Now there are also all the trappings of officialdom: Aprilia will field four bikes in the next MotoGP season. The Mugello weekend, therefore, has become a very important weekend for the Noale manufacturer and not just for being the home event.
Yesterday confirmation was announced of the two official riders, Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales, who will continue to wear Aprilia colors until the end of the 2024 season. Today, however, confirmation of the agreement reached during the night between Massimo Rivola and Razlan arrived. Razali, great head of RNF Racing.
The Malaysian team, born from the ashes of the Petronas SRT, therefore decided to change sides after having competed in just 7 races with the Yamaha colors. It is true that in a certain sense what happened this year represented the continuity of what we had seen since 2019, when Razali and his structure had made their debut in MotoGP, amazing with Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli.
However, the departure of a munificent sponsor like Petronas had changed the scenarios and therefore the Iwata manufacturer had decided to join the new structure for only one year, entrusting an official M1 to Andrea Dovizioso and a M1 2021 to Darryn Binder.
The results, however, did not live up to expectations on both sides and with the rise of Aprilia, which was looking for a partner to double its commitment, Razali decided to move towards the Noale manufacturer, which therefore intends to become more and more one of the most important realities on the premier class grid.
“We are absolutely thrilled with this long-term partnership with Aprilia Racing. Our philosophy remains to work together with the factory team to develop the riders who will one day become official Aprilia riders. We will assist them in development to ensure we continue to be competitive and, ultimately to win with Aprilia Racing, “said Razali.
“Aprilia Racing’s proposal satisfies our long-term plans, our strategies and our safety for the next two years and I have to thank Massimo for his confidence, his safety and his trust in us. We are absolutely impatient to take on next year’s season and this new partnership “.
“At the same time, we want to express our gratitude to Yamaha for these years of work and common growth. We will however continue to work hard this season to improve our results together with Yamaha and end 2022 on a positive note.” .
Even Massimo Rivola, CEO of Aprilia Racing, did not hide his satisfaction with the agreement: “I am happy to announce the agreement with RNF Racing. We have always thought in small steps and, as we demonstrate the competitiveness of our RS- GP, a natural part of the route is to see two more on the track. The racing department in Noale is a real wealth of knowledge, technical culture applied to high-performance motorcycles and sports management “.
“With RNF Racing we find a partner who enhances and enhances this extraordinary heritage. We are thinking, of course, of the drivers and the best competitiveness, but also of nurturing new generations of engineers, technicians and managers. To continue and improve the extraordinary all-Italian tradition of Aprilia Racing, “he added.
At the moment it is not clear who will be the riders who will make up next year’s team, also because for example Dovizioso had signed his agreement directly with Yamaha and not with the team. In the same way, it will be necessary to understand what the plans of the Japanese brand will be, so if he decides to continue with only two bikes for the Factory Team or if he will try to woo a second team, going to take the slot left free by the Suzuki’s exit. .
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