Marco Bezzecchi has signed a two-year contract with Aprilia, here is Massimo Rivola’s comment
June 24, 2024
LThe hiring of Marco Bezzecchi by the official Aprilia team is news that has greatly affected the environment: out of two veterans like Vinales and Espargarò and in two young people with clear title ambitions, two riders who were inferior last year – as a result in the championship – only to world champion Bagnaia.
During a meeting with the press Massimo Rivola, CEO of Aprilia Racing, explained the details of the Italian rider’s entry into the Aprilia Racing Team:
– You have said for a long time that you would have liked to have an Italian driver; you got it, with Martin: Aprilia seems to have a great team at the moment, so I imagine you’re very happy
“Yes, I confirm, I am very very happy, (we have, ed.) a couple of young talents, I think really strong. Last year they finished second and third so the hope is that they will do even better this year. It’s true that when you change both riders in the team it’s never a wise choice, in the sense that we know continuity pays off, but when faced with two talents of this type I believe that this small risk should be taken and accepted with great enthusiasm”
– Why Bezzecchi?
“The Bez was the first one I offered the seat to four years ago, when we were in trouble (Rivola uses a more direct expression ed.), he was one of those who refused. But in reality he refused with full knowledge of the facts. In the sense that he already had the seat in Moto2 with VR, which in any case was a very strong team and therefore aimed to win the championship, that he knew that if he did well he could probably have a clear path in Moto GP with Valentino’s team . So let’s say that I was sorry but I wasn’t angry, in fact I think that an extra year in Moto2 was probably useful for him. It’s true that this year he’s in a bit more difficulty.” added Rivola “but what he showed last year, in his second year (in MotoGP ed.) it’s a sign of enormous talent, he impressed me in Argentina in the wet and even more so in India which was the only track that nobody knew, apart from me I had been there with Formula One but I don’t make any claims. So there are signs you notice when looking at a driver’s career. There are signs that make the speed and talent of one driver more obvious to you than the other. This is one of those. Then he is certainly also a character, a bit like Vale, a bit like Sic, he is one of those characters who in my opinion fit great in Moto GP but, having said that, we took him because he gives us great gas , not because character.
– Given the excellent relationship within the team with Alex and Maverick, would you have ever imagined at the beginning of the season such a big revolution as a completely new lineup for next year?
“Honestly no, in the sense that I could have expected Aleix’s retirement; I also thought, and sincerely hoped, to be able to continue with Maverick. The victory in Austin was for me, not only for the team, also the achievement of an objective that we had given ourselves, that I had given myself to win with Maverick, so it was a huge satisfaction; repeating Austin is a bit like what we would like to do again. Thinking about changing two drivers at the beginning of the year, no, I wouldn’t have thought of it. given how quickly the market has moved, I must say that we have done a great job, so I can only be very, very happy”
RI look at how much he expected Vinales to leave Aprilia:
“Pilots are like that, it’s right that they look after their interests and it’s up to us, in our profession, to ensure that their best interests are us. I didn’t feel betrayed, just as I don’t think he felt betrayed when we announced Jorge. At the same time, every rider probably needs to follow their own instincts and feelings, especially, I think, someone like Maverick. We got along very well with him. We know he’s a rider who can have it huge peaks. I think he felt the time had come for a change; perhaps his biggest goal today is to win with four different manufacturers? I don’t know, but we absolutely respect his choice and will try to maximize the results of the next ones of the next grand prix, because in any case the season ahead of us is very long”
Nothing is defined yet regarding this any technicians who could follow Bezzecchi from Team VR46 to the official Aprilia Team “we will try to break as little balance as possible”, but above all, Rivola thinks that Marco’s driving style goes well with the RS GP: “(Bezzecchi ed.) He is someone who has always been very strong on fast tracks, I mentioned Argentina before. He’s someone who was strong in Assen and I think that, alas, we’ll see him strong again this weekend. Ours is a bike that goes well from that point of view. The times I saw him and Marco fall were all because he arrived a little long, braked and leaning and I must say our bike is quite good from that point of view; so we should get to know each other, understand first of all how to put him in the saddle, because in any case the ergonomics of the rider is a fundamental thing. He’s been riding the same type of bike for years now, even if it’s not the same but still the same type so it will take a minimum of adaptation but we’ll give him as little as possible because we need to bring results home quickly”
Sul Team Trackhouse Racing which he currently fields Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez on the 2024 Aprilia RS-GP officials, there is still some uncertainty regarding the continuity of the drivers for 2025: “The agreement with Trackhouse is that they decide. Obviously we have our say, I say mine, but the final decision will be Davide Brivio and Justin Maks’. It’s obvious that I would like it to continue with Miguel and Raul, who were my choice and I still believe in the choice made but we will try to push this decision also because, by changing us two drivers, having continuity on the other side would be important, so I hope there aren’t too many changes on the other side (Team Trackhouse ed.)“
