Aprilia is celebrating these days, especially after the news that triggered an earthquake in the MotoGP rider market this last week: Jorge Martin will arrive at the Noale manufacturer in 2025 after Ducati had chosen him to join Pecco Bagnaia in the official team . However, he changed his mind favoring Marc Marquez in light of the pressure the latter put on Borgo Panigale during the Italian Grand Prix.
Thus, the Madrid native began to make his decision clear on Sunday afternoon at Mugello: less than 24 hours later he was the new Aprilia rider and will replace his dear friend Aleix Espargaro, who will retire at the end of this season from the role of starting rider .
After the Mugello event, there is a sort of improvised spring break until Assen at the end of the month. This is due to the postponement of the Kazakhstan Grand Prix, so the Italian brand took the opportunity to celebrate the traditional Aprilia All Stars at the Misano Circuit, the event organized by the Noale company which celebrates its present and past in motorcycling.
There, speaking to the media, Massimo Rivola took the opportunity to comment again on the arrival of Jorge Martin and the challenges that the Venetian brand has ahead of it. Clearly, the objective is to try to make the definitive step into the premier class and fight for victories and the title on a regular basis.
For the CEO of Aprilia, there will be no more justifications if this objective is not achieved. “There are no more excuses to fight for the title, this is what we said to ourselves in the company,” he told his GPOne colleagues. “The good news is that Jorge is arriving, I hope that together with Maverick Vinales they form a stellar couple. The bad news is that we will have no more excuses. The pressure must increase, because our path to overcoming must lead us to fight for victory. This year we are not far away, we are just one small step away.”
Jorge Martín and Massimo Rivola
Explaining how the current world championship leader was awarded, Rivola underlined that they wanted to move at the slightest opportunity: “We tried to know what was happening to move accordingly. When we saw that there was indecision, we anticipated the move because it was worth it.”
It must be said that the help of Aleix Espargaro as Martin’s friend was invaluable: “Certainly, Aleix played a fundamental role and this makes it even better, because Jorge is his best friend and he brought him into place where he thinks he will be comfortable. For me, it’s the best gift he could give me.”
Martin’s move to Aprilia is a direct consequence of Márquez’s arrival in Ducati as Pecco Bagnaia’s new teammate. A move which, however, does not scare the Noale manufacturer: “To date, Marc is one of the best riders in history on what is the best bike. I would say that everyone could watch from second place down. But if I thought like that, we could stay home. So we will go with the knife between our teeth, having an extra stimulus.”
Finally, the Aprilia CEO reiterated that the RS-GP is a fast bike, with which you can fight: “Our bike has proven to be competitive. Aleix was fast from the first race, then Maverick started very well, it’s a shame that the gearbox broke on the last lap in Portimao, otherwise he would have had another 20 points, but above all another podium. What Viñales did in Austin is what we expected to happen, also due to the improvements we have made in recent years with him. Now we have to maintain this level and it won’t be easy, because Ducati is improving and its riders are pulling each other along. Then there is Pedro Acosta, a phenomenon we can only congratulate,” he concluded.
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