Aprilia completes first full test with 2016 MotoGP bike

The Gresini-run outfit shook down its all-new RS-GP at Aragon a fortnight ago, after delays ensured it would miss last week's official test at Phillip Island.

Aprilia's new prototype now has three full days of running at the Losail circuit under its belt, with Stefan Bradl and Alvaro Bautista in action.

The pair will participate in the final pre-season test at Qatar next week, with the circuit to also host MotoGP's season opener on March 20.

"After the Aragon shakedown with the test riders, Alvaro and Stefan began to get to know the new Aprilia RS-GP here in Qatar," Aprilia's racing manager Romano Albesiano said.

"These were three very intense and positive days of work.

"We are bringing home a lot of information and some growing pain problems we need to solve, but above all we are leaving with confirmation that the new bike's dynamic performance is significantly better than the 2015 bike.

"We have an important development path ahead of us that will be necessarily accelerated, but we are confident that this will be a season of growth toward a decidedly interesting level."

Aprilia's 2015 bike was largely based on a superbike, and Bautista feels the new machine is already at least at that level.

"In these three days we explored the new bike, doing a lot of work with short sessions since this was the first real test with the 2016 RS-GP," he said.

"Obviously we are not at 100 per cent but we have a very good starting point.

"We are already at a similar level as the end of 2015 with the difference being that we are just at the beginning.

"There is a lot of room for development whereas with the old bike we were at the limit.

"We still need to work on a lot of things but I'm pleased with the work Aprilia has done.

"In the next tests I hope to be able to lay the foundation for the new season."