Eugene Laverty took a calculated risk when he came to MotoGP at the start of 2015. The plan was simple: spend a year on a bike that was poor (Laverty was under no illusions that the RC213V-RS would be competitive) gambling on having a much sharper tool for 2016.
The gamble has paid off only partially. The Ducati Desmosedici GP14.2 Laverty has at his disposal this year is a much stronger bike than last year’s Honda, but the Aspar team’s financial troubles have meant resources have dwindled.
That has also meant top mechanics leaving, to be replaced with much less experienced ones. Fortunately for Laverty and teammate Yonny Hernandez, Aspar have finally secured a new title sponsor for the remainder of the season in Spanish clothing brand Pull&Bear.
That should ease the situation, and perhaps even bring them some help.
A better bike has allowed Laverty to show something of what he is capable of. The Irishman has posted some excellent results, best of all being a fourth place finish in Argentina.
It was a place he was gifted, after Hector Barbera went wide in the last corner and pushed Pol Espargaro off line, but Laverty had been right on their tails when it happened, allowing him to benefit from it.
He has had a couple of top ten finishes, at Assen and Jerez, both notable for the intelligence applied to secure the result.
That intelligence shines through in the consistency he has shown all year. He is one of only three riders to have finished every race this year, along with Marc Márquez and Hector Barbera.
That consistency puts him tenth in the championship, ahead of the factory Suzuki of Aleix Espargaro, the two factory Aprilias, all of the satellite Hondas and Bradley Smith. Given the bike he has at his disposal, Laverty is punching well above his weight.
Compare and contrast his results with those of his teammate, Yonny Hernandez.
Those results will probably not reap him any rewards in MotoGP, however. All the signs are that Laverty will be accepting a ride in World Superbikes, aboard a factory-backed Aprilia RSV4 in the Milwaukee SMR team.
Laverty may deserve to stay in MotoGP, but the chances of being on truly competitive machinery are slim. A return to WorldSBK will give him a chance to start winning again.
Photo: © 2016 Tony Goldsmith / www.tonygoldsmith.net – All Rights Reserved
This article was originally published on MotoMatters, and is republished here on Asphalt & Rubber with permission by the author.
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