FOLLOWING THE WINS IN MALAYSIA AND THE PODIUMS AT MISANO THE APRILIA RACING TEAM FLIES TO PORTUGAL FOR THE EIGHTH ROUND OF THE 2014 WORLD SUPERBIKE SEASON.

MARCO MELANDRI AND SYLVAIN GUINTOLI ARE ANXIOUS TO CONTINUE THE POSITIVE TREND ON A TRACK THAT CATERS WELL TO THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RSV4.

Noale, 2 July 2014 – The World Superbike Championship approaches the second half of the season with the eighth round on the calendar, scheduled to be held in Portugal. The Portimão circuit is definitely on every rider’s favourites list because of its characteristics. The strip of asphalt follows the flow of the terrain with various changes in slope and a layout that makes for a great show.

The Aprilia RSV4 has demonstrated just how deftly it can manoeuvre on the Portuguese track, an assurance which is sure to provide further incentive for Marco Melandri. The rider from Ravenna has been improving consistently since the double win in Sepang and his two podiums at Misano and he is keen to keep the positive juices flowing, setting his sights on winning as many races as possible throughout the rest of the championship season.

Marco Melandri: “Portimão is without a doubt one of the most exciting tracks on the calendar. I like the up and downhill sections a lot, as well as the fast sweepers and I’m sure that my Aprilia RSV4 will be able to adapt very well to this track. After the Misano weekend I really want to improve even more and battle for the wins that I know my team and I are capable of”.

Sylvain Guintoli also likes the characteristics of the Portuguese track, in addition to being comforted by the memory of last year’s races where he had two podium finishes. The French rider, now lying second in the overall world championship standings, knows that he will have to put on his game face in order to fan the flame of his championship ambitions. A track like Portimão that is such a perfect match for him and his RSV4 seems like the perfect opportunity.

Sylvain Guintoli: “Portimão is a fantastic track. I have always had a lot of fun racing here and last year the feeling with my RSV4 on this track was really incredible, so much that I had two great races. I hope we’ll be able to learn from our difficulties in Misano in order to set our sights on two good results this weekend”.