ESPARGARÓ, SAVADORI AND SMITH WITH APRILIA RACING IN THE 2021 SEASON

Aleix Espargaró, Lorenzo Savadori and Bradley Smith will be the Aprilia Racing riders for the 2021 MotoGP World Championship season.

The forced loss of Andrea Iannone, and above all, the vast amount of time his ordeal took, severely damaged Aprilia Racing, whose only “fault” was remaining loyal to their rider and rightfully trusting in reasonable times for the conclusion of the proceedings.

Over the last few weeks, the names of several riders have been associated with Aprilia Racing, as always happens in the negotiating phase. Some of the possibilities evaluated did not come to fruition independently of Aprilia Racing’s desires, so between the situations that were actually feasible and the possibility of continuing with the three riders who rode the RS-GP this season, the latter was chosen.

Given the clear growth of the RS-GP, which was improved in every area and continued to improve significantly in the final part of the season, this will provide continuity to the project for the upcoming season, which will be crucial in preparing for the subsequent five-year period, during which Aprilia intends to put more bikes on the track and implement a rider search and assessment policy.

MASSIMO RIVOLA - APRILIA RACING CEO
“It’s no secret that we offered three young riders an opportunity because we felt that our project could be very interesting for talented young riders, but they did not yet feel ready for the leap and, at the same time, the teams that have already signed them for the 2021 season preferred to keep them. We respectfully acknowledge their decision. We prefer to continue with our riders, rather than choosing solutions that are still open but about which we are not entirely convinced. Even in the difficult conditions of this season, particularly penalising for a fledgling project, the bike improved greatly and significantly reduced the gaps both in the races and in practice on basically all the circuits. Aleix finished on a high note and, even in the race yesterday, was lapping with the same times as the leaders. Lorenzo has also shown significant progress in just three races and we know that we can count on Bradley’s professionalism and experience. Aleix will obviously be our top rider. The roles of second rider and test rider will be decided at the end of the winter test schedule.”

APRILIA RACING AND (RED) TOGETHER AGAIN FOR THE FINAL RACE OF THE SEASON

IN 2020, THE UNTIRING COMMITMENT TO FIGHTING NEONATAL AIDS IS JOINED BY THE BATTLE AGAINST COVID-19

AN IMPORTANT CHALLENGE FOR ALL MOTOGP FANS

For the fifth year in a row, the Piaggio Group and Aprilia Racing dedicate the final race of the MotoGP season to supporting the work of (RED), the association founded in 2006 by Bono and Bobby Shriver.

From its inception, (RED) has been active in the fight against neonatal HIV/AIDS and, in this difficult 2020 year, also against COVID-19.

(RED) and Aprilia Racing are together to raise awareness with the vast audience of MotoGP fans on issues such as AIDS, often underestimated or even forgotten, and the extremely current battle to prevent the spread of Covid. These are social awareness battles that the entire motorcycling community and all motorcycling enthusiasts can join, participating in the Shopathon campaign launched Wednesday where PRODUCT(RED) items are produced, the sales of which contribute directly to supporting the Global Fund. One of these products is the UMask, worn specifically by all the team throughout the Portimão race weekend.

(RED) brings the most iconic global brands and millions of people together in a monumental challenge, to definitively stamp out diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. From its foundation, (RED) has contributed 650 million USD to the Global Fund for the fight against AIDS and the help provided by (RED) has had an impact on the entire population, thanks to activities of prevention, care, consulting and assistance service.


ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"I am proud to see that my team, Aprilia Racing, is once again side by side with (RED) this year for such an important purpose. This has been a complicated year and initiatives like (RED) are the concrete hope of being able to win the battle against pandemics."

LORENZO SAVADORI
"MotoGP has a huge following all around the world and all the fans of our sport can help us support an important initiative like the one that (RED) carries out and to which I am honoured to contribute to."

DAVIDE ZANOLINI - PIAGGIO GROUP MKTG & COMMUNICATION MANAGER
"Especially in this extremely difficult year, the Piaggio Group could not fail to provide its constant support to RED and the Global Fund, not only with Vespa, as we do throughout the year, but also with the Aprilia Racing team which, for five years now, has offered, voluntarily and with a great spirit of collaboration, to raise awareness with the entire racing world about major health problems such as AIDS and now COVID-19 as well, particularly for children in the most disadvantaged areas of our planet."

Mitas, part of the Trelleborg Group, celebrates 2020 FIM Speedway Grand Prix World podium finish with Polish hero Bartosz Zmarzlik, Great Britain’s icon Tai Woffinden and Swedish star Fredrik Lindgren, all of which ride Mitas Speedway Competition tyres.

Gustavo Pinto Teixeira, Vice President Two Wheels and Specialty Tyres, says: “We are pleased to see another great achievement by our riders in the 2020 season. Speedway racing has always had a special place in the heart of Mitas, being the origin of our motorsport activities. We are delighted that the greatest Speedway riders still recognize Mitas as the best choice.”

• Ben’s urgent support appeal to ensure no-one faces life's toughest challenges alone
• The charity is supporting 50% more people while its income falls by £1m
• Without additional funding, difficult choices may have to be made about which cases to support 

Ben is making an urgent 'rallying cry' to automotive industry leaders as it faces a 50% increase in demand for services against a £1m income shortfall, following the cancellation of fundraising events including Ben Ball. Without additional funding, Ben may be forced to make difficult decisions about which cases to support. 

Covid-19 is having an unprecedented impact on the health and wellbeing of the automotive workforce. More and more people are turning to Ben in financial hardship, or are struggling to cope with mental health issues and other life challenges including bereavement. 

The letter (pictured) from Ben’s Chief Executive, Zara Ross, and Chair of the Board, Steve Nash, outlines how the industry can help ensure no-one faces life’s challenges alone. This letter is also being sent directly to industry leaders, as an urgent plea for support.

Ben is asking companies to pledge to do three things:

The pledge

1. Be an advocate for Ben, ensuring the message of support is promoted widely within their business so everyone knows they are never alone
2. Encourage colleagues to support Ben through Payroll Giving, Ben’s Big Weekly Lottery and its fundraising products and events
3. Dig even deeper as a business to help address the £1m shortfall. 

To show your support, email now via [email protected] or call 01344 298135. 

Matt Wigginton, Fundraising Director at Ben, said: “This is an urgent situation that we’re facing - our support teams are at breaking point, with more cases than ever before and we don't see that changing. 

“The issues people are facing are more complex and more urgent than we have ever seen before. If we're unable to fill this funding shortfall then we may not be able to support everyone who turns to us for help. That could have a life-changing impact on someone in your business. 

“The automotive industry is like a family, we have to look after each other. People will remember what the leaders of our industry do in a time of crisis and I urge everyone to consider how you can help ensure Ben is there for everyone, no matter what. 

"Amazingly, we have already received pledges for donations of more than £65,000 on the first day of this campaign. Every donation makes a huge difference to people's lives and we'll be celebrating each and every one publicly over the coming weeks. Thank you to those who have already pledged their support.”

The British Motor Museum has been selected as one of three finalists in the Collection category in this year’s Royal Automobile Club Historic Awards. The annual Awards recognise outstanding achievements within the British historic motoring and motorsport world. The judges had an impressive and diverse list of candidates across all 8 categories to scrutinise and will announce the results on 28 January 2021.

The Museum was shortlisted for a number of reasons, namely hosting three exhibitions during a difficult year and through two lockdowns. These included a major exhibition celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the Range Rover and “Metro at 40” which celebrated one of Britain’s best-selling small cars. The exhibition, which went live on 9 September, is free to view from the Museum’s website and gives everyone the chance to celebrate this iconic car’s special birthday.

In October the Museum opened a new exhibition from the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust (JDHT). “When Jaguar Bought Daimler” tells the story of when Jaguar bought the Daimler Company from BSA in 1960. The Museum has also remained very active online throughout this unprecedented year with its #historybeginsathome social posts and a lively blog. On 13 October the Museum also held its first ‘Gaydon Gathering’, an informal socially-distanced evening for enthusiasts and their classics, with the opportunity to see the Museum's collection in action.

Stephen Laing, Head of Collections at the British Motor Museum said “Despite the challenges of the past few months, we know that museums like ours are an important part of the community. When the Museum has been allowed to open, we have tried to maintain as much of the normal experience in the safest possible environment for our visitors. When we have had to close, our superb team has found creative ways to keep in touch with our visitors. From fun at home activities for families, updates from the archive, to our first online exhibition celebrating the Metro's 40th birthday, we've really enjoyed the feedback from the public. We have loved hearing everyone’s Metro memories, proving that the much-maligned little car really did help transport a nation through their daily lives and still has a faithful following today. Being a finalist in the Collections category is a great testimony and recognition of the hard work the entire team undertakes”.

Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club said, “There has never been a better time to be rewarding excellence and achievement in what has been an extraordinary year. From keeping businesses active to producing events when all the odds were stacked against the organisers showed such determination. There was also an impressive line-up of online activities within the entries, which just reinforced how resilient and innovative the industry has been in keeping the wheels turning. The standard of entries this year has been overwhelming and the judges, who I’d like to thank, had a tough time honing them down to the finalists”.

For more information about the Awards please visit www.royalautomobileclubhistoricawards.co.uk. To find out more about the British Motor Museum please visit www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk. For more information about the exhibitions please visit www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/explore/temporary-exhibitions