There was little to gain for Aprilia at the MotoGP home race in Mugello last weekend. Instead, the manufacturer from Noale only drove in the shadow of its big rival Ducati, who dominated the 2024 Italian Grand Prix at will. On Sunday, six of the red machines crossed the finish line ahead of the best-placed Aprilia. But after this sporting defeat, the payback came off the track on Monday: Aprilia secured the services of the current world championship leader Jorge Martin!
“After Aleix [Espargaro, Anm.] announced his retirement, we started talking to everyone. Our strategy was pretty clear: we didn’t want to make the first move because we didn’t want to give anyone else a gift. But when we saw an opportunity for us – and that was actually last night – we quickly started to act instead of talking,” Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola gave an insight into the developments of the last 24 hours in a spontaneous media round after the Mugello test on Monday evening.
Jorge Martin loses Ducati battle: Aprilia says thank you!
This decision is not yet official, but can now be seen as such. Aprilia made sure of this on Monday evening with the announcement of Martin’s transfer. “The fact that we were the first to announce this shows that we can make decisions quickly and get things fixed quickly,” Rivola couldn’t resist a little dig at Borgo Panigale afterwards. “We just wanted to get this done now so that we can then focus on the next steps.”
Aprilia thanks Aleix Espargaro: Jorge Martin coup also because of him!
Martin had never made a secret of the fact that he would be leaving Pramac Ducati at the end of 2024 after four seasons and wanted to drive in a factory team from next season. The clear priority was Ducati, but the Spaniard made it clear at the beginning of the year that if he were to cancel again, he would not be afraid to try his luck with another manufacturer. The number 89 rider has now followed up on this with action.
The fact that Martin chose Aprilia is also largely due to his good friend Aleix Espargaro, who is hanging up his MotoGP helmet as a full-time rider at the end of the season and whose place the ‘Martinator’ will now take. “I have to thank Aleix that we were able to complete this transfer so quickly,” reveals Rivola and explains: “You know the connection between the two. Aleix promoted Aprilia in the way that Aprilia had to be promoted, by simply presenting the good and the bad sides in his natural way.”
Aprilia boss reveals: Also spoken to Marc Marquez and Bastianini
“I think timing is also a decisive factor,” Aprilia’s Racing CEO continues. “We were damn fast. I told my boss last night [Rocco Sabelli, Anm.] “I called and told him that maybe we had a chance. Then he just said we should try. Our whole team worked all night to get everything fixed. I don’t know if it’s my emotions, but I would like to think that Jorge signed with us because of Aprilia’s constant growth in recent years. After all, we are the only team that has won races this year, apart from his current bike.”
This is actually the case. Apart from Ducati, only Aprilia has won a Grand Prix and two sprints, both times with Maverick Vinales. In the current world championship leader, they have now found the next important piece of the puzzle to be even more successful in the coming years, Rivola continued. But this was not always a priority. “After Barcelona, we started talking to riders. Not just Jorge,” the Italian revealed. “We wanted to get a feel for the rider market. I spoke to Marc about his situation, I spoke to Enea [Bastianini, Anm.] I simply examined the driver market in full and then decided on the best possible solution. Time will tell if that is what it really is.”