– In the days following the Spanish Grand Prix, Aprilia tested the new MotoGP prototype for the 2027 season with 850 cubic centimeters displacement for the first time in Jerez with test rider Lorenzo Savadori.
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“Yes, to be honest, a very good start,” team manager Paolo Bonora looks back on this first test with MotoGP.com. “It was a shakedown of the motorcycle.”
“The engine has been running on the test bench for many months and we understood it well. But the motorcycle itself was new, and overall it was a good test. Savadori did a great job.”
“Now we have to work a lot because the motorcycle is changing: Without the ride-height system, we have to find a different balance and a different setup, also electronically, because the wheelie behavior on the straight changes.”
KTM and Honda conducted the first tests with the new motorcycle already at the end of 2025. Ducati was on track for the first time with the new prototype in mid-April. Aprilia followed at the end of April and sees itself “on schedule”.
According to Marco De Luca, Head of Vehicle Department at Aprilia, it is still a “hybrid motorcycle”: “We will repeat the test with a more mature motorcycle. It will continuously develop until the first race.”
“There are some basics, some concepts that we take from this year and can further develop for the next. So it is not a black-and-white issue. Others, however, we definitely cannot adopt.”
Nevertheless, De Luca says: “A competitive motorcycle this year helps us to allocate resources correctly and balance the two projects.” The new motorcycle mainly requires a new weight distribution.
The challenges of the new 850cc motorcycle
What are the biggest challenges with the new technical regulations? “Hard to say,” ponders De Luca. “For me, everything is a challenge. The tires are unknown. We do not manufacture them ourselves, so we do not know exactly.”
“We have to understand the tires first. So far, we had a good test. We are now starting very seriously to develop our models for the tires.” Since Aprilia is no longer in the Superbike World Championship, the team does not know the Pirelli tires.
“For the rest of the motorcycle, a big challenge is certainly that we will have a completely different motorcycle in terms of weight distribution,” De Luca continues.
“You have to simulate that very carefully to take the right direction. Because if you are wrong and realize it too late, it is really too late.” Because that is a fundamental decision for the philosophy of the motorcycle.
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“The aerodynamics is interesting. It will be different in some ways, but also similar to this year in some ways. In some areas there are restrictions, in others less strict.”
The size and position of the winglets will be somewhat restricted, but the side fairing can still be developed. That is why, according to De Luca, a lot of money will continue to be invested in aerodynamic development.
“Definitely. I always jokingly say: As long as we are not riding in a vacuum or the aerodynamics is 100 percent regulated, you have to use all available resources.”
“Even for the smallest area that can still be developed. No joke: It is different. There are restrictions in certain areas, and at the same time more homologation. That means the shot you have must count.”
“The regulations remove some restrictions, but there are still limits. That is why you have to stay consistent and work very attentively. Honestly, we invest everything we can.”
Driver feedback important for new Pirelli tires
Aprilia works intensively with simulations. When Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales left at the end of 2024 and two new riders, Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin, arrived, the engineers were not too worried.
Because for the engineers, data never lies and is often a more important tool for development than the statements of the riders, which often only serve as confirmation for the data.
Will the rider have more influence on development again with the new technical regulations? “I don’t see a big difference from today,” De Luca answers this question.
“But a very good rider, especially one who has not yet ridden the new tires, must be able to communicate very clearly what he feels, what he needs, and what he likes. This impression is extremely important.”
“In this respect, I expect more differentiated and complex feedback from the riders because they will be confronted with a completely new machine, especially regarding the tires. Simulation remains fundamental, however. That cannot be replaced. We cannot just switch completely overnight.”
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