The Italian Grand Prix provided a beautiful backdrop for Trackhouse Racing’s first visit to Aprilia’s home territory, but the weekend ended up bringing mixed feelings. On Friday, Miguel’s direct passage to Qualifying 2 highlighted a strong single lap pace, a progress that was corroborated by Raul, who also advanced from Q1, doubling Trackhouse’s representation in the top 12 on Saturday morning.
Grid positions in Row 4 did not match the team’s promising progress and ultimately, both the Sprint and the Grand Prix were challenging for Raul and Miguel.
Raul fought hard in Sunday’s Grand Prix, facing the effects of compartmental syndrome, which is expected to be resolved by a surgical procedure scheduled for next Tuesday in Spain.
For Miguel, some frustration – a fall on Saturday, recovering from a start hindered by a temporarily blocked starting device on lap 2 of the Sprint, and then a temporary issue with gear selection at the end of Sunday’s Grand Prix, which prevented progress through the field that his overall pace showed was possible.
“It was a somewhat mediocre weekend. I think, if we look on the bright side, being able to put both bikes in Q2 for the first time this year was really good and I believe we will continue to improve and grow intentionally and carefully. So, yes, I was proud of the effort and it was really exciting to see the Trackhouse logos in a place like Mugello, such a historic race track. So, we keep learning – it’s good to have a break now so that everyone can rest and recover and reset to figure out how to come back stronger for the upcoming races after the break.”