Massimo Rivola and his Aprilia troops finished the 2023 season with victories, podiums and even a double, while recording the arrival of a new and ambitious entity to relaunch the satellite team program. But, ultimately, the results are disappointing, because the primary objective which was to finish at least second in the constructors' standings was missed. After putting on a good show to properly welcome the ambitious TrackHouse brand which wants to succeed in its fold, the boss of Aprilia Racing has redone his accounts to join the first expertise of his collaborator Paolo Bonora who had declared earlier: “ to be honest, it hasn't been a good year for us »...
Massimo rivola has still decided to tip the scales to the wrong side when closing the 2023 financial year for its brand Aprilia. In an interview with speedweek he indeed comments: “ it was a season with too many ups and downs. A year with great emotions, like at Silverstone and of course Barcelona, but also a season in which we missed many opportunities to perform and lost many points for one reason or another ».
Because the value of an assessment is measured by the initial objective validated before launching into the competition. And it was not achieved…” We planned to be the second best manufacturer and we weren't Admitted Massimo rivola, CEO of Aprilia Racing. “ We're not happy, but honestly, it's good not to be happy even though we've had a few wins and podiums. This means that expectations were high, because we have done well in recent seasons. I hoped that the performances which had improved so much in recent years would make our lives easier, but unfortunately our opponents are not sleeping ».
Indeed, the Noale firm finished the championship in third position, falling 47 points behind the Austrian brand. KTM, runner-up of Ducati with 327 points behind…
Massimo Rivola: “ we have to think to understand if we are working in the right way or not »
Massimo rivola also made this observation that he would not like to repeat in 2024: “ most of the time we see that Aprilia is in the lead on Friday, which is absolutely useless. And it's disappointing, because it raises expectations at the start of the weekend. We say to ourselves that it will be a good weekend, but then, too often, it was not like that ».
It will therefore be necessary to change its method… “ We need to reflect to understand whether we are working in the right way or not. But with the current format, in which the second practice session becomes a sort of qualification, there is also the fear of not reaching Q2. Working solely for the race on Sunday is something that can, perhaps, only be done if the level of the bike is very high, or if we start like the KTM, which can easily recover three places on the grid ».
« The worst thing you can do is create high expectations » adds the Italian. “ Because these expectations will kill us. This year, expectations were a negative factor for all of us and we didn't manage them properly : me, the pilots and everyone » admitted Rivola before concluding : " If a few years ago we had been told that we would have a season like this, I would have signed immediately, but now I'm not satisfied. It's good to have that feeling, but it would be better to have accomplished more ».
