Works Aprilia star Eugene Laverty thinks the factory's decsion to employ Sylvain Guintoli as a team-mate for the 2013 World Superbike season is a good choice as the Irishman says a fast team-mate is always useful.
Former MotoGP rider Guintoli was right on the pace in testing at Jerez and Laverty believes that being able to share data with someone lapping as fast as yourself can only move the bike forward.
" Aprilia have made a good choice. I get on with Sylvain and rate him as a rider so it’ll be nice to share a garage with a top rider once again. Some riders feel threatened by a fast teammate but I look at it in a positive light. Even in Jerez we were able to spot weaknesses in our riding by overlaying our laps and comparing them corner by corner," said Laverty.
" I know of a rider that requested a ban on data sharing with his teammate last year when he felt he had the upper hand but then he came back begging once his teammate started beating him again! And before you jump to conclusions it wasn’t inside the Aprilia garage but another factory team. The way I see it everything to my advantage; there’s 20 other riders I’ve got to beat and not just the one guy sat opposite me."
