If Jorge Martin was a coup, it must be said that Aprilia managed to land a nice pair of aces to relaunch its ambitions in MotoGP in the 2024 season. The news had been in the air for a while now, but today I’m the trappings of official status have also arrived: Marco Bezzecchi will join “Martinator” in the factory team of the Noale company.
The CEO of the Veneto racing department, Massimo Rivola, has therefore managed to deal another blow to rivals Ducati, which on the altar of Marc Marquez’s choice therefore loses another of the young people it has raised in recent seasons. Aprilia then manages to get its hands on an Italian rider, an objective that it had not hidden too much, and it does so by hiring a rider with perspective and great talent.
It is true that in 2024 we are not seeing the same Bezzecchi as last year, but the numbers for 2023 are those of a champion on the launching pad, because the Rimini native took home three Grand Prix and a Sprint, fighting for the World Championship for two thirds of the championship, before finishing in third place in the world rankings, behind his friend Pecco Bagnaia and his future boxing partner. Truly excellent numbers for a rider who was only in his second season in the premier class.
This year, unfortunately, things are not going as hoped for “Bez”, who cannot find the feeling with a Desmosedici GP23 which has different characteristics from the GP22 with which he made sparks, which are also worsened by the new rear compounds introduced by Michelin this year. year, which offer more grip but end up generating annoying understeer for which he and the Pertamina Enduro VR46 have not yet managed to find a cure.
Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin
Photo by: Aprilia Racing
And it is precisely this that led Bezzecchi to give in to the court of Aprilia, to become a full-fledged official rider for the first time in his MotoGP career. Last year the Prima Pramac Racing train came through, offering him the chance to get on a GP24, but Marco preferred to stay with his team, giving up the factory bike. A choice that later backfired on him. This time he therefore decided to accept Rivola’s proposal, also because Martin’s signature has already confirmed how ambitious the Aprilia project is for the next two years.
“We welcome one of the best Italian talents, who has demonstrated his worth since his debut in the minor categories and, especially last year in MotoGP, with excellent performances and victories even in the breakaway. We can’t wait to embrace Bez will also be in Noale; the combination of the Italian bike and Italian rider is very fascinating, but even more so is the pair of riders that will form with Jorge”, said Massimo Rivola.
“We are really satisfied with our line up for 2025, Martin and Bezzecchi represented our first choice due to age, talent, grit and determination and with them we can write a new and important page of Aprilia Racing”, he added.
Aprilia, therefore, will completely change its lineup next season: “Captain” Aleix Espargaro had in fact announced his full-time retirement at the end of the season in his home race in Barcelona. Following the signing of Martin, Maverick Vinales also decided to change scenery, joining the Tech3 team, in which he will join Enea Bastianini and both will have KTM RC16s identical to those of the factory team at their disposal.
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