IN Competition Aprilia experienced a mixed weekend at Snetterton, with Alfie Davidson securing a hard-fought ninth place in the Sportbike class aboard the Aprilia RS660, while Jack Bednarek narrowly missed out on the points after finishing 16th in the Superstock class.

Sportbike – Alfie Davidson

Despite suffering a small crash during Friday’s sessions, Alfie bounced back strongly and qualified an impressive seventh at a circuit that has historically proved challenging for him.

A lightning start saw him quickly make progress through the field, but on lap three he lost both the quick shifter and auto-blipper, forcing him to ride the remainder of the race without the electronic aids.

Adapting superbly to the setback, Davidson produced a determined ride to finish ninth and collect valuable championship points. He continues to lead the Sportbike Championship standings by 20 points heading into the next round.

Alfie Davidson said:

“It was a good start to the race. We managed to find a setup during morning warm-up that I was really comfortable with, so I was feeling confident about challenging for the podium.

I managed to reel in the front group and set the fastest lap at the start of the race, but then the electrical fault came to haunt me and I just couldn’t maintain the pace.

Despite that, I’m happy to have scored some important points, and I can’t wait for Brands Hatch, which is my favourite track.

A huge thanks to the team and all of our sponsors for everything they do for us.”

Superstock – Jack Bednarek

Jack Bednarek continued to make encouraging progress aboard the Aprilia RSV4 throughout the weekend, qualifying 18th for Sunday’s race.

He made a strong start and worked his way through the field, battling for 14th position before suffering a fuel issue on the final lap, which dropped him back to 16th and just outside the points.

Jack Bednarek said:

“This weekend started off well and we made a lot of progress. However, in qualifying on Saturday I couldn’t quite put everything together to get the lap time we wanted.

For the race we kept everything the same, and after a chat with the team I knew exactly what I needed to work on. I got a good start before the first race was red-flagged, although the restart was a little more difficult.

It was probably the best race I’ve had this year, so there are plenty of positives to take away. Unfortunately, I had a fuel issue on the last lap which cost me a couple of positions, but I know I can carry this form forward.

I’d like to thank the team, who are working tirelessly to help me improve my feeling on the bike.

I’m looking forward to Brands Hatch now.”

Team Owner – Ian Newton

“Even though the results didn’t fully reflect our performance, I’m pleased with how the weekend went.

Alfie found himself in a very difficult situation during the race. Most riders would probably have retired, but he adapted brilliantly and rode around the problem. In my opinion, it was one of his best rides and he thoroughly deserved the points he earned.

We’re continuing to make progress with Jack. We’ve now got a strong base setup on the bike, and it’s about putting all the pieces of the puzzle together to turn that progress into consistent results.”

The team now turns its attention to the next round at Brands Hatch, where both riders will be aiming to build on the positives from Snetterton.