First Person/Opinion:
“You can use a knife to play ping-pong!” Romano Albesiano once told me. Aprilia’s MotoGP technical director talks about the swingarm-mounted spoilers that have been sneaked onto MotoGP machines, which are “tire cooling” devices. The ping-pong reference was the way Albesiano said it, whatever you call it, it produced a low-energy spoiler.
The news on Friday that Albesiano from Aprilia to Honda, and Fabiano Sterlacchini from KTM to Albesiano’s Aprilia position, shows that Honda and Aprilia have clear ideas of where they are lacking and how to fix those problems as soon as possible. The pair have very specific skill sets that match the weaknesses of the Honda RC213V and Aprilia RS-GP.
Albesiano first. I remember the comment above because it shows his ability to see things realistically. And if you can see what is happening, you have the opportunity to fix it or improve it. Remember that it wasn’t that long ago that Moto2 riders turned down offers from Aprilia to race MotoGP machines – it was that bad. Under Albesiano’s leadership, the company swallowed its pride and ditched its 72-degree V-4 engine, copying the Ducati and Honda’s 90-degree configuration. Moreover, Albesiano was not far behind Ducati’s Luigi “Gigi” Daleigna in realizing the importance of aerodynamics. As one Road Racing World reader wrote, when it comes to motorcycles, much of the work has historically focused on exhaust gases inside the engine, but the use of exhaust gases around the motorcycle has also become critical.
Albesiano’s latest RS-GPs have pushed the aerodynamic edge on MotoGP machines. The team perfected the “fat fairing” of the tires by pressing them to the pavement, which created suction under the bike at full tilt. The Apria experimented with fork-mounted wings, NACA ducts on the upper fairing, “bat wing” tail sections, and aero bits wherever the rules allowed.
And when everything is right, the bike is on par with Dall’Igna’s flagship Desmoseddi machines. Maverick Vinales was simply out of action earlier this season. At Barcelona last year, three Apreas led the Grand Prix, with the two factory machines finishing 1-2.
Albesiano’s comprehensive knowledge of how to set up a winning MotoGP machine is exactly what the struggling Honda team needs. Honda Albesiano doesn’t have time to learn everything he already knows. The RC213V is often the slowest bike in the field, and riders say it lacks all over the place. At the same time, building a bike that’s better all around is a brutal hill to climb. Albesiano wall is a shortcut. He already knows how all the components of a winning bike work together. It is often better to struggle, suffer and learn on your own. But sometimes there is no time, and desperate measures are needed to stop the downward spiral. Losing all the time makes it difficult to hire the high-level talent needed to reverse the trend. Given a free hand, Albesiano knows how to build a bike that can occasionally beat the best in MotoGP. And this is better, far better, than HRC could ever dream of.
Consistency is what Aprilia struggles with. The team can be at a different level compared to the competition one weekend and nowhere the next. That’s why the company’s hiring of Sterlacchini is a remarkable move. Having spent 17 years at Ducati, Desmosedici built the structure and processes that allowed the riders to ride the bike, knowing it was as perfect as possible when race time rolled around. One of Ducati’s strengths is its ability to process data and use that to fine-tune the bike, but this shows a huge strength. And that’s a company practice that keeps mechanical and setup issues to a minimum and maximizes capacity on any given day. When properly configured, the Aprilia RS-GP is on par with the Desmosedici. But Ducati technicians get their bikes perfect or close to it, far more often than their counterparts at Aprilia. I was shooting the first practice session at the Ascen TT this year and saw Aleix Espargaro’s Aprilia Coaster stop a few hundred meters after exiting pit lane for the first time. The Aprilia tech opened up the scooter for the first time and pushed it into the garage. This type of thing can damage the morale and mindset of everyone in the team, including the riders.
Sterlacchini’s short stint at KTM – from 2021 to 2024 – won’t hurt his ability to put processes in place, hoping to rid the Aprilia team of errant performances. KTM is good and getting better. But it was the Aprilia that showed the best raw performance on the track, Ducatis aside. The Cavaliers puzzle is complete with the signing of George Martin for next season. Aprilia is hoping Stellaccini can help put a competitive bike under him week-to-week. If he can, maybe next season’s MotoGP championship won’t be all about Ducati.
