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Moto blog

EICMA 2013: Aprilia To Enter MotoGP In 2016

Amidst all of the uncertainty with the future of Aprilia’s racing plans, Roberto Colaninno, chairman of the Piaggio Group, which owns Aprilia, confirmed Tuesday at EICMA that the brand was in fact making a full-fledged return to MotoGP in 2016 as a factory team. Colaninno was quoted as saying, “In 2016 Aprilia will return to MotoGP to win and match the success it had in [World] Superbikes.” Aprilia has been going through some turmoil of late when it was announced that technical director Luigi Dall’Igna was jumping ship to rival Ducati. This announcement aims to quell the turmoil and refocus the racing team’s attention.

Ducati Targeting Aprilia Racing Manager Gigi Dall’Igna

Ducati has reportedly signed Aprilia Racing manager Gigi Dall’Igna to take control of its struggling MotoGP program. Neither Ducati Corse or Aprilia Racing have confirmed the reports, but several sources in the European motorsports press such as Motociclismo.it, not to mention a tweet from retired World Superbike Champion Max Biaggi, claim the deal is done. Dall’Igna has been an instrumental figure in Aprilia’s racing success since the manufacturer’s return to WSBK racing with the RSV4 in 2009, helping guide Biaggi to two championships and, pending the result of the 2013 season finale at Jerez, likely three manufacturers titles.

Paris Hilton’s Race Team Might Actually Be Good

When news first emerged that Paris Hilton was getting into the Grand Prix racing business, the response from fans of the motorcycle racing ranged from utter disdain to hope that the celebutante’s involvement would raise the profile of the sport. Whether you dread the image of a sparkly pink carbon fiber fairing or welcome any infusion of funding and support for racing, the one thought that may not have crossed your mind was “what if the team turns out to be pretty good?” Based on the results of a recent 125cc Grand Prix pre-season test, that might be the case. Maverick Viñales of the SuperMartxe VIP by Paris Hilton team had the second fastest laptime from the three-day test at Spain’s Valencia circuit, just 0.1 seconds behind the leader Nico Terol of Bancaja Aspar.