Aprilia 'close, need to do the last step' in MotoGP
Aprilia's all-new 2020 RS-GP may have failed to match the best result of the factory's previous MotoGP machine, peaking at eighth compared to sixth place, but CEO Mass𒈔imo Rivola is confident they have advanced half-a-second clos🎃er to the front.
Rivola cited Aleix Espargaro's results at the Valencia Grand Prix, where the Spaniard finished ninth this year and las💜t, but climbed 17-seconds nearer to the top over the 27-laps (the race-winning time was almost identical in 2019 and 2020).

Aprilia's all-new 2020 RS-GP may have failed to match the best result of the factory's previous MotoGP machine, peaking at eighth compared to sixth place, b🐻ut CEO Massimo Rivola is conf💟ident they have advanced half-a-second closer to the front.
Rivola cited Aleix Espargaro's resul💜ts at the Valencia Grand൩ Prix, where the Spaniard finished ninth this year and last, but climbed 17-seconds nearer to the top over the 27-laps (the race-winning time was almost identical in 2019 and 2020).
But that still leaves another half-a-second per lap to be found and Rivola admits the level of 'dif🌼ficulty' will only increase.
"2020 started with good expect⛦ation, clearly the bike was - and is - a step compared to the 2019," Rivola said. "Obviously, it's quite 🦄a new bike and we need milage, but this year was not perfect for that in terms of Covid and everything.
"We improved compared to the competitors more than half-a-second, so it🥃 was quite a good step. Obviously when you are, let's say, far away the first part is 𝓰easier to gain, now the difficultly becomes even more.
"In the Va🅺lencia race we finished P9 and 15-seconds from P1. Last year we also finished P9, but 33-seconds from P1. And that's the average difference more-or-less for th🔴e season.
"So racing now is much more fun, clearly the show is be🧸tter. We are close to the main group and it's not depressin꧒g, it's a boost, because we feel we are close and we need to do the last step."
Accelerationꦑ is the main aꦐrea identified as needing improvement for 2021, any major progress during this season having been hampered by MotoGP's emergency freeze on engine development.
Aprilia's 2020 campaign was also hindered by uncertainty over And▨rea 𓄧Iannone's doping case.
The Italian's four-year sanction 𝐆was only finalised in November and the team eventually spent the entire season with test riders Bradley Smith and then Lorenzo Savadori substi🍨tuting for Iannone.
With Moto2 riders Marco Bezze✃cchi, Fabio di Giannantonio and Joe Roberts declining the RS-GP ride for next season, either Smith or Savad🃏ori will now get the race seat for the full 2021 world championship.
"Stability is for sure important. Bradley did a good job during the season, he was supposed to beౠ the te💦st rider but at the end when he was racing he went closer and closer to Aleix," Rivola said. "Also we gave some opportunity to Lorenzo Savadori, to let him be a better test rider for next year."
The Smith or Savadori d♔ecision will be taken after pre-season🍌 testing.
As the only manufacturer on the present grid without podiums (or a race win), Apri🔥lia continues to have access to technical concessions and will be able to develop its engine during the 2021 season.

Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury ꧙issues.