Aprilia Introduces 2015 MotoGP Team

Aprilia's record in motorcycle racing speaks for itself. With its famous 125 and 250cc RS two-stroke machines and, more recently, the RSV4 in World Superbike, the Italian factory won 54 world titles, a rather staggering number that almost doubles (104) if the fellow brands of Derbi, Guzzi, and Gilera are added under Gruppo Piaggio parent company's umbrella. However, one trophy, arguably the most prestigious one, is missing from the shelves in Noale: Aprilia has never won in MotoGP, and will re-enter the top class ten years after the innovative but ill-fated RS Cube project.

“We want to compete where the eagles dare, tackle the hardest challenges,” said Gruppo Piaggio's President Roberto Colaninno at the official team presentation in Milan. “We want to develop a technology that doesn't exist yet, and reach beyond the realms of motorcycles with innovation. Our slogan could be: '3001, Aprilia in Space'.”

Colaninno's incipit hints at the mentality of a dreamer, but the Italian manager is perfectly aware of the inherent difficulties of Aprilia's latest quest.

“I know this new endeavor takes time and we won't win this year, but we've evaluated this opportunity many times over and decided to accept the challenge despite the risk of performing poorly,” he said.. “Sometimes, an entrepreneur has to praise folly.”

To somewhat counterbalance Colaninno's stargazing approach, Romano Albesiano, the head of Aprilia's racing department, kept his feet on the ground when asked a prediction about the upcoming season.

“If we were to consistently fight for the top 10 in the second half of the championship, I'd say we've done a good job,” Albesiano said. “The RS-GP represents the offspring of all our experience from the past few years, and we're a unique case in the history of two wheels, as our MotoGP crankcase is the same one we use for the street version of our RSV4. To enter MotoGP now will save us some time later. It takes three years to be competitive in MotoGP, and if we waited longer I'd have been close to retirement (laughs).”

"I expect many issues along the way, but it's a learning opportunity and we couldn't have done it any other way," Albesiano added. "Bautista is used to MotoGP and he's doing a great job, Melandri has encountered more difficulties but we trust him 100 percent and we'll work hard to give him back his confidence. In the next tests in Qatar we'll bring the last updates that will form the base for our bike in the first half of the season, but each race will feature something new from us."

Given that in 2016 the regulatory landscape will change dramatically with the advent of a new single-tire supplier (Michelin) and a standardized software for all the manufacturers, one could ask why Aprilia crunched the original time frame by one year.

“It's important to be in MotoGP now, as we'll participate to all the Michelin tests and gather data for the development of the new bike,” Albesiano explained. “It's crucial to follow the evolution of the new compounds. Also, we can discuss the development of the common electronic platform with the other manufacturers. Magneti Marelli, in the last tests in Sepang, gave us a code that will serve as the foundation for the one we'll use next year. Unlike Honda, Yamaha, and Ducati, we can only suggest modifications, not impose them, but in the future that will surely change.”

Albesiano's words highlight how some of the most important battles in racing actually unfold beyond the track limits. By fast-forwarding its MotoGP debut, Aprilia bought itself a (rather expensive) seat at the decision-making table.

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