        Already bolstered by the agreement signed with Aleix Espargar&oacute; and Maverick Vi&ntilde;ales, Aprilia will be able to count on two additional RS-GP bikes on next year&rsquo;s MotoGP grid. The RNF Team will take delivery of two new bikes, switching from Yamahas to four-cylinder Aprilias, which will be ridden by two riders who are new to the Venetian court. Both Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez arrive from KTM and will work together in the garage during the 2023-2024 seasons. The satisfaction of Razali, RNF manager  RNF Team boss Razlan is ever cheerful and pleasant, and&nbsp;is very enthusiastic about the latest developments of his project: "We are extremely excited to welcome Miguel Oliveira and Ra&uacute;l Fernandez to the WithU RNF MotoGP Team from 2023&rdquo;, his words in the official press release. &ldquo;It has not been a simple process, but together with Aprilia we were very clear on the riders that we wanted. They are both young riders with a good combination of experience, coming from Miguel, and Ra&uacute;l who I&rsquo;m personally a fan of since he shocked the Moto2 category last year to become Vice Champion. To finally secure him, is fantastic. Both Aprilia and we believe in the talent of both riders, so we can&rsquo;t wait for them to ride for us next season!&rdquo; The ambitions of Massimo Rivola, Aprilia Racing CEO  Massimo brings F1-style reasoning to the table and it is thanks to his input that Aprilia will be able count on a satellite team in the reigning class: &ldquo;Our satellite project with Team RNF is taking shape in the way we conceived it from the very beginning&rdquo;, he explains. &ldquo;We have succeeded in securing two extraordinary talents, two riders whom I greatly respect both from a human point of view and for their technical skills. Miguel has shown his talent in all categories, although he is still very young he has already accumulated a lot of experience, winning four races in MotoGP, sometimes with dominant performances. At his side will be Raul, a rider I make no secret of having sought out several times. I think he is one of the most crystal clear promises of recent years, what he did in Moto2 on his debut speaks volumes about his speed. We&rsquo;ll have to be good at offering them both a technical package that will allow them to perform at their full potential. I would like to take this opportunity to thank KTM who, showing their great sportsmanship, have allowed Miguel and Raul to ride on our bikes immediately after the end of the 2022 Championship.&rdquo; Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP: Bagnaia climbs the most successful GP rider rankings       

The Noale manufacturer will field two additional RS-GP bikes, entrusted to young yet experienced riders Miguel and Raul in 2023-24

MotoGP, Aprilia welcomes Oliveira and Fernandez to the RNF team

        Miguel Oliveira has decided on his future in MotoGP. The Portuguese rider, linked to the imminent Aprilia RNF project for a while already, had everyone in stand-by for half the summer, playing for time as the contract was worked out. The factory KTM rider had received an offer to race with the RC16 again. The recently launched GASGAS, a brand linked to Tech3, was a valid option for him, but not a good enough reason to turn down the RS-GP. And so next year we&rsquo;ll see him racing for Noale, for the satellite team of reference. Oliveira: enough of the RC16, give me the RS-GP  He didn&rsquo;t say as much, but the message is clear. The 27-year old from Almado has practically always ridden for the Mattighofen manufacturer in the world championship, the victories scored in Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP a mark of his success in every category, regardless of the engine size or colours. The Tech3 team has already confirmed Pol Espargar&oacute;, while Herv&eacute; Poncharval was awaiting a response with regard to the second rider. A three-year contract was offered to Miguel, but he&rsquo;s turned it down, keen for a change of air, atmosphere, and brand of reference. And so here we are, for the news we had already pre-empted, although we were prepared for a last-minute shock. A flaming RS-GP for the &lsquo;dentist&rsquo; then, so different from the RC16 he was used to. The author of the change will pair up with Raul Fernandez, while Aleix&rsquo;s brother will be paired with another Fernandez, as Augusto moves up from the intermediate to the reigning class. Translated by Heather Watson Quartararo like Rossi in Yamaha: a possible comparison in MotoGP?       

