Jorge Martin’s replacement details Aprilia development in his absence

Lorenzo Savadori is carrying the bulk of Aprilia’s test duties that should have been Jorge Martin’s responsibility.

MotoGP champion Martin has been ruled out of the final two days of the official Sepang test after a heavy crash on Wednesday.

Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez also crashed and injured himself on Wednesday, leaving Aprilia short of 50% of their rider line-up.

Test rider Savadori is therefore tasked with replacing Martin.

“We don’t have my test bike, we have the official riders’ bike,” Savadori said on Thursday in Sepang.

“We tried different aerodynamics and a different electronic system.

“We are focused on developing the bike, not on performance. We need to understand some solutions better.

“Some parts, we have used for the first time here. At the shakedown, we did not have time.”

Savadori insists that Aprilia are making progress with their problem of stopping the bike.

“Yes. This bike is a step forward compared to the old one, including in brake performance,” he said.

“It is never enough. But it’s a little step in the correct way.”

The improvement is both in the bike dynamics and engine braking.

“A mix,” Savadori said. “The RS-25 does not have big changes. In general, the behaviour of the bike and the balance was good. We improved in some areas.”

Jorge Martin out, but Aprilia battle on

Aprilia have improved their power delivery, engine braking and traction control, Savadori insists.

“In all phases, we made adjustments and improvements,” he said.

But their issue with their rear tyre persists, and hasn’t yet been solved.

“It's not a simple job to do,” Savadori said.

“With me, in this test, we are working for this. It’s not as simple as touching the electronics.

“You need to understand the direction and analyse the data, it is a big job.

“Unfortunately Jorge is not here to ride. I am riding for this reason.”

Savadori has also been unable to work on the Aprilia’s efficiency in different temperatures.

“Honestly, I have not had the time to try this,” he said.

“For Aprilia, the shakedown was a shakedown for three days! I tested the bike, if everything worked well.

“I didn’t have time to try everything. During this test, maybe we will try.”

Quotes provided by Peter McLaren in Sepang