When Shinya Nakano announced his retirement from racing in a press conference last October one of his phrases was: “Now, if my experience is a little help, I want to contribute to the motorcycle industry. I look forward to seeing everyone at the track in the near future, this time in a different capacity.”

Nakano who has a clothing brand called 56 Design and several shops in Japan has decided to manage his own team called 56 Design Racing Team that will compete in an amateur series in Japan.

The 32 year old rider retired after 13 years of professional racing. Although he spent 2009 in the World Superbike Championship with Aprilia, Nakano is best known for his ten full seasons in grand prix racing, two in 250cc and then eight in 500cc/MotoGP.

Source | bikeracing

....

0 comments

According to Italian website Bikeracing Shinya Nakano will announce his retirement from racing in a press conference Wednesday.

Nakano, who turned 32 this month, has decided to retire after thirteen years of racing, which is probably due to continuing health problems. Nakano who switched to the World Superbike series this year to ride with Aprilia Racing, first broke his collarbone at Valenica and then began to suffer from neck pain that kept him out of the final rounds of the season.

The Japanese rider’s best result this year with the Aprilia RSV4 Factory was a fourth in Race 1 at Losail.

Nakano will be following his new store and fashion brand “56 Design.”

Aprilia has yet to announce who their new rider will be, but since Leon Camier is testing at Portimao, we can assume that that Giampiero Sacchi is seriously considering Camier to partner Max Biaggi in 2010.

....

1 comment

Just three days ago it seemed that Aprilia would be fielding three bikes for this weekend’s race at Portimaom instead Shinya Nakano has decided that he would not be present for the final round as his neck injury is still not fully healed.

Nakano missed Race 2 at Nurburgring and the last two rounds due to neck pain and was substituted by Marco Simoncelli at Imola and BSB 2009 Champion Leon Camier at Magny-Cours. Camier is now at Portimao subbing for Nakano and was 17th in the first free practice while Max Biaggi was 13th.

According to the Japanese rider, who has struggled to come to terms with the all new Aprilia superbike and match team mate Max Biaggi’s performances on the RSV-4 Factory, felt that the long journey from Japan to Portugal with three days of riding would be too difficult.

This also means that Nakano will miss the two day post race tests at Portimao that take place next week. Aprilia has yet to confirm Nakano for the 2010 season.

Source | crash.net

....

0 comments

According to crash.net Aprilia Racing has decided to field three RSV-4’s for the final round of the WSBK Championship at Portimao this weekend.

Regular rider Shinya Nakano will be returning for the last round of season after missing Imola and Magny-Cours due to neck problems that kept him out of the second race at the Nuruburgring round.

The third bike will go BSB champion Leon Camier who already took measure the Aprilia superbike at Magny-Cours but failed to finish both races due to engine problems.

Aprilia has yet to announce their rider line-up for the 2010 season, nor if they will be fielding a second team in the series. Max Biaggi has a two year contract with the team and his option was renewed, while Nakano’s 14th place in the standings, despite his injuries, does not bode well in keeping the same ride next year especially after Marco Simoncelli’s wildcard appearance at Imola.

Names linked for Nakano’s ride have been MotoGP rider Alex DeAngelis and Leon Camier.

....

0 comments

Leon Camier who was crowned the 2009 British Superbike Champion at Silverstone on Sunday will be replacing injured Shinya Nakano on the Aprilia RSV4 Factory.

According to Italy’s Motosprint, the Brit already has a contract from Aprilia to ride the last two rounds of the World Superbike Championship at Magny-Cours and Portimao alongside Max Biaggi.

The 22-year-old from Ashford, Kent in his third season of the BSB championship and with three rounds of the championship remaining he has already taken 17 race victories out of the 23 races to take place so far, with his Airwaves Yamaha beating the record of wins in a single season, which was 14.

Aprilia fielded Marco Simoncelli as Nakano’s replacement at the Imola last Sunday. The Italian rider DNF’d in Race 1, but in Race 2 took 3rd. Simoncelli will be back to his 250cc championship at Estoril this weekend.

....

0 comments

Surprising news is coming from Motosprint according to the Italian website 2250cc rider Marco Simoncelli seems to have accepted Aprilia Racing Team offer to race in this Sunday’s WSBK round at Imola.

Simoncelli has previously tested the Aprilia RSV4 Factory last November at Valencia, a gift from Aprilia and his Team Metis Gilera for his 2008 World title, but today he’s at the Mugello race circuit putting in some serious test time in order to prepare for Sunday’s race at Imola.

Aprilia called in Simoncelli to replace Shinya Nakano, who will not be riding in the next two races due to severe neck problems.

Source | motosprint

UPDATE:

According to Gpone, Simoncelli will be also testing tomorrow and will make a final decision tomorrow evening and Aprilia in the meantime has also called in Alex Hoffmann, their test rider.

....

0 comments

Aprilia’s Shinya Nakano will not be racing the next two rounds of the WSBK championship, at Imola and Magny-Cours. The Japanese rider has been suffering from continuing neck problems and has decided to stay in Japan and undergo further medical tests and treatment and may return for the final round at Portimao.

With only Max Biaggi to be riding at Imola, Aprilia is now considering a substitute to ride Nakano’s Aprilia RSV4 Factory.

Nakano is currently 13th in the overall standings and did not ride in Race 2 at Nurburgring due to neck pain.

Source | motosprint

....

0 comments

Aprilia has released a new video regarding their RSV4 Factory production bike. This time Miguel Galluzzi, Vice-President of Aprilia’s Design Centre and José Gonzales, the designer shows us how and why the RSV4 project was conceived.

Aprilia’s Superbike is 4th in manufacturers standings in WSBK Championship, while Max Biaggi is 6th and Shinya Nakano is 14th in the riders standings.

....

0 comments

Aprilia continues to be under close scrutiny by their opponents, after Francis Batta’s it’s a prototype the superbike team were told to change the chassis they used during the Phillip Isalnd and Qatar rounds but were unable to do so immediately due to logistic problems.

According to the technical commission, the chassis were slightly different from the ones Aprilia uses on their RSV4 Factory production bike and gave them until the Valencia round to fix the situation, which the Noale based company complied to.

Aprilia riders Max Biaggi and Shinya Nakano barely avoided further controversy when they did a couple of slow laps around the Misano race circuit for the Aprilia RSV4 Factory world launch promo film and for the journalists and photographers present for the launch.

Continue reading: Aprilia still under scrutiny

....

0 comments

Aprilia rider Shinya Nakano missed Superpole after he was thrown from his Aprilia RSV4 breaking and displacing his left collarbone in a crash Saturday morning.

He was operated on the same evening and surgeons placed a plate and eight screws in his collarbone and the operation was a success. His doctors are now evaluating if should undergo therapy in his home country or remain in Spain

Nakano has 21 days to recover from the injury before the fourth round of WSBK at Assen, April 24th.

Source | gpone

....

0 comments

A video promo by Aprilia’s Racing Team for their superbike RSV4, that we’ll see in action on Sunday during the WSBK’s season opener at Phillip Island.

....

0 comments

Here is another piece of Aprilia’s video promo with Shinya Nakano recommending the RSV4 Factory.

How many RSV4’s does Aprilia have to sell this year to remain in the WSBK series?

....

1 comment