that were resolved at the end of the rotation.

Third on the day was Hector Barbera of Team Fortuna Aprilia who stopped the chronometer at 1`44”138. The Valencian rider completed 67 laps, trying out the motorcycle in different situations and simulating race conditions with used tyres.

The fourth Aprilia rider, Jakub Smrz of team Cardion AB Motoracing, earned a 1`44”827. The Czech rider raced for 76 laps atop an RSW 250 LE and confirmed that he is one of the riders in best shape at the start of the season.

Finishing strong in this first day of testing was Anthony West atop an Aprilia RSW 250 of Team Kiefer. The Australian rider claimed 9th place with his 1`45”324 and was on the track for 47 laps. If West was satisfied with today`s work, Alex Debon was even happier. The rider from Team Sviluppo Aprilia alternated two different lab motorcycles on the track while experimenting with different settings. Debon finished in tenth place thanks to his time of 1`45”336.

Eleventh was Roberto Locatelli of Team Toth who, also atop an RSW 250 LE, was able to reel in a 1`45”440, separated from the pack by two seconds. The rider from Lombardy completed 70 laps, working with Sunday the 26th in sight, the first international race on the Andalusian track of Jerez.

In the second day of testing, again leading the pack on the Andalusian track was Jorge Lorenzo (Fortuna Aprilia). The Iberian rider literally dominated the two days of testing, always emerging as the leader at the end of the day.

Now, Lorenzo will await the first race (held at Jerez de la Frontera on March 26th) with the conviction that he is the fastest and most efficient of the group. With his 1`42”873, Lorenzo brought himself to within 0”005 seconds of Pedrosa`s 2005 pole position and was able to widen the gap between himself and his nearest competitor, Alex De Angelis, by almost half a second.

The rider from Team Master Aspar didn`t hide his ambitions and knows that he is Lorenzo`s only competitor. Alex stopped the chronometer at 1`43”326 but his time could have been better. At the end, one mistake and one rider is slower than the other, ruining his hopes of being the faster.

Behind the two fighters was Hector Barbera again, reeling in a 1`43”451. Lorenzo`s teammate is well integrated with his RSW 250 by now and didn`t seem too tired behind his two winter competitors. Even Barbera declared himself ready to battle for the rankings.

In fifth place was Jakub Smrz with his RSW 250 LE taken care of by Mauro Noccioli for Cardion AB Motoracing. The rider from the Czech Republic achieved a 1`44”241, 1.368 seconds behind Lorenzo. In 7th was Roberto Locatelli who was also atop an RSW 250 LE of Toth Team. The rider from Lombardy concluded his last day of testing before the Spanish GP with a time of 1`44”817.

Behind him was the Australian, Anthony West (Kiefer Racing) atop an

Alex de Angelis
RSV 250 Kit, only 0”028 seconds behind Locatelli (1`44”845). Closing out in 13th was Taro Sekiguchi on a RSV 250 Kit of Team Campetella who marked a solid 1`44”893, a little over two seconds away from the leader, Lorenzo.

In 15th place was Alex Debon. The rider from Test Team Aprilia fell during the afternoon on the Andalusian track. Debon, victim of a high side, dislocated his right shoulder and reopened the cut on his left thumb that was operated on after a previous fall. The Iberian rider will certainly be ready for the first competition of the international season and will race as a wild card.

"The result of this second day of Irta testing," said Giampiero Sacchi, Director of Sport Management at the Piaggio Group, "is really very encouraging for Aprilia. We leave Barcelona as protagonists and are heading to Jerez in the same position. We are confident in this season that, we hope, will bring satisfaction and joy. The participation of Aprilia in races is a priority and being competitive at this level demonstrates that our constant work is yielding fruit."

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