The Portuguese rider had an offer on the table &ndash; three years with Tech3 and a factory-prepped KTM ready to enter the top class in 2023. Miguel has instead opted for the RS-GP of the future Noale satellite team

MotoGP, Oliveira "says no": no GASGAS, yes to Aprilia

        Eight pole positions and six wins is what Ducati has tallied during the first part of the season, with no less than four riders placing in the top seven, but the fight for the MotoGP title is not as rosy as the Borgo Panigale manufacturer might have hoped. Factory rider Francesco Bagnaia, for whom expectations were so high, currently lies 66 points behind leader Fabio Quartararo.&nbsp; Dall'Igna comments on the start of Bagnaia&rsquo;s championship (and more)  Interviewed by German website Speedweek, Ducati Corse General Director, Gigi Dall'Igna, confirms: &ldquo;The most important thing is to have a competitive bike. The situation is not as we&rsquo;d like right now&hellip;&rdquo; In terms of rideability though, the situation has clearly improved, with eight riders aboard the red machine, but Dall&rsquo;Igna clarifies: &ldquo;Fundamentally, it&rsquo;s not our goal to have many riders. When you start a career in MotoGP with a young rider, you don&rsquo;t know what will happen. But in the end we&rsquo;re quite pleased with the results our talents have achieved. This is the reality.&rdquo; Although he doesn&rsquo;t hide that Bagnaia&rsquo;s uphill start was &ldquo;one of the problems&rdquo;. All energies focused on the rider&rsquo;s title: "You never know what might happen"  Of the three titles on the table, Dall&rsquo;Igna admits: &ldquo;Winning the rider&rsquo;s championship is the most important thing&rdquo;. And he adds that, after ten years at Ducati, the goal is still to score the title with the Italian manufacturer. Without lowering his guard this season: &ldquo;You never know what might happen. We&rsquo;ll try until the very end". Another rider who was set to join the Ducati ranks, on the Gresini team, was Miguel Oliveira, a very interesting proposal in Dall&rsquo;Igna&rsquo;s eyes:&nbsp; &ldquo;We&rsquo;d have been happy to have him ride our bike. He&rsquo;s a rider I really like. Not just me, everyone at Ducati likes his riding style and his mental attitude. He was definitely one of the best options&rdquo;. But the negotiations didn&rsquo;t work out: &ldquo;The discussion was between Oliveira and Gresini Racing, not Ducati. The team had to take the final decision&rdquo;. Young Alex Marquez will arrive in his place, the Spaniard ready to put his three years at Honda behind him. Traslated by Heather Watson Suzuki is (really) leaving MotoGP. Will it be back?       

The Ducati Corse general manager talks about the 2022 season so far, the riders&rsquo; performances and the non-arrival of the Portuguese rider

MotoGP, Dall’Igna: “Oliveira? Ducati likes him, but it didn’t come together with Gresini”

        The world championship rider market has been bubbling for a while already. With each day that passes, another piece of the 2023 puzzle slots into place. However, there are a good number of riders who are still to make their future plans official, Joan Mir for example (Honda-bound) or Raul Fernandez. Last year&rsquo;s Moto2 runner-up looks set to move to Aprilia, specifically to Razlan Razali&rsquo;s RNF team, which currently competes with Yamaha bikes. If the plan comes together, Fernandez&rsquo;s team-mate should be Miguel Oliveira, who is as good as confirmed aboard the Italian bike. Miguel Oliveira in the role of "first rider&rdquo;  The Noale manufacturer&rsquo;s decision is clear, to focus on an experienced, reliable rider like Miguel Oliveira and pair him with a young hopeful like Raul Fernandez. And yet this potential pairing is not without its perplexities, with the Portuguese having never been one of the category&rsquo;s top riders and with the young rookie who is perhaps the biggest disappointment of the season so far, having scored just five points in eleven races. The Portuguese rider would be leaving KTM after four years in MotoGP, experience that would definitely help at Aprilia, with the manufacturer gaining a rider who could also contribute to the development of the bikes. Oliveira isn&rsquo;t exactly one of the quickest and most explosive in the reigning class, although he has won four races (16 in total across the three classes), but of the riders currently available on the market, he would clearly be an important addition to an already competitive camp, the Espargar&oacute;-Vi&ntilde;ales pairing destined to grow further next year. Betting on Fernandez  The latest rumours continue to link Raul Fernandez to the Aprilia of Team RNF, a decision that makes sense in terms of the rider&rsquo;s age and achievements to date, but that also throws up a few questions. Although the current standings see the Spanish rookie place last, with just five points, his talent has never been up for discussion, to the extent that several manufacturers have already shown an interest. Last season, Fernandez just missed out on the title in the intermediate class, winning eight races, and in his rookie year no less. All this bodes very well for the 21-year old, but the Spaniard isn&rsquo;t exactly shining in his first MotoGP season, in fact he&rsquo;s really struggling to make an impression. It should be noted that his adventure with KTM didn&rsquo;t get off to the best start, as it wasn&rsquo;t the Spaniard&rsquo;s first choice and he found himself aboard a bike that was probably not up to the level of the competition. Mentally speaking, Fernandez wasn&rsquo;t ready for this, suffering perhaps more than he should as a result. That said, Aprilia would be making an interesting move, gaining a rider who was one of the most sought after up until last year and who, in the right context, has all the potential to become a top rider. Translated by Heather Watson Jack Miller: is he the right rider to make the KTM a winner?       

