Aprilia Factory Racing

Lore & Background

Aprilia made their international racing debut in the Motocross World Championship competing in the 125cc class from 1976 until 1981 with a best result being a fifth place in the 1979 season with rider Corrado Maddi. The firm then focused on the Grand Prix road racing world championships in 1985. Aprilia won their first world championship race at the 1987 San Marino motorcycle Grand Prix with rider Loris Reggiani winning the 250cc race. They won their first road racing world championship with Gramigni winning the 125cc class. Aprilia began campaigning in the 500cc class in 1994 with a 250 V twin motor enlarged to 380cc. The bike eventually displaced 430cc and had its best result with a third place by rider Doriano Romboni at the 1997 Dutch TT. Their first MotoGP effort, dubbed the RS Cube, was technically advanced but performed poorly. Aprilia left the MotoGP class at the end of an unspecified season and then left the lower classes when two-stroke engines were banned. Aprilia set the record for the most points earned by a manufacturer in a single season from the 125cc class with 410 points in an unspecified year. Aprilia rejoined the MotoGP class in an unspecified year in the Claiming Rule Team category. In an unspecified year, Aprilia entered the series as an official factory team for the first time since 2004. Their factory team is named Aprilia Racing. A first-ever 1-2 result in a feature race was secured by Espargaró and Maverick Viñales at the 2023 Catalan Grand Prix. In an unspecified year, defending riders' champion Jorge Martín signed for the factory team from Pramac Racing replacing the retiring Aleix Espargaró. Marco Bezzecchi also joined from the VR46 Racing Team, winning the British Grand Prix in his debut season with Aprilia. Bezzecchi would also win the final two races in Portugal and Valencia, giving Aprilia their first ever back-to-back wins in the premier class. In March 2026, Aprilia Racing achieved a one-two finish at the 2026 United States motorcycle Grand Prix in Austin, with Marco Bezzecchi winning the race and Jorge Martín finishing second. For an unspecified year, Aprilia Racing will retain Marco Bezzecchi while signing Francesco Bagnaia.

Reader's Guide

Aprilia entered the Grand Prix road racing world championships in 1985. They participated in the FIM MotoGP World Championship from 2002 to 2004, and from 1999 to 2002 in the FIM Superbike World Championship. Aprilia has returned to World Superbike since the 2009 season and in MotoGP since the 2012 season. Aprilia also feature in off-road racing with their 450 cc V-2 motocrosser. Aprilia won its first Superbike world championship in 2010 with Max Biaggi.

Did You Know?

• Aprilia became the most successful motorcycle racing brand in history on 15 August 2010, surpassing MV Agusta with a record 276th victory.
• Aprilia's RS Cube pioneered ride by wire throttle and pneumatic valve actuation systems.