The Aprilia RSV4 might not have raced in WorldSBK for almost a decade by now, but its origins are on the race track. The new paint launched for it, and the Tuono 1100, over the weekend celebrate its earliest WorldSBK history.
The original aim for the Aprilia RSV4 was for it to race in MotoGP, but then billions of dollars disappeared off the face of the Earth in 2008 and the Noale brand had to make do with the World Superbike Championship instead. The fortunate thing for Aprilia was that Max Biaggi had switched to World Supers a few years before, and it was able to sign him to its factory team, and he went on to win two world titles for the brand.
Aprilia’s, and Biaggi’s, first win with the RSV4 came at a circuit which, like the RSV4, is by now consigned to the annals of world championship motorcycle racing history: Brno. The Czech round that year saw Biaggi take victory in Race 1 over Carlos Checa, a victory which foreshadowed the title triumph of Biaggi and the RSV4 a year later in 2010.
The new paint for the Aprilia RSV4 1100 commemorates that first victory by applying a livery based on that raced by the factory Aprilia WorldSBK team of 2009: predominantly black, with a white front and red accents. The scheme is also available on the Tuono 1100, and both come with a carbon front mudguard and carbon front brake duct.
Availability on what Aprilia is calling the V4 Factory SE-09 SBK bikes is limited, and UK pricing and availability is unconfirmed. In the US, availability is expected from June 2024, with the RSV4 costing $26,499 (£21,000), and the Tuono coming in at $19,999 (£16,000).
The bikes were unveiled over the weekend at the Circuit of the Americas, which hosted the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas, which was won by Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales who, in doing so, became the first rider to win MotoGP races on three different manufacturers (Aprilia, Yamaha, Suzuki).
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