Aprilia made “very good start” with first 2027 MotoGP bike test

Aprilia MotoGP boss Paolo Bonora says the marque’s first test of its 2027 850cc prototype at Jerez was a “very good start” for the next project.

MotoGP will undergo a major technical overhaul next year, with 850cc engines replacing the 1000cc formula, while the bikes will have no ride height devices and reduced aerodynamics.

Pirelli tyres will also replace Michelin for 2027, adding another layer of uncertainty for the new regulations cycle.

Most manufacturers have now shown off their initial 850cc bikes in private testing, with Aprilia doing so at Jerez last week with Lorenzo Savadori.

While little information on performance came from that test, Aprilia's Bonora offered a positive report on Saturday at the French Grand Prix.

“Yeah, very good start, to be honest,” he told the official MotoGP world feed.

“It is a clear shakedown of the bike, because the engine was on the test bench for many months.

“So, we understood it very well, but the bike it was the first time.

“To be honest, it was a good test.

“Savadori did a good job, and now it is necessary to work a lot because the bike has changed a little bit, because without the front and rear right height devices, you have to find a different balance, a different set-up, and also a different set-up on the electronics side because the wheelies is different in a straight line.

“So, it will be a very hard second part of the season because we need to keep the level high here in the 1000cc championship and, in the same way, keep the work at home with our test time in designing the 850.”

Ducati carried out a second private test of its 850cc bike earlier this week with World Superbike star Nicolo Bulega.

According to GPOne, Bulega managed a 1m47.2s on the Ducati 850, with the current lap record at Mugello a 1m44.169s.