Razlan Razali seems to be looking to this line-up for next season, thus opting for two KTM riders

MotoGP: are Oliveira and Fernandez right for Team RNF Aprilia?

        Many rumours are circulating, some reliable and others less so, all of which relate to the MotoGP riders&rsquo; market which opened already at Qatar and is about to explode this summer. A decisive step in terms of future contracts came following the announcement that Suzuki is set to withdraw from the championship. Alex Rins is of course involved, as is Miguel Oliveira, despite the latter competing for KTM. Two important announcements are expected over the Assen race weekend. Everyone wants Rins, LCR will get him  Alex&rsquo;s name has been heard almost everywhere. Any possible attempt to save team Ecstar would have also involved the Barcelona rider, with talk of a theoretical move to KTM. It then looked as if the Spaniard were destined for Aprilia RNF, with team bosses appearing close to making a decision. Later on, after the rider chatted with Ducati and was spotted in various hospitality units, the news emerged that Honda was keen to have Rins, although not on the factory HRC team, where his current team-mate Joan Mir, is headed. Alex would instead compete with the LCR four-cylinder. At this point of the season, it looks certain that Rins will form part of Lucio Cecchinello&rsquo;s satellite squad, although this is still to be confirmed on paper. It is very likely that the official announcement will be made this coming weekend. Oliveira, didn&rsquo;t you want a Honda? For Miguel, two years with Aprilia RNF  In truth, Miguel was expected to move to Honda LCR, something we previously wrote about, and not as a joke. But Aprilia RNF has apparently been more prompt and determined in its negotiations with the Portuguese rider, who currently rides for the factory KTM team. Oliveira is expected to ride the RS-GP for the satellite team, with sources who work with the Noale manufacturer considering this a likely proposition. Likely, but yet to be confirmed, with an actual contract still to be signed. And so we await official confirmation regarding Alex Rins... The Dutch GP comes right before the summer break and, for both sponsors and riders alike, heading off to the beach (or mountains) knowing what they will race for the next two years and for whom gives them a real sense of serenity. While Miguel will race for RNF for two years, during 2023 and 2024. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP: 2022 is becoming a nightmare for Morbidelli       

Alex and Miguel seem destined for Honda LCR and Aprilia RNF, though the agreements are yet to be confirmed. The Assen weekend could prove decisive for both &nbsp;

Rins and Oliveira: a guaranteed future in MotoGP, but no signatures yet

The mood in the KTM and Honda camps is very different ahead of the final round of the season. While Miguel Oliveira is now fully recovered, HRC will count solely on Pol Espargar&oacute;, unlike the Portim&atilde;o round, where test rider Stefan Bradl was also on track.  KTM: Oliveira fit to race   The factory KTM team breathes a sigh of relief after the Portim&atilde;o shock (an accident caused by Iker Lecuona). Having monitored his condition throughout the week after visiting Portim&atilde;o hospital for checks, Miguel Oliveira has now passed the obligatory medical check-up required in order to be able to race. He will now return to his #88 RC16 for the final race of the season alongside team-mate Brad Binder.  Repsol HRC: all hopes on Pol Espargar&oacute;   Unlike what happened at Portim&atilde;o, where Stefan Bradl stood in for Marc Marquez, the Spaniard will not be replaced at the final round. And so the entire HRC weight will fall on the shoulders of Pol Espargar&oacute;, who will be doing his best to round out what has been a rather complicated season in a positive way.  HRC has confirmed that only Pol Espargar&oacute; will race this weekend, posting the update on its social media channels.  Translated by Heather Watson  MotoGP, Pol Espargar&ograve; speaks out: the Yamaha promises and the 2014 error 

The Portuguese KTM rider has passed his medical check-up and will be back in the saddle of his factory RC16, while the team headed up by Alberto Puig will field just one rider

