Aprilia’s return to Moto GP takes shape…

Roberto Colaninno, president of the Piaggio group, announced last November the official return of Aprilia to MotoGP from 2016. This week Romano Albesiano, sports director of the manufacturer of Noale, reveals some details of this ambitious project…

Roberto Colaninno, president of the Piaggio group, announced last November the. This week Romano Albesiano, sports director of the manufacturer of Noale, reveals some details of this ambitious project…

The Lion of Noale still wants to roar in the premier class !

Aprilia in the premier class, it’s a story full of twists and turns: after a few nice shots at the end of the 500 cc 2-stroke era (including Mc Williams’ pole at Phillip Island in 2000), the manufacturer Italian has launched at great expense into 4-stroke MotoGP with his sophisticated RS Cube.

Motorized by an in-line 3-cylinder engine developed with Cosworth with an exquisite sound, the "Cube" unfortunately experienced "youthful problems" (notably with the ride-by-wire accelerator, a technology unheard of in 2002) that Aprilia never managed to solve.

And this despite the help of experienced pilots – including Regis Laconi and Colin Edwards – who followed one another on his handlebars until 2004, when Noale’s coat of arms preferred to throw in the towel to focus on his domineering 125 and 250cc.

By, taking advantage of the implementation of the new CRT regulations (engine derived from the series and free chassis), Aprilia reinstates MotoGP in an unofficial way, by providing several riders (including Randy de Puniet) with a "MotoGP-CRT- version. isee "of its sculptural .

On his handlebars, the Spaniard Aleix Espargaro won the two "titles" of this subcategory, even going so far as to get away with the official Ducati prototypes on short developed circuits (such as the Sachsenring, where Espargaro finished eighth between Dovizioso and Hayden).

After these two promising seasons, it seemed logical for Aprilia to transform the test by officially committing to 2014, firstly aligning a motorcycle in the new Open category (free engine and chassis, standard electronics provided by the organizer) , before eventually ramping up and playing on a par with the official Honda and Yamaha MotoGP.

But following disagreements concerning the new regulations with the promoter, in particular concerning the constraints linked to the use of single electronics, Aprilia preferred to postpone its project … before announcing that its return was officially scheduled for 2016.

Behind the scenes, it is rumored that the departure of Luigi "Gigi" Dall’Igna, the former great guru of the Aprilia racing service, has weighed in this delay. This is indeed plausible, as is the fact that Aprilia simply decided to wait to avoid spending fortunes in order to adapt to an ever-changing regulation.. 

Because in 2016, all MotoGP will normally be housed in the same boat, with an ECU and official software provided by the promoter.

In theory, at this date, the championship will be much more readable than this year when we get lost a bit between "Factory", "Factory 2" and "Open", with their different tires and fuel tanks ( read in particular). 

"We are currently providing equipment to the IodaRacing Project team and their rider, Danilo Petrucci, and for us it is important to already have a presence in MotoGP because that allows us to participate in technical development", explains Romano Albesiano, sporting director of ‘Aprilia. "For example, we closely follow the evolution of electronics and tires, elements that are fundamental to us".

"We hope to start the real MotoGP tests in the spring of 2015. The riders have not yet been confirmed but we have many options". Including, why not, a certain Randy de Puniet if by chance ?

No Moto2 or Moto3 projects for the moment…

Not ruling out the possibility of making some wild cards during "the second half of the 2015 season", Romano Albesiano is however more reserved about a possible return of Aprilia in the lower categories: "for the moment, the Moto3 and Moto2 are not part of our intentions ".

"The MotoGP World Championship has changed a lot in recent years and we are interested in it because it is the most prestigious business showcase," he continues..

"I say that without any intention of devaluing the World Superbike, which has other assets to promote our products", specifies the Italian leader, assuring that Aprilia now has "industrial and financial stability" to engage in MotoGP thanks to in support of the Piaggio group, owner of the brand.

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