Aprilia

Not even a dislodged winglet could hold Andrea Iannone back in his race debut for Aprilia, as the colourful Italian branded the 2019 MotoGP curtain raiser in Qatar as “a really good start.”

Despite wearing the expression of a man that was slightly underwhelmed, Aleix Espargaro described his top ten finish in the MotoGP curtain raiser in Qatar as “positive” as he seeks to start 2019 with a series of solid point scoring finishes.

- New Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola wants Ducati to retain its Qatar MotoGP race results and have the swingarm device banned from the next round onwards (Motosprint via Marca)

- Following the appeal against Ducati’s device mounted under the swingarm, KTM motorsports director Pit Beirer explains why his team took part in the joint-protest (Speedweek)

Andrea Iannone is confident of making a positive race debut for Aprilia but concedes there will be a lot to learn in Qatar following intensive winter testing.

Team: Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Riders: Aleix Espargaro, Andrea Iannone Test Rider: Bradley Smith Bike: Aprilia RS-GP Best placed rider, 2018: Aleix Espargaro, 17 th Best result, 2018: 6 th , Aleix Espargaro

Surely one of the more significant signings of the off-season outside the rider market came in the north east of Italy. 2018 wasn’t a happy season for Aprilia as its MotoGP project failed to build on the promise of the year before.

These are the latest Aprilia colours with which Aleix Espargaro and new team-mate Andrea Iannone will compete in the 2019 MotoGP World Championship. The livery was presented on the eve of the final pre-season test in Qatar, where three days of track action begins on Saturday afternoon.

Bradley Smith has always been one of the main go-to guys for the media when it comes to explaining the intricate details of MotoGP riding.

Aleix Espargaro rose to seventh for Aprilia as Andrea Iannone was forced to skip the final day of running at the opening MotoGP pre-season test at Sepang. 

Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro says his squad’s 2019 bike is “definitely much better” than its predecessor and is encouraged by the early signs ahead of the 2019 MotoGP season. 

Aprilia are 'super happy' with the work of new test rider Bradley Smith and plan five MotoGP wild-card race appearances for the Englishman during the 2019 season.

This year's Sepang MotoGP Shakedown test is being held slightly later than usual, from February 1-3. That means it falls outside of the winter test ban, from December 1 to January 31.

With pre-season testing preparations being finalised and targets being drawn up for the 2019 MotoGP world championship, Crash.net looks over what key objectives each manufacturer will be desperate to get right.

A new dawn beckons for Scott Redding in 2019. An eleven-year stint in the grand prix paddock came to an end last November at a murky Valencia. But rather than longing for the past, the Englishman was upbeat, and already looking ahead to the challenges ahead.

Following last month’s announcement that former Ferrari F1 team chief Massimo Rivola has been appointed Aprilia Racing CEO, the Italian has drilled in efficiency and team harmony being vital to its 2019 charge.

Valencia - not only the scene of the year’s final grand prix, but a place that offers scope for reflection. There a long, arduous season grinds to a close. And as it does, performances, strategies and relationships from the 18 previous rounds can be judged with some distinction.

Finding a replacement for the rush that comes with elite competition can take on many forms. For Max Biaggi, six-time a world champion, a full-time return to the grand prix paddock feels like “a kind of pure adrenaline.”

Ferrari F1 sporting director Massimo Rivola has been hired as CEO of Aprilia Racing, starting his new job on January 7. Rivola, 47, described as a motorcycle and Aprilia brand enthusiast, has spent 21 seasons in Formula One.

With Tech3 joining KTM, only two of the six MotoGP manufacturers will be without a satellite team in 2019. The factories in question, Suzuki and Aprilia, have opposing views on the importance of such a project.

Aleix Espargaro was left unconvinced by a new frame for his Aprilia but is eager to continue the experiment at next week’s Jerez test and is certain “we know exactly what areas to improve on” having matched his feedback with new team-mate Andrea Iannone.

Aleix Espargaro has described the initial MotoGP race start as ‘at the worst time’ and helped push for an earlier start time in the Safety Commission following Friday practice.

Aleix Espargaro feels the “hybrid” Aprilia which produced a successful outing at the Australian MotoGP has translated a promising pace in Malaysia as he secured a provisional Q2 spot following Friday practice.

Aleix Espargaro has said he can view the near future in a positive light once more after gaining ten places in the Australian round of the MotoGP series while racing Aprilia’s updated RS-GP to a promising ninth position.