Massimo Rivola: "We May Have Underestimated The Effort"
Categories: MotoGP
In 2023, Aprilia is supplying a MotoGP satellite team for the first time. Massimo Rivola fears that the effort might have been underestimated.
In 2022, Aprilia will appear in MotoGP for the first time as a team of riders and win over the MotoGP world directly.
Massimo Rivola – Image provided by Motorsport Images
Top rider Aleix Espargaró fought for the world championship until the end of the season and even led the world championship at times.
Last season, the Italians from Noale achieved the first MotoGP race victory in the history of the factory, and they are now upgrading for 2023.
With the CRYPTODATA RNF Racing Team of Malaysian team boss Razlan Razali, Aprilia is also supplying a customer team in MotoGP for the first time.
In an interview with SPEEDWEEK.com, Aprilia sports director Massimo Rivola talks about the increased effort in Noale.
“In 2023 we are supplying a second MotoGP team for the first time. I feel and see the huge effort of the company,” recognizes the Italian.
A whole lot of work
At Aprillia, one currently recognizes the enormous effort a customer team brings. After all, the Italians wanted to hire fifteen new employees.
“The goal was to employ 15 additional people to support the RNF team. We needed certain forces for the engines, we needed more dynos.”
“I don’t know if the effort is greater than expected. But it required and requires a lot of effort; that’s for sure.”
Rivola is sure that the work with and for the customer team will only really settle in during the season.
“We were able to start early with this customer team project [thanks to the early announcement].”
“But I can tell you that we still have some things to build and do. But as the season goes on, it will settle in.”