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Category: Superbikes
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FROM 2023 MORE SPACE FOR TEAMS AND RIDERS WHO WILL BE ABLE TO GROW IN THE SADDLE OF A FORMATIVE, PERFOMANT BIKE WITH LOW RUNNING COSTS
After two years of growth and satisfaction, the Trofeo Aprilia 660 evolves to give even more space to the teams and riders who choose this formative formula to begin their path in the world of sport motorcycling.
The Aprilia RS 660, born as an easy and intuitive road bike, immediately showed incredible dynamic qualities and a propensity for track riding rooted in the very DNA of the Italian manufacturer's products. The torque-rich and usable twin-cylinder engine, a sincere and communicative chassis and a front end with the feeling of a real racing bike have made it, thanks to targeted modifications, a perfect formula in the transition from the minor categories to the higher displacement bikes. The constant on-track development conducted by BK Corse, the young test rider Tommaso Marcon and the expert Matteo Baiocco has brought the 660 Trofeo project to full maturity, an evolution that now allows the focus of preparation and management to be shifted directly to the teams and private riders who intend to engage in the Trofeo.
This is a necessary step in the growth process of the Trofeo 660 which, in parallel with the commitment in the Twins Cup category of MotoAmerica, confirms the value of both the Aprilia RS 660 and the management formula: performance worthy of much more expensive bikes and the ability to train young riders in the "modern" riding of top-level motorbike competition.
MASSIMO RIVOLA - APRILIA RACING CEO
"What we are announcing today is an important step in the evolution of the Trofeo Aprilia 660, which for us is not just a single-brand championship but a true concept. In which we believe and which we want to see grow, together with the riders and teams that participate in it. Entrusting the management of the bike and the race weekend directly to them means increasing, even more, the training value of this formula that we want to turn into a real 'School of Champions'.
We are doing this now, after two years of constant evolution, because we believe that from a technical point of view the Aprilia RS 660 has reached full maturity. This is thanks to the incredible work of our partner BK Corse, a structure whose competence and professionalism will remain an integral part of the Trofeo in its confirmed capacity as organiser. A road-derived bike that, in the hands of test rider Tommaso Marcon, manages to lap in 1'58 at Mugello is proof of which road to take for the future of the training categories. We are also thinking about this at international level, a continuation of the excellent work done with the Italian Federation in our two championships Aprilia 250 Sport Production and Trofeo 660".
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RIDING STYLE has decided to renew and line up on the Moto2 and MotoE grid alongside Gresini Racing once again. From 2021 in fact, the Indonesian company born in Bandung, West Java, is providing uniforms for the whole team and riders. 
RIDING STYLE is also the only official retailer of the team merchandise, including polo-shirts, t-shirts, sweaters, jackets, and hats of the Team FELO Gresini Racing MotoE and Team Gresini Racing Moto2 in 2022, which will see the E-riders Matteo Ferrari and Alessio Finello and the riders Alessandro Zaccone and Filip Salac lined up on the grid. The RIDING STYLE logo will be displayed on the team wear and on the box panels.
TEDY SURYADI - Director RIDING STYLE
"Partnering with Gresini Racing always presents challenges that make me and the Ridingstyle's team work hard to the highest limit to be able to present the best Indonesian-made products in order to meet the needs of racers, mechanics, management, partners and Gresini Racing VIP guests. Trust and technical guidance from Gresini Racing has always made the fighting spirit that made Us at this stage, of course it cannot be separated from the moral and material support from our loyal Ridingstyle consumers also, which we call Ridingstyle Squadra Corse. Thank you to Gresini Racing, Ridingstyle Squadra Corse and all MotoGP fans so that Ridingstyle is again trusted as Technical Supplier of Gresini Racing.”
CARLO MERLINI - Commercial & Marketing Director GRESINI RACING
“It is always a pleasure to announce the extension of the partnership with Riding Style. Tedy and Riding Style are not just partners but true members of the Gresini Family, growing up together through this adventure in the world championship. The quality of the products they supply to the team is definitively up to the world championship standards and it is amazing to see people in Indonesia wearing the Gresini Moto2 and MotoE Team’s team-wear.”
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There is an important signature behind the success of the Aprilia RS-GP, the true revelation of this first part of the MotoGP championship. It is SC-Project, a leading Italian company in the study, design and production of exhaust systems for motorbikes, both racing and for road use.
The collaboration between Aprilia Racing and SC-Project, which began in 2021, will continue for the next two seasons, in which the Cassinetta di Lugagnano-based company will be Official Technical Supplier of the Veneto-based racing department. This will involve equipping all Aprilia racing bikes, from the 250 Sport Production to the 660 Trofeo, as well as the special series made by the racing department.
The exhaust adopted by the latest evolution of the RS-GP is of the 4-into-2 type, completely in titanium and made in Italy. It also includes a throttle valve to manage the power delivery of the over 270 hp V4 engine. A true work of art, perfectly integrated into the refined aerodynamics of the Aprilia prototype.
