The 2021 MotoGP season kicked off on the asphalt at Losail Circuit last weekend for the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini. Just hours before taking to the track for the first official tests, the complete Italian team unveiled the new weapon from Noale – a revamped RS-GP.

The revamped RS-GP was revealed not long before riders hit the track for round one.

Pulling the cover off the new V4 were Aleix Espargaró and Lorenzo Savadori, the pair of riders who will be tasked with racing the new prototype. A bike that represents the natural evolution of the 2020 project, a new beginning conditioned last year by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic which hampered the initial phase of development.

But over the winter, engineers and technicians in the racing department had the chance to work hard, with the goal of maintaining the strong points that had come out last season, while implementing new and important innovations. Some of these are rather evident, like the redesigned and more efficient aerodynamics or the carbon swingarm. Others, as is routinely the case, are hidden “under the skin”.

Aleix Espargaró and Lorenzo Savadori are the pair of riders who will be tasked with racing the new prototype.

“Thanks to the work done over the winter and the great efforts of the racing department, we know that we have taken a big step forward, so now we are anxious to see how it measures up against our rivals. Our growth is clear and this gives everyone a boost of confidence. Our engineers have brought to the track a further evolution of a project that has great potential still to be expressed.” said Aprilia Racing Team Director, Romano Albesiano.

“We made changes in every aspect, from the visible areas, like the new aerodynamics or the carbon swingarm, all the way to in depth changes to the chassis architecture, engine and electronics. The package that we will be taking onto the track in this initial stage of the season will then be developed even further based on a work programme that has substantially already been defined.”

Aprilia have been slowly making progress through the MotoGP field, with their new RS-GP they should be in for a good season.

The riders were also keen at the unveiling to jump on their new bike. After an impressive seventh place from Espargaró last weekend, things are starting to look up for Aprilia racing.

“It may seem trite, but I am always emotional at the start of a new season. I’m about to begin my fifth with Aprilia, a team that has by now become my second family. In fact, I can’t wait to get back to work with them. The first contact with the new RS-GP was positive. The guys worked hard over the winter, but we still have a long way to go. We have a demanding and very busy championship ahead, where physical and mental fitness will need to be at top levels. I’m more prepared than ever.” said Aleix Espargaró.

With riders like Aleix Espargaró and Lorenzo Savadori, combined with the 2021 RS-GP, they should be battling for points in no time.

“I would be remiss not to thank Aprilia for this great opportunity. I know that I have a lot to learn. It is a demanding category and still new for me. The tests and races last year gave me a chance to begin building confidence with this bike and with these tyres, but it is just a starting point with wide margins for improvement. I’ll try to transform the pain generated by the passing of Fausto, a person who believed very much in me, into positive energy. His determination and the things he taught me will accompany me in this new stage of my career.” Said Lorenzo Savadori.

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