Check out this spectacular promo video of the Aprilia RSV4R. Doesn’t it just want to make you go to an Aprilia dealer to buy it and then head to the nearest track and just whack open the throttle and feel that powerful 180hp engine beneath you?

Continue reading: Aprilia RSV4R Promo Video

Italy’s national airline, Alitalia (CAI) as we all know by now, will be the title sponsor Aprilia’s World Superbike effort for the next two years.

Alitalia, who is still in the red (on Tuesday there was a 4 hour strike) will be spending three million euros to see the RSV4 machines ridden by Max Biaggi and Leon Camier with Alitalia tricolor livery, even if according to Italian financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore, there was a foreign company who offered more than Alitalia to sponsor the team, but it was judged that bringing the two Italian brands together would be more profitable.

The all Italian alliance saw Roberto Colaninno through his IMMSI (50,009% owned) and share holder and chairman of Alitalia (7,08%) and who controls the the Piaggio Group (53,6%) abstain from voting on the sponsorship deal to avoid any conflict of interest …

Continue reading: Alitalia-Aprilia Racing Sponsorship

Our Italian cousins over at Motoblog were at the Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team presentation that was held today at the airport of Fiumicino in Roma for the official unveiling of Aprilia’s RSV4 new Tricolour livery for the 2010 World Superbike Championship.

This livery, brings together two prestigious Italian brands with Italian energy giant ENI also sponsoring the superbike team that will see Max Biaggi in his second year with the team joined by British Superbike champion Leon Camier.

Continue reading: WSBK: Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team Unveiled

The other day we reported that Giampiero Sacchi could be leaving his role as head of Aprilia’s racing program, latest news have it that Sacchi will be presenting his letter of resignation tomorrow.

Sacchi’s resignation will create a void in the company because he’s been with the company for since the early 80’s in one form or another and he’s the one that brought back Max Biaggi (he used to be Biaggi’s personal manager in 1994 and 1995) to the Aprilia fold for their WSBK project with the RSV4 Factory.

The Italian manager will be replaced by Marco Ferro, who used to work in Aprilia’s PR department when Ivano Beggio used to run the company, and could be officially presented during the Aprilia-Alitialia team launch on February 9th.

Sacchi won’t be unemployed for long because he could be heading back to the GP paddock and working for Dorna.

Source | duegommeslick

Continue reading: Alberto Ferro to Replace Giampiero Sacchi in Aprilia

It’s seems that Aprilia isn’t going through a very good period lately. Beginning with the switch from the 250cc class to Moto2 where the Italian brand was leasing and supplying most of the bikes on the grid and getting good money for them, then the last minute decision on the Moto2 project, that was already in the last stages of completion, leaving several long standing clients in the lurch and finishing up with safety problems related to the connecting rods of the RSV4 Factory and RSV4-R which resulted in a recall of 335 bikes already sold in the States.

Now another problem, rumors from Italy are saying that Giampiero Sacchi, Aprilia’s director of the Piaggio Group racing operations, may be leaving the company.

Apparently Sacchi will not be present at the very high profile Aprilia-Alitalia Superbike team launch on February 9th, unthinkable considering Sacchi’s position in the company and that head honcho of both Piaggio and Alitalia Roberto Colaninno will be presenting.

Continue reading: Aprilia and Giampiero Sacchi To Split Up?

Freezing temperatures and rain showers hampered the second day of private testing at Valencia. The Aprilia team even packed in early and won’t be testing tomorrow, because Max Biaggi and Leon Camier will be in Montecarlo for Piaggio’s European Dealers Convention.

“Unfortunately this time the weather was against us,” declared Max Biaggi, “and this could be a problem because we didn’t get the confirmation we were looking for. In addition our rivals will also be testing tomorrow, when it’s expected to be sunny. Now the situation is a bit more complicated, we’ll be testing in Australia before the race, but if there are any problems then it will be too late to do anything. I’m still optimistic however because I have every confidence in the work of the Aprilia engineers“.

Xerox Ducati rider Noriyuki Haga completed 19 laps, while team mate Michel Fabrizio did about four before heading back to his garage. Shane Byrne and Carlos Checa riding their Althea Ducati’s also did a handful of laps before calling it quits.

Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus each managed about 10 laps with very high lap times on their BMW S 1000 RR and they too decided that riding in today’s weather wouldn’t produce any decent testing.

Aprilia won’t be on track tomorrow, while Ducati, BMW, Althea Ducati and Team Pata (Borciani-Guandalini) will try to get some testing done, weather permitting.

