Why Aprilia Won’t Build A WSBK Project

Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola has clarified the Italian brand’s stance on entering World Superbike, which is a no-go for the next few years.

The MotoGP world championship is set to undergo some of its biggest rule changes in decades in 2027, as the current 1000cc bikes, or as I like to call them, rocket ships, will drop to 850cc engines with the introduction of 100 per cent sustainable fuel.

That’s not all, as ride-height devices which drop the chassis on a race start to give the bike better traction, will be banned, Aerodynamics will be policed more than ever as narrower front fairings and pushed-back noses are some of the changes. GPS data will be recorded from every rider and then shared with teams and the public after sessions. Bikes are also expected to be around 1-2 seconds slower than the current 2024 bikes.

Aprilia is currently one of the most competitive outfits on the MotoGP grid and also possesses one of the best superbikes for the road in the shape of the RSV4. But that appears to be where it ends, as entry into World Superbike is a distant thought, according to Rivola.

The reason for that is because superbikes in WSBK are anything but stock bikes anymore, in his opinion. In recent years 1000cc superbike machines in the world championship have become much closer to MotoGP machinery in terms of outright pace and lap times.

Depending on the type and length of circuit and conditions, WSBK machines have regularly been able to get within 1-1.5 seconds of MotoGP bikes. Rivola believes superbike machines should be fully stock to form their own identity.

Speaking to Corsedimoto recently, Rivola said: “Superbike has to be a stock bike and nothing else. The hope is that when we have to lower the performance of the GP bikes in 2027 and, conceptually, the GP bikes have to be two or three seconds faster than the Superbike bikes, it will be necessary to change the rules.”

Aprilia won the superbike world championship in 2010 with Max Biaggi, and are three-time champions overall. But its presence on the WSBK grid has been non-existent since 2019 and it’s clear that making a very good road superbike is a big part of who the Italian brand is, while being successful in MotoGP remains a clear goal for them.

However, sadly for WSBK, Aprilia is not motivated to join the series while it's running its MotoGP project, or until the regulations change drastically. WSBK has never been better, and there are a few factors for that.

You could argue that the level of riders throughout the entire grid has improved, while all bikes have become much closer in terms of performance which is allowing closer racing between factory and independent teams. The minimum rider/bike weight limit has also made the series closer in 2024 after Alvaro Bautista ran away with the title in the last two seasons.

But there’s one clear element missing in WSBK that is like a grape consistently dangling in front of brands in MotoGP, and that’s the global impact of being in MotoGP.

Aprilia is not the only brand that has a clear interest in achieving global racing success in MotoGP whilst avoiding the prospect of spending hundreds of thousands to invest into a WSBK project at the same time, as KTM finds itself in a similar position.

The decision to have a MotoGP project followed by one in WSBK is something that’s quite rare for manufacturers to do going the other way is more likely and that’s the intention of BMW, who is keen to go from having a Superbike project before landing in MotoGP when the new rules come into play in 2027. 

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