MotoGP Valencia: Oliveira returns to the track, Honda to field just one rider

        The best result KTM has achieved in the first five races was fifth with Brad Binder in Portugal, and with Danilo Petrucci at Le Mans. The Austrian manufacturer is not exactly fighting at the front or in the running for wins (or the title), something it was able to do last season with Binder, a rookie at the time, and Miguel Oliveira. The South African is more competitive  To date, the best KTM rider in the championship is in fact Binder, but he lies eleventh overall, having scored 24 points in five races. Not enough, considering that he even won a race last year, at Brno. Technical issues are clearly affecting all the &lsquo;orange&rsquo; riders, but we expected more from the factory pairing, who already proved to have a good understanding of the bike last season. And yet, on the other side of the garage, things seem to be even more critical. Disappointing Oliveira  Oliveira, now in his third season with KTM, has collected just nine points so far. A rider who looked so promising last year, and so likely to take up the reins following Pol Espargar&oacute;&rsquo;s departure, but one who now looks to be in real difficulty. Of the five races run so far, he failed to reach the finish line at Le Mans, and is yet to score a top-ten finish. His best result was eleventh at Jerez. The Austrian manufacturer needs to turn things around, and surely the factory riders hold the key. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP: Quartararo, a Yamaha hunted by three Ducatis       

Last year the Portuguese and South African riders brought KTM three wins but the pair have failed to shine so far this season

MotoGP, KTM: Binder and Oliveira far off the pace

        After a 2020 season in which KTM shone, winning three races and demonstrating its new-found competitiveness, 2021 has failed to begin in the same way. The layout of the Losail track certainly didn&rsquo;t help the Austrian manufacturer&rsquo;s riders, who were unable to play a starring role over the two weekends and return to Europe with less than satisfactory results. At least compared to what we saw last year, a season in which there was no Qatari round. Binder saves KTM  The two races did bring one improvement though. While the strongest KTM rider in race one was Miguel Oliveira, thirteenth, ahead of Brad Binder, in race two the South African was able to finish in the top eight. Binder, who won the third GP of the 2020 season in what was his rookie year, closed less than five seconds from the winner and showed up his fellow KTM riders. Although his team-mate Oliveira made a great start and was part of the leading group, he gradually lost ground over the course of the 22-lap race, finishing just 15th and scoring only one championship point. A rather meagre outcome, although Binder's performance does offer a glimmer of hope ahead of the next races. And so it is that the next GP, scheduled to take place on 18 April at Portimao, will serve as something of an acid test. Just five months ago, Oliveira dominated in his home race, navigating the ups and downs and blind corners of the Portuguese track to power his KTM RC16 across the line first, and the team will be keen for him to do it again. With Binder on hand to steal the show perhaps. Tech 3 disaster  The satellite team&rsquo;s riders faced even more of an uphill climb. Danilo Petrucci and team-mate Iker Lecuona (who has had surgery for compartmental syndrome) left Qatar with zero points, following what were clearly two difficult races. Both finished only one of the two, the Italian in 19th position and the Spaniard 17th, and they now need to understand what went wrong so that they can turn things around at the next European rounds. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Honda where are you going without Marc Marquez?       

The KTMs looked to be in difficulty during the first two races of the championship at Losail, and the Portuguese GP will serve as an acid test

MotoGP Doha, KTM in difficulty: will they deliver at Portimao?

        KTM turned out to be one of the big surprises of the 2020 MotoGP season. Having entered the reigning class in 2017, the Mattighofen manufacturer has grown year on year, going so far as to score three race wins and field four bikes with talented riders who are consistently able to run at the sharp end. 2021 will be a year of real change for the Austrian brand. Having bade farewell to Pol Espargar&ograve;, who moves to Honda alongside Marc Marquez, the factory team will now field two young, talented riders in the shape of Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira. Title dream: a realistic goal or a utopia?  Having scored race wins, it&rsquo;s time for both Binder and Oliveira to raise the bar. The South African earned the Rookie of the Year title thanks to solid results throughout his debut season and a fantastic win at Brno, but he will need to improve in qualifying in order to be able to stick with the frontrunners without having to push excessively through the opening laps, which can result in mistakes and proved to be the 2016 Moto3 champ&rsquo;s weak point in 2020. The Portuguese rider faces a new challenge as he moves from team Tech 3 to the factory squad. The winner of the Spielberg and Portimao races will likely be the project&rsquo;s main player and, considering his growth during 2020, it&rsquo;s not unrealistic to include him among the riders who, at least on paper, could fight for the title this season. An unpredictable MotoGP  Team Tech 3 should not be overlooked either, the reconfirmed Iker Lecuona set to be joined by Danilo Petrucci, who