MotoGP: When Aleix Espargaró gives a clue about the Aprilia RS-GP 2021…

“I didn’t tell you anything, but the Aprilia 2021 will remind you of the official black Aprilia 250s of yesteryear…”, it is through this message broadcast on social networks that Aleix Espargaró gives an indication on, at least, the future decoration of the Aprilia RS-GP 2021.

As the date of the presentation of the beauty is not yet known, unlike the Gresini Moto2 and Moto3 team which will be revealed on February 17, this gives us time to go back in time to remember these famous Aprilia 250 RS, since the last and splendid RSA, until 2009, were not black (see our gallery here) ...

Go back in time, to the era of the three titles of Max Biaggi in the intermediate category on Noale's machines, from 1994 to 1996, seems to be a good entry point... Except that, apart from a few gray bands on the tank and the Chesterfield and Aprilia stickers, the 250s were uniformly black: We can probably do better in 2021!

In 1997, factory bikes sported a little more color with Loris Capirossi et Tetsuya Harada, even if they were initially supposed to be decorated in the Segafredo colors and this did not happen (only Carlo Pernat could tell you the juicy anecdote…).

 

In 1999, Valentino Rossi breaks the codes but retains, among other things, an “almost” black and red version…

Then began the “MS” years with Marco Melandri in 2000, helped by the ghost Tetsuya Harada and Klaus Nohles in 2001, the year when the Aprilia became more “feline”…

Alone again in 2002, Marco Melandri will continue on the same trend with a nice gradient, quickly abandoned by Manuel Poggiali in 2003.

From 2004, the 250 Aprilias lost their black dress and it is therefore among these few liveries that we will have to imagine that of the Aprilia RS-GP 2021.
We don't discuss tastes and colors, but the 1999 and 2002 versions don't displease us, even if the 2020 motorcycles, although a little colorful, were in tune with the times...