Valentino Rossi’s race-winning MotoGP Aprilia RS125R heads to auction
The 1996 Aprilia RS125R ridden by Valentino Rossi to his first-ever Grand Prix victory at Brno is heading to auction, complete with factory paperwork and its original race-winning engine.
The motorcycle that delivered Valentino Rossi his first-ever Grand Prix victory is heading to auction, with RM Sotheby’s offering the Italian legend’s 1996 Aprilia RS125R complete with factory documents, original race livery and the engine used in his maiden win at Brno.
Offered through RM Sotheby’s Sealed platform, the little two-stroke Aprilia is estimated to fetch between €100,000 and €150,000 (around £86,000 and £130,000), although the no-reserve listing means it could ultimately sell for more or less, depending on how deep-pocketed Rossi fans are feeling when bidding opens on 13 May 2026.
For MotoGP fans, though, this is far more than just another old GP bike. The RS125R represents the start of Rossi’s rise from promising Italian teenager to arguably the biggest name motorcycle racing has ever produced. It was aboard this machine that Rossi scored the first of what would become 115 Grand Prix victories across the 125cc, 250cc and premier-class categories.
The bike also carried Rossi through his rookie Grand Prix campaign in 1996 with Scuderia AGV Aprilia, wearing the iconic number 46 and the same preserved livery it raced in throughout the season.
Its story began with a sixth-place finish on Rossi’s GP debut before a run of solid points finishes at circuits including Jerez, Mugello and Suzuka. Rossi then claimed his first Grand Prix podium with third place in Austria before finally taking victory at Brno in the Czech Republic – the moment that effectively lit the fuse on one of motorcycle racing’s most decorated careers.
Importantly for collectors, the sale includes factory team sheets verifying the bike’s entries throughout the 1996 season, alongside bills of sale documenting its ownership history. A note from legendary Aprilia team manager Mauro Noccioli is also included, while paperwork confirms the engine fitted is the same unit used during Rossi’s breakthrough Brno win.
Aprilia sold the bike into private ownership in January 1997, with the current owner having held it since 2013.
You can find out more about the auction over on the official website.
Images: Paolo Carlini - Courtesy of RM Sotheby's.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
