till Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League
Aprilia’s been pressured into an all-new manufacturing facility MotoGP rider line-up for 2025, although changing the retiring Aleix Espargaro and KTM-bound Maverick Vinales with championship chief Jorge Martin and 2023 title contender Marco Bezzecchi appears like an improve even when some continuity may’ve been welcome.
Will its satellite tv for pc workforce Trackhouse present that continuity?
Aprilia workforce principal Massimo Rivola’s given some hints about the best way he hopes the American satellite tv for pc workforce will flip for subsequent yr – and the distinction in his stances over its present riders Raul Fernandez and Miguel Oliveira was notable.
TRACKHOUSE’S ALTERNATIVES
Trackhouse has been neglected of a lot of the foolish season rumours and hypothesis thus far.
The one outdoors names which were critically linked to it thus far are 2020 world champion Joan Mir and American Moto2 racer Joe Roberts.
Regardless of robust hyperlinks between new Trackhouse boss Davide Brivio and Mir after their title win collectively at Suzuki, rumours within the paddock are actually suggesting that Mir will as an alternative stay with the Repsol Honda workforce for 2 extra years – one thing that comes as a little bit of a shock given his antipathy in direction of that choice of late.
Whereas Roberts is perhaps match for the US workforce with which he already had shut relations on paper, there’s a way that he nonetheless must show himself for an extended time frame regardless of his robust begin to 2024 within the middleweight class.
Whereas he at present sits second within the championship standings after a robust run of type within the opening rounds, that tempo solely emerged 100 races into what has been a slightly inconsistent time in Moto2 thus far.
And, with Trackhouse proprietor Justin Marks repeatedly adamant that his workforce will solely promote American expertise when somebody is able to combat on the prime degree and never merely due to nationality, it’s unlikely Roberts has performed sufficient.
‘SUPERFAN’ OF FERNANDEZ
That may nicely spell excellent news for Trackhouse’s present rider line-up – or, on the very least, for considered one of them.
Rivola has all the time been constructive about Fernandez, however speaking to the media after the Bezzecchi announcement, he stepped up the extent of reward.
Fernandez is the one one of many 4 Aprilia riders on a 2023 bike. Requested by The Race if that made him more durable to guage, Rivola answered the query by lauding Fernandez in a approach that urged he’s at a big bike drawback.
“I’m a superfan of Raul,” the previous Ferrari Formulation 1 boss admitted. “I provided him a contract after the primary race of his Moto2 profession.
“If his season has been a bit up and down in his first yr with KTM and in his first yr with us, I believe he has proven the pace.
“I can let you know, now we have knowledge that exhibits the pace of Raul greater than you guys can see from the races or the lap occasions. He is able to catch a podium. Clearly you want numerous components like begin, however the pace is there.”
BUT WHAT ABOUT OLIVEIRA?
Nonetheless, whereas he may need been fast to hype one of many satellite tv for pc workforce’s present riders, there was a notable distinction in tone when Rivola was requested if he was additionally eager to maintain Portuguese racer Miguel Oliveira on the opposite facet of the storage.
Rivola’s slightly equivocal reply comes after a troublesome debut season on the RS-GP for Oliveira, with a number of accidents sustained because of the actions of different riders – however can also be amid a slightly lacklustre begin to 2024 the place Fernandez (on his older bike) has usually been the Trackhouse headline generator.
“If we proceed or not, it will likely be in his arms and Trackhouse’s, not mine,” Rivola defined when requested concerning the marque’s future with Oliveira.
“Personally, I needed to have Miguel in Aprilia and nonetheless I believe Miguel in Aprilia can ship excellent efficiency.
“Final yr he had the unluckiest yr of any rider. It was a really troublesome yr for him.
“This yr clearly the expectation was larger contemplating the efficiency of the bike with Maverick and Aleix.”
Nonetheless, with Trackhouse inheriting a lot of its workforce from earlier Aprilia outfit RNF Racing (which in flip had begun from Petronas Yamaha and, earlier than that workforce, Marc VDS Honda with the identical crew), Rivola additionally acknowledged that the slew of technical issues over the course of the previous 18 months has affected Oliveira’s efficiency too.
“It’s additionally true that the workforce began as the identical workforce of final yr,” Rivola added, “and since Davide joined he has began introducing new issues, asking for brand spanking new engineers.
“It’s a work in progress and never one thing that you are able to do from day to nighttime.
“You want time to construct a stronger workforce. I hope that they will discover a strategy to proceed, as a result of clearly having two new riders within the manufacturing facility workforce, it could be good to have the identical riders within the satellite tv for pc workforce.
“I’m certain that Davide with the expertise that he has will discover what’s finest for his workforce.”