RiderTua.com – Aprilia aims to be Ducati’s opponent in the 2024 MotoGP championship. Big steps forward to compete with the Borgo Panigale team have been taken, but so far they have not been able to show off, even though they are very optimistic about the results of pre-season tests. However, Aprilia’s (and all manufacturers’) engine development seems to have reached a worrying stage… it is already at the highest level, that’s why in a few years it will be reduced to 850cc… No more ‘King 1000cc’ title…
The 2024 MotoGP season did not start as expected for the Aprilia factory, with Aleix Espargaro ‘only’ getting on the podium in the Sprint and finishing eighth in the main race, while Maverick Vinales did not go beyond 9th and 10th. The Qatar MotoGP left Aprilia riders feeling dissatisfied, even though there are still many races to go ahead and establish themselves as Ducati’s opponents. Their confidence emerged during a pre-season test of data and forecasts, so in the next series in Portimao and Austin they will have to provide immediate confirmation. Technical director Romano Albesiano is very confident about the new RS-GP24 project. “The signs are from the data which tells us that we are getting closer to Ducati… Are we fighting Ducati? That’s the feeling,” he said.
Aprilia & All Manufacturers Engine Is At An Alarming Level
The team’s aim is to compete on equal terms with the Borgo Panigale manufacturer, although achieving this requires one more step before the fellow Italian manufacturer takes it a step further. Of course, in recent times the company from Venice has been able to make great progress in the field of aerodynamics, after recruiting several technicians from F1, following the arrival of Massimo Rivola. And now the first results have arrived. “At least five concepts were taken from other people,” explained Aprilia motorsport manager Marco De Luca. Obviously this is not about copying and transmitting race car designs to bikes… “The lower part that attaches to the fender, which in 2023 was copied by Honda and Yamaha, the fin on the tail, the ground effect bodywork, the wings that are attached to the fork and the arms swing, as well as the S-duct which has never been imitated by anyone,” he said.
Another important chapter in MotoGP at the moment is the engine, which is planned to be reduced to 850cc with the new technical regulations in 2027. Walter Scattolin, Aprilia’s engine manager, explains how the four-cylinder engines used have reached a very high level… Which needs to be revved which is getting higher, but because of the characteristics of this engine we are already quite high, up to close to 19 thousand rpm.”
In recent years, Aprilia has been able to reorganize and optimize its workforce in the best way, with a highly organized and interconnected group. They were the first to introduce intercoms, which allowed communication between workers in real time. “We were the first to introduce Intercom.. The remote garage consists of four people who look at the data and comments, and sometimes deliberately do not look at the data and comments for uncritical analysis,” underlined team manager Paolo Bonora.
Jobs that are becoming more sophisticated and step by step approaching F1 jobs. “In F1 they train a lot in simulators. We also have to start thinking about something, because management becomes complicated…” concluded Albesiano
