What about Aprilia Racing? A big name that sowed terror in WSBK with the RSV4, but that doesn't thrill anyone in MotoGP. Once again, the Noale brand is last in the manufacturers' standings at this stage of a Grand Prix season and is being taught a lesson by KTM who arrived after it. Drivers Aleix Espargaró and Andrea Iannone are not soft on the development of RS-GP nor on the general organization. The defense has the floor and lawyer Massimo Rivola is doing it!
Massimo rivola has been the new CEO of Aprilia Racing since the start of the season. His predecessor, Leo Mercanti, worked part-time as general manager of motorcycle sales. Rivola comes from Formula One, he worked with Toro Rosso and Ferrari. Here he is in MotoGP with Aprilia. He made himself known from the start by putting himself forward on the Ducati deflector affair at the start of the season. Which was not the best way to settle down in the paddock. Especially since it is a huge open-air project that the Italian, committed on all fronts, must advance…
The person concerned first begins with an assessment not wanting to darken the picture: “ we are steadily improving our own times compared to the previous year. We can call our performance decent. We are progressing. It's good for us. But what we do is not enough to be competitive with the rest of the competition ».
That being said, he nevertheless recognizes: “ If we take into account what is available and what we have achieved so far, we should not be too ambitious. At the same time, I suggested not improving performance for just one qualifying round, but building a better bike for racing. Because there are points which on Sunday ».
« We also want to show everyone that we work with a method that allows us to grow significantly. I would prefer to win a few tenths of a second in each race rather than three tenths in one lap, for which you have to build crazy things. We need to develop a better working method in the factory. We also need to hire some more technicians with lots of experience ».
A hell of a program! “ 2019 is my learning year. But I have to deliver results soon. That's why I want to improve the structures and promise the factory and the company a better future for MotoGP with a new organization and new people ". We must therefore expect change at Aprilia…