Source | wsbk

Continue reading: WSBK: Second Day of Testing at Valencia with more bad weather

This cute looking mutt that goes by the name of Cash, is a true motorcycle lover. No hanging his head out of a boring car window for this pooch, who rides up front to get the best thrills out of this Aprilia.

Cash’s biker look is down pat, the only thing missing from our point of view is a decent lid, that is an absolute must on a sportsbike.

Continue reading: Dog Loves Riding (w/video)

The Superbike tests at Portimao organized by Infront Motor Sport were officially over on Sunday, but several WSBK teams headed straight to the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia for another two days of important testing, before the first round of the championship that kicks off on February 28th at Phillip Island.

Ducati Xerox with Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio, BMW with Ruben Xaus and Troy Corser and Aprilia’s Max Biaggi and newcomer Leon Camier with test rider Alex Hofmann, who from his Twitter page reports that it’s cold and blustery at Valencia, are the factory teams who are present. Also on track Althea Ducati with Carlos Checa and Shane Byrne.

Jakub Smrz is also in Valencia with the merged Borciani-Guandalini team, however the Czech rider will be using a Ducati instead of an Aprilia. Apparently negotiations with Noale to use the RSV4 have fallen through on economic issues.

Several Moto2 teams are also at Valencia including Herve Poncharal’s Tech3 team and Aspar Martinez with his Mapfre Aspar Team, who has finally decided on the RSV chassis.

Continue reading: WSBK: More Testing at Valencia

Back in November we reported that Alitalia would probably sponsor Aprilia in WSBK as a marketing move to promote both Italian brands.

Alitalia and Aprilia (Piaggio Group) are both part of CEO’s Roberto Colaninno’s financial empire and will officially announce in February their sponsorship of Aprilia in World Superbikes and will reveal the RSV4’s new livery which will probably be based on the classic colors of the Italian flag, green, white and red.

Let’s hope that among those 5000 former Alitalia employees that were laid off last year after the acquisition by Colaninno’s consortium, someone is a WSBK and an Aprilia fan and Alitalia’s acronym, Always Late in Arrival doesn’t rub off on Aprilia.

Source | gpone

Continue reading: Aprilia and Alitalia Together in 2010

After having Julian Simon and Mike Di Meglio test five different bikes (the Spanish BQR, the English FTR, the German Kalex, the Swiss Suter and the Italian RSV) during last week’s Moto2 tests at Valencia, Jorge ‘Aspar’ Martinez now has to decide which technical solution will be best for his team after Aprilia’s pullout.

Speaking to Europapress the Spanish manager said: “We would like to make our choice this week, but Aprilia keeps telling me to wait.” Aprilia is still deciding if to give their chassis to another company to develop.

“Julian Simon and Mike Di Meglio were faster that the other riders who rode the same bike, but it’s not only a question of buying the chassis, we have to calculate the height, weight distribution and the aerodynamics. Our team has to compete at the highest level with all the guarantees. We tested the BQR a lot and only five laps on the Kalex, each has its pros and cons, but the fastest was the Italian bike” said Martinez referring to the RSV that the team tried out on the last day at Valencia.

Source | bikeracing and gpone

Continue reading: Moto2: Aspar Martinez to decide this week

The Ricardo Tormo Circuit at Valencia will see a number of different racing teams out in full force for two days of testing, tomorrow and Thursday.

Many top WSB teams will be out on the track as well as host of Moto2 teams. It will be the first time that will that many of the new Moto2 bikes will be on track together, but without the official Honda Moto2 engines, that be supplied early next year.

WSBK teams will include Aprilia with Max Biaggi and Leon Camier and test rider Alex Hofmann who will try to make up the time that they lost at the Misano circuit due to bad weather.

Continue reading: Valencia Tests for WSBK and Moto2

Roberto Locatelli, also known as the “Loca” has announced that he has decided to retire after 20 years of racing and 16 seasons in the Grand Prix series.

Locatelli who is 35, one year younger that Loris Capirossi, competed in 244 races between the 125cc and 250cc championships and won the 125cc World Championship in 2000 with the Vasco Rossi Racing Team-Aprilia.

Despite a horrific crash in 2007 during free practice at Jerez, that was caused by structural and technical problems on his bike and resulted in life-threatening injuries, the spunky Italian was back in action within a couple of months from his accident and made several top ten appearances in the second half of the year.

Locatelli in an interview with The Eco di Bergamo has said that he is retiring to make room for younger riders and wants to marry his long time girlfriend Manuela and have a child.

If you understand Italian you can see Locatelli’s video interview with ecodibergamo.

Continue reading: Roberto Locatelli Retires from Racing