Trackhouse Aprilia rider Raul Fernandez will ride the 2024 spec bike when MotoGP embarks upon an official test at Jerez following the Spanish Grand Prix.
Fernandez has been the sole Aprilia rider equipped with last term’s bike after his team-mate Miguel Oliveira received the latest spec at the start of the season.
The Spaniard had been scheduled to ride the upgraded bike at this weekend’s Spanish GP, but the Italian outfit chose to suspend this decision until the test.
Aprilia is still to announce whether the 23-year-old will get to ride the 2024 spec bike at the following race weekend of Le Mans at the Bugatti Circuit in France.
“We are happy to be back in Europe with the iconic Jerez race which, this time, will be Raul’s home race,” Trackhouse Team Principal Davide Brivio told Autosport.
“I’m excited to see how much more we can achieve in the coming races after the recent progress we made in Austin with both drivers.
“I don’t think we showed our full potential in Austin and for that we need to be good in all areas over the weekend and optimize our performance. Let’s see where we end up on Sunday.
“Then we will have the test on Monday and if everything runs smoothly during the weekend, Raul will have the first opportunity to briefly test the 2024 bike.”
Fernandez’s upgrades only cover the chassis side of the bike, due to regulations stopping manufacturers from using multiple engines for the season.
In the past, Aprilia’s satellite team RNF Racing always received year-old machinery before Trackhouse wanted that to change before entering the paddock.
Due to the new management team’s relationship with the Italian outfit’s CEO Massimo Rivola, the latter agreed to provide the team with 2024 spec bikes for this season.
However, Aprilia could only have provided one additional 2024 bike for pre-season testing due to timing constraints and production struggles.
Despite this, Aprilia will be looking at providing an additional and updated 2024 spec for Fernandez later in the year.
