Aprilia found a loophole in the 2026 MotoGP regulations and Marco Bezecchi and Jorge Martin designed a fluid switch that would allow them to be operated manually on the bike.
In the year In 2026 MotoGP season It starts in Buriram this weekend Bezechichi He is widely expected to be one of the contenders for the Knights title. Aprilia It finished 2025 with arguably the best bike in the field and they worked hard over the winter to further develop the RS-GP.
Aprilia work during the winter season Bezecichi set a new lap record at the 2026 Buriram Challenge Last weekend, he topped the overall timesheets with a 1:28.668. Trackhouse ace Ai Ogura had the best race pace on his Satellite RS-GP, averaging a lap time of 1:30.101.
The Sepang test in early February also featured. Aprilia has revealed a revised rear wing. The Italian factory hopes to create clean air for the drivers behind Bezzecchi Martin. And Noale’s outfit has gone even further with a new aero package, adding fluid shifting.
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Aprilia designed a driver-operated switch to improve their straight line speed.
According to The competitionAprilia has ‘found a hole’ in the 2026 MotoGP regulations, he reports. It is believed that the folks at Noale have found a way to change how the air flows on the RS-GP with the rotating fluid switch.
Read more: Everything you need to know about the 2026 MotoGP season, from the calendar to the drivers
Aprilia tested the device for the first time at the Sepang test and it is set to remain in place until 2026. When Bezecchi and Martin got into the ‘best position’ on the bike, they used Aprilia’s ‘trick’ tool to plug the air vents created on the top of the fairing with an arm.
How the rider interacts with the ventilation will affect the ground impact of their 2026 bikes. Apria feel it improves the RS-GP’s straight-line speed by reducing ground effect designed to improve how the bike handles in corners.
Aprilia is unlikely to see any rivals copy the kit, as teams are only allowed to introduce one aerodynamic upgrade per season. The developers are working on their 850cc bikes for the 2027 regulations, so the teams won’t be trying to copy Aprilia either.
Aprilia’s pre-season pace and Yamaha’s struggles convinced Francesco Bagnaia to join them in 2027.
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The competition added that MotoGP could not stop Aprilia’s rider-powered solution, as Bezcicci and Martin had to make the equipment by hand. Riders are in a comfortable position on the bike to maximize the RS-GP’s straight-line speed.
It remains to be seen how effective Aprilia’s equipment will be when used in competition. But any gains in straight-line speed will justify the class, as Aprilia are currently losing speed due to ground-effect pressure from their units to improve in the corners.
Bezsecchi looked very comfortable during pre-season testing on the RS-GP, with the bike turning and stopping well. The bike’s performance at Sepang also saw a Ducati Ace. Francesco Bagnaia turned to Yamaha and agreed to join Aprilia Next to Bezechi from 2027.
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