The Aprilia MotoGP Team presented their 2024 livery at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar today, ahead of the final preseason test. A selection of photos and the press release issued appear below:
Aprilia, like so many other factories, have chosen to stick with a relatively unchanged formula. A lot of black with a splash of red and white
The bike is very close to the 2024 prototype tested at Sepang. Aprilia didn't use the rear wheel covers much at the test, nor the rear wing. But the photos were taken in January, before the test.
It's a big year for these two. Aleix Espargaro has to believe he can fight for a championship. And Maverick Viñales has to earn another season with Aprilia
Test rider Lorenzo Savadori hasn't always been the fastest of the test riders, but he has played a crucial role in developing the Aprilia RS-GP
The rear diffuser is one of the biggest innovations Aprilia have brought
The front wing is very different on the latest bike. That part is staying.
Aleix Espargaro, lead engineer Romano Albesiano, Lorenzo Savadori, CEO Massimo Rivola, Maverick Viñales, team manager Paolo Bonora
Aleix Espargaro has a very colorful helmet design this year. Should make him easy to pick out in a crowd
Maverick Viñales is sticking with the trusty red and black design he has used for the past few seasons
Tricks ofthe trade: use a bike with a plain black section where the racing number is, and photoshop the numberson afterwards
The 2024 Aprilia Racing season officially kicks off
THE RS-GP24 IS UNVEILED, THE ITALIAN BIKE FOR BATTLING AT THE TOP LEVELS OF MOTOGP
After its on-track début in the opening tests of Sepang, sporting the temporary but spectacular “full-black” livery, the time has come to present the Aprilia RS-GP24 in its official version. A project with a strong technical identity, proudly Italian and which has now reached full maturity.
After two seasons of constant growth, 2024 represents the year of confirmation for Aprilia. Technical evolution has taken bike and team to an unprecedented level and the racing department from Noale, under the leadership of Romano Albesiano, has taken on this challenge without betraying its DNA. In other words, in an innovative way, with choices that blazed the trail for others and which, in the latest evolution of the RS-GP, find an even more extreme application.
We are definitely talking about aerodynamics - the most visible part - but every detail has been redesigned and advanced. From the V4 engine to the chassis, from the electronics to the strategies, nothing was overlooked whilst still maintaining a clear connection with the already competitive 2023 base.
There will certainly be no lack of data to be analysed at the end of each session, given the fact that, in addition to the super-confirmed duo of Aleix Espargaró and Maverick Viñales, Miguel Oliveira will be starting the new season on an RS-GP24. Raúl Fernández, the second Team Trackhouse standard bearer, will be using a 2023-spec bike which will then be upgraded to the most recent version.
ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
"The growth we have demonstrated in recent seasons has been incredible. I am proud to be part of this project which I have always considered to be my second family. In 2024, we’ll make another step forward. Last year we were lacking the consistency to battle all the way to the end, but we still demonstrated that we are a tough rival for everyone. It won’t be simple because, even if it seemed impossible, the level in MotoGP has increased even more. I feel like I'm ready - physically and mentally - and I believe in the work that the Aprilia staff has carried out."
MAVERICK VIÑALES
"Our 2023 season ended on an upward trend and we want to continue that now. The feeling with the team is outstanding. During the winter break I trained like mad and I have faith in Aprilia Racing’s work. If we continue to set the goal of squeezing the most out of our technical package every weekend, the results will follow naturally. The first tests confirmed the extremely high level of the championship. Practically every rider and every bike on the grid have the potential to battle for the podium. This makes the challenge even more intriguing."
MASSIMO RIVOLA
"Over the last few years, Aprilia Racing has undertaken a constant growth process. First becoming a factory team, and then putting four bikes on the track thanks to the satellite team. In 2024, we’ll raise the bar even higher, since Miguel Oliveira will be starting the season on an RS-GP with the same specs as the factory bikes and Raùl will receive it subsequently. This is a significant effort for the racing department, but it is also a sign of this project’s evolution on all fronts. It has not been simple and the season promises to be even more demanding, but at the same time, I believe in the potential of our team. And I am proud of what we have demonstrated thus far, both from a technical point of view and in terms of dedication and commitment. We want to be protagonists in MotoGP and we have everything we need to be able to make that happen. We have four highly qualified riders like Aleix, Maverick, Miguel, and Raùl, a racing department that is courageous and capable of innovation, not to mention that pinch of Italian pride that never hurts in racing."
ROMANO ALBESIANO
"Our approach to the 2024 season could not stray from the good base that we had already built, especially over the last two seasons. The RS-GP is a mature project, faithful to the Aprilia philosophy, which we have sought to advance in every aspect. The aerodynamic study is perhaps the clearest. We introduced a few concepts that are definitely innovative in order to improve the load and penetration characteristics. But every detail has been revisited, as must be done in a championship which has placed technological research at unprecedented levels. Having three bikes with the same specs on track from the season start will undoubtedly contribute to streamlining our growth process. We’ll have much more information available that we will then need to skilfully analyse and interpret."
Comments
There’s more purple, David
(No, there really is…)
In other news, say it quietly but there appears to be another two clean and bright and legible helmet designs un-blighted by a Minster duelling with a Dead Bull. And whilst I know Aleix has had RAW as a sponsor for ages, it’s tacked onto the chin bar so the designs can go back to the future with simple stripes n stuff, gosh isn’t it exciting?!!