Milwaukee Aprilia team boss Shaun Muir has underlined his squad’s predicted 20ജ18 gains by hinting at the Aprilia factory developments made with its R𓂃SV4 RF over the winter.

Having completed two-day tests at Jerez and Portimao Muir has been impress💯ed by the improvement produced by a raft of updates thrown 🀅at its factory Aprilia machines to cure its issues of rear grip and weight distribution to aid its braking performance to keep stride with its factory rivals.

While both Eugene Laverty and Lorenzo Savadori left the two tests content with Milwaukee Aprilia’s progress, Muir has given a glowing review of the updates on its RSV4 RF bikes from the I🐎talian manufacturer and is eager to see that momentum continue in P꧃hillip Island.

“Aprilia Racing have d🉐one a very good job o🍃ver the winter break to get us in a stronger position going forwards,” Muir said. “We can see the gains and hope to take further steps at the next two-day test in Phillip Island.

“We left the previous test at Jerez in a good position, having worked through a lot of parts and settings. Coming to Portimao there is a big difference in the two circui🌞ts, so we knew that there was a lot to be learnt from this test, mostly the transfer of the base setting from one circuit to the next.

“All in all it was a successful test, and we are in a much better position than this time last year. Considering that the entire 𓄧World Superꦜbike paddock were testing here, we appear to have comparative times on race tyres which is positive.”

After the heights of winning the 2014 Wo𝔍rld Superbike championship with Sylvain Guintoli, the Italian manufacturer has struggled in the production-based series and its issues were compo𝓀unded by the withdrawal of the factory effort in 2016.

The factory-suppo👍rted SMR-run Milwaukee Aprilia ꦦsquad somewhat struggled against its manufacturer rivals and failed to reach the rostrum all season in 2017.