Source: Aprilia Racing.

Aprilia Racing Team Gresini has uncovered the livery that Alvaro Bautista and Marco Melandri will compete with in the 2015 MotoGP World Championship.

The Aprilia project steps in MotoGP include a first year dedicated entirely to development, even and especially in race conditions, before introducing a full factory configuration prototype bike on the track in 2016.

This is an ambitious checklist, but well within the capabilities of the designers, technicians and structure of Aprilia Racing at Noale, who in turn can depend on the Piaggio Group R&D centres, one of the major global players in the two-wheel sector.

“We have already been on the track for the first testing sessions of this new adventure that officially starts today,” said Aprilia Racing manager Romano Albesiano.

“We chose to move up our start date, getting into the mix in the 2015 MotoGP World Championship because we believe that this is the solution which is certainly the most risky but also the best one to become competitive as quickly as possible.

“We certainly could have avoided the pressure and waited until next year, but that’s not what Aprilia wanted. In terms of development we are starting on a solid foundation which is the result of our winning experience in Superbike and the ART project, the only CRT that was able to show potential close to ‘real’ MotoGP bikes.

“For us this will be a year of testing, development and in some ways even sacrifice, to be taken full advantage of as we look toward 1016 when we will be able to ride a real Aprilia prototype bike onto the track.

“We do not underestimate the difficulties of this effort but we have all the elements we need in order to take it on successfully – a solid technological platform, a top shelf racing department and a partner to support us in this new challenge.”

The two riders who will be accompanying development of the RS-GP are a part of Aprilia’s victorious history in Bautista and Melandri.