| ALL THE APRILIA CHAMPIONS ON THE PIAGGIO STAGE: FROM APRILIA TROPHY WINNERS TO OFF-ROAD TALENTS, ALL THE WAY TO THE MOTOGP RIDERS |
| In the Piaggio stand, Aprilia Racing celebrated the victories of their champions on the occasion of the eighty-first edition of the International Two-Wheeler Exhibition (EICMA). On Saturday, the MotoGP stars, the Team Aprilia Tuareg Racing riders, and the Aprilia Trophy winners were on the stage.
The presentation began with awards to the 2024 Aprilia Trophy protagonists: Thomas Benetti, winner of the Italian FMI Aprilia Sport Production Championship, and Filippo Bianchi, winner of the RS 660 Aprilia Trophy. They were joined by Tommaso Marcon, a key figure in the development of the Trophy bikes. Edoardo Colombi also came up on stage, who just missed the SportBike class title in the BSB in his rookie year, taking home an amazing eight wins and twelve podiums out of fifteen races. A moving video message also conveyed Alessandro Di Mario’s greetings, the young rookie and champion of the Twins Cup category in MotoAmerica with his Aprilia RS 660. Along with Lorenzo Savadori, Aprilia Racing also presented the RS 457 Aprilia Trophy, dedicated to bikes outfitted with the racing kit which will make its début in 2025. The Trophy was conceived with the goal of drawing young riders to the track with a high-performance bike, in true Aprilia tradition of rideability and thrills. The Team Aprilia Tuareg Racing riders were a must on the stage: Jacopo Cerutti, Francesco Montanari, and Claudio Spanu, accompanied by Team Manager Vittoriano Guareschi. The team celebrated an extraordinary season, with Spanu winning the Motorally FX class and Cerutti taking home the G-1000 class Motorally title, the Hellas Rally Raid in the M6 class, the Baja Aragón in the multicylinder class, and – last but not least – first place in the Africa Eco Race 2024. Team Aprilia Tuareg Racing also took advantage of the opportunity to confirm their commitment to the 2025 Africa Eco Race, where Cerutti and Montanari will ride along with new entry Marco Menichini, making his début on the Tuareg 660 in the Junior category. The presentation ended with a tribute to the MotoGP riders, with Aleix Espargaró and Lorenzo Savadori on the stage alongside Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola, as well as the Aprilia Ambassador, Max Biaggi. It was a moment to pay tribute to Espargaró who, at the end of the 2024 season, will be retiring from MotoGP. It was a special opportunity to thank Il Capitano for his eight years with Aprilia and to greet the many Italian fans in attendance. MASSIMO RIVOLA |
