Aprilia gear-driven camshaft to be allowed

Aprilia has confirmed it has been given the go-ahead to use a gear-driven camshaft on its RSV4 after the World Superbike Championship organisers moved to clarify its position on the controversial system.

The Italian manufacturer has been under scrutiny in recent weeks after it was seen to be testing the equipment with the intention of racing it for the first time in Portugal, a move that prompted rivals to lodge a protest.

Despite this, organisers have now confirmed the system, which has been designed to improve power delivery, can be used in a racing environment, with Aprilia now looking to debut it at the Miller Motorsports Park round in May.

"We were certain our position was right, and we were in fact the first to announce the technical developments we were working on during the team presentation press conference," said Aprilia technical and racing director Gigi dall'lgna.

"We are the newcomers in this great championship and, while adhering to the regulations, we are obliged to explore every technical possibility to help us close the gap between us and our rivals, who have years of experience and success behind them.

"We have worked intensively on the gear driven camshaft system and its development is still a work in progress, with the main focus on improving power delivery. We could be ready to race in a couple of months, possibly for the US race at the Miller Motorsport Park."

In-keeping with the spirit of the production-derived regulations, Aprilia says it will also make the gear-driven camshaft available to the public on its RSV4 Factory road bike.