Massimo Rivola - Aprilia Racing CEO
"A solid and ambitious project like ours needs partners who share our same values. The one with SC-Project is a natural bond: two great Italian companies, technological leaders in their segments, with a sporty and innovative DNA. This is why we are proud to announce the continuation of our relationship, a path of common growth that, I have no doubt, will lead Made in Italy to excel on tracks all over the world".
Romano Albesiano - Aprilia Racing Technical Director
"The exhaust system is a key element of our new V4 engine, which is proving to be one of the most competitive in MotoGP. This is also thanks to the technical synergy with SC-Project, a dynamic and competent company with whom we have established a profitable relationship. In a championship where it is the details that make the real difference, it is essential to be able to count on a supplier that has the technology and expertise to contribute to the development of our RS-GP project".
Stefano Lavazza - Marco De Rossi - Founders and Owners of SC-Project
"Our company has been present in the MotoGP Championship since 2009 and for us to enter into a strong technical collaboration with Aprilia Racing, an Italian brand of international importance and prestige, has enormous technical and professional value, not only for the 54 World titles won by the Noale-based manufacturer, but also for the excellence and Italianism that Aprilia represents in the motorcycling world. The synergy we have established with Aprilia Racing is of the highest level and represents the ultimate expression of motorbike technology in the premier category, MotoGP. Developing and building the best technological and high-performance exhaust systems for the RS-GP is an ambitious and very important project for SC-Project, an all-Italian combination!".
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#DutchGP qualifying. It has surely been quite a challenging second day of action for Team Gresini MotoGP who achieves very little in this Dutch Saturday at the TT Circuit Assen. Fabio Di Giannantonio and Enea Bastianini had a crash apiece in the morning (the former at turn five, the latter at turn seven), a sign that thing were not going in the right direction.
The afternoon session was not any better, with both riders seeing their qualifying effort ending in Q1. Di Giannantonio was fifth quickest in that session and will complete row five tomorrow (15th place). Behind him, Bastianini, whose key session was also made even more complicated by an issue on his Desmosedici – which he had to abandon straight after leaving pit-lane.
Two comebacks are needed tomorrow from 14:00 local time (GMT +2) as the lights will go off for a crucial Dutch race before the summer break.
15th - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 (1’32.912s)
“I’m not happy. This morning we had to solve an issue and we stayed in the pit-box more than we needed. We didn’t have time to use the soft front tyre in the second time attack otherwise I think Q2 would have been within our reach. We made some adjustments in the afternoon but they didn’t work. Honestly I was hoping to start the race a lot closer to the front of the grid and now the warm up will be crucial to understand if we can be competitive or not.”
16th - ENEA BASTIANINI #23 (1’33.005s)
“I’m a bit disappointed because we started FP4 on the right foot. I was confident ahead of qualifying, but an issue on the first bike kind of complicated plans a bit. The feeling with bike number two was not the same so I couldn’t perform the way I wanted. Unfortunately this is a negative period but we need to get out of it, and the only way to do so is by continuing to work hard. We need a good warm up and try to be consistent in the race: the top ten is the least we should achieve.”
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ALEIX SECOND AND MAVERICK SEVENTH TO TAKE THEIR RS-GP MACHINES INTO THE PROVISIONAL TOP 10, SAVADORI CONTINUES DEVELOPMENT
Following the most predictable script, the first day of practice in Assen alternated almost perfectly between a wet and dry track. The FP1 sessions were held in full wet conditions, whereas the situation improved gradually in the afternoon all the way down to a finale with good times on basically dry asphalt.
In all the conditions, both with the rain in the morning and on the dry track in the latter part of the FP2 session, Aleix and Maverick confirmed their outstanding form, taking their Aprilia RS-GP machines into the provisional top 10. Espargaró’s second place time and Maverick’s seventh represent an excellent starting point to build a solid weekend.
In Assen, Aprilia Racing will also have the Test Team on the grid with Lorenzo Savadori in the saddle as he continues developing upgrades even in view of 2023 on an RS-GP with quite a few parts under development. Despite the huge job of trials and tests to be accomplished, the Italian rider still managed to shine, doing interesting times in the various stages of the sessions and finishing the day with the twenty-first time.
ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
"It’s always important to start off strong, so I am satisfied with these first two sessions. Especially in the wet this morning I was fast and I had a good feeling even in conditions which are certainly not my favourite. On the dry track in the afternoon, I was only able to do a few laps at the end of the session, but I still managed to find the rhythm, which actually surprised me a bit. So, we are ready to tackle any situation, although we’re always hoping for the dry, a condition in which you can really have fun here in Assen."
MAVERICK VIÑALES
"We started from the base we had in Sachsenring and we were solid here too, in the top 10 both in the dry and in the wet. I felt really good in FP2 when the track was dry. We obviously still need to improve, but the Aprilia has some important strong points. Even in the best session, we weren’t able to push to the limit because the track wasn’t perfectly dry. It would be nice to be able to do that tomorrow."
LORENZO SAVADORI
"Not too bad. We’re continuing our work, especially in deciding on new solutions. We put the slicks on very early, using a general setting that was still intended for a damp track, so when the asphalt condition improved gradually, we were unable to push to the limit. In any case, we are following our programme and we’ll keep moving in this direction tomorrow."
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