The Latest Breaking News from Aprilia

Martin converted pole to a fifth consecutive sprint victory in 2023 to bring his tally for the season up to seven, the Pramac Ducati rider 0.933 seconds clear of KTM’s Brad Binder at the chequered flag.Leading every lap, Martin came under no challenge as he romped away from the field,…

Maverick Vinales and Alex Marquez traded the fastest time in the opening quarter of the session, the Gresini rider setting the early pace on a 1m32.030s before Vinales moved the goalposts with a time of 1m31.657s.

Watch this video from Bike World showcasing five popular middleweight naked bikes in a drag race for straight-line supremacy.

Aprilia enjoyed a strong Friday at Phillip Island, with its flowing nature and the generally good acceleration of the RS-GP helping Maverick Vinales to third overall on the timesheets.

With 148 points available from the remaining four rounds, Ducati has almost sealed the 2023 MotoGP riders’ title, with KTM’s Brad Binder just about mathematically in play – albeit 142 points adrift of Francesco Bagnaia.

With 148 points available from the remaining four rounds, Ducati has almost sealed the 2023 MotoGP riders’ title, with KTM’s Brad Binder just about mathematically in play – albeit 142 points adrift of Francesco Bagnaia.

Zarco took his first top-class win - and his first in grand prix racing since his title-winning 2016 Moto2 campaign - in sensational style, passing a rapidly fading Martin on the 27th and last lap.

Pramac Ducati rider Martin eclipsed his own benchmark set in qualifying at the same track last year as he demolished the field with a time of 1m27.246s at the end of second qualifying.

South African rider Binder left it until the very end of the hour-long session on Friday afternoon to set the quickest lap of the day at the picturesque Phillip Island track, a 1m27.993s.

Martin, who comes to Australia 18 points adrift of title rival Francesco Bagnaia after his crash in Indonesia last weekend, set the pace in Friday morning's opening 45-minute session with a best time of 1m29.039s.

The Spaniard was amongst the strongest riders during the Mandalika weekend, qualifying second and leading the sprint until tyre wear dropped him to fourth.