The 2024 Aprilia All Stars was a success at Misano: over 20,000 enthusiasts literally invaded the paddock of the track named after Marco Simoncelli to experience a day entirely in the name of the Noale manufacturer. Between the show on the track, the historic bikes on display, the presence of great champions of Aprilia’s present and past, there was something for anyone’s teeth and it was wonderful to be there and enjoy such a magical atmosphere.
But what is behind this great success? Aprilia is certainly one of those brands that have built their own history in racing, dominating the 125 and 250 world championship for many years, winning world titles in succession and making talents like those of Max Biaggi and Valentino Rossi explode, just to name a couple. Except that these memories are now distant and, however strong, perhaps alone they would not have succeeded in attracting so many fans to Misano.
However, there is another thing that has made the difference from this point of view and that is Aprilia’s commitment to MotoGP, the showcase par excellence of motorcycling, the area in which manufacturers bring all their know-how into play to compete at the highest level of motorsport. A difficult, impervious path that does not always give satisfaction. But it creates a fundamental bond with the fans. The Noale manufacturer struggled before achieving real satisfaction in MotoGP, but since Massimo Rivola arrived to conduct the orchestra, all the pieces have started to fall into place, the first podiums and victories have arrived for Aleix Espargarò and this also year of Maverick Vinales.
Aprilia has always been indicated as the manufacturer that invested less in MotoGP than all its rivals, but honestly we have strong doubts about the veracity of this statement. Rivola recruited several former Formula 1 technicians who imposed an innovative technical direction in the RS-GP project, a bike that has become a reference for its rivals for all the solutions it puts on the track. The current pair of riders is of absolute depth, the future seems bright with Jorge Martìn, someone who certainly won’t race for free and even if Vinales were to really say goodbye to the company, there are other equally promising names on Rivola’s list.
The world title hasn’t arrived yet, we know this well. But the investments made are working, there is a second team with an American passport that fields the RS-GPs, the bike is fast and sought after, so much so that it is also the object of desire of a certain Fabio Quartararo, who then chose the path of continuity with Yamaha. In short, the current photography of Aprilia is more than positive and the confirmation in my opinion is precisely the crowd that invaded Misano, demonstrating all their love for the brand. Today we know well that the sports car market is in crisis, but coincidentally it is precisely from the Noale factories that the RS660, the best-selling sports car in Europe, comes out.
Maybe there is no direct correlation between sales and success on the track, the motto win on Sunday, sell on Monday perhaps it is no longer valid. Yet after having experienced this magnificent Aprilia All Stars I am increasingly convinced that today for a manufacturer not to be present in MotoGP is just a missed opportunity to create bonds, to create passion and love around the Brand. Maybe even just reinforce it where there is a very long history behind the brand. It’s clear that when we talk about Aprilia and its pedigree, we can’t help but think of racing. So the party takes on even more defined contours as you stroll through the paddock and come across Valentino Rossi’s motorbikes, Reggiani’s 250 or McWilliams’ RS Cube. You meet Alex Gramigni, have a chat with Loris Capirossi. A story that continues, with pages and pages that continue to be written race after race. And I can say that it continues to be beautiful.
