Aprilia Announces 2016 MotoGP Return

At the 2013 EICMA exhibition in Milan, Italian motorcycle company Aprilia has announced that it will return to MotoGP in 2016. The Piaggio-owned marque withdrew from the sport in 2004 due to financial reasons, but came back last year offering its modified RSV4 machinery to a number of CRT teams.

"In 2016 Aprilia will return to MotoGP to win and match the success it had in Superbikes, Piaggio Chairman
Roberto Colaninno said. "We've got two years of work ahead of us for the technological development."

While its last season in MotoGP yielded little success, the Noale-based company has gone on to enjoy huge success in the World Superbike class, winning the 2009, 2011 and the 2013 Manufacturers titles. The 2014 WSBK season will see former MotoGP riders Marco Melandri and Sylvain Guintoli race for Aprilia, with the Italian already being rumoured to rejoin the premier class in 2016 with his new team.

Aprilia's comeback means MotoGP could potentially boast five factory teams in 2016, with Suzuki having confirmed to join Yamaha, Ducati and Honda on the grid in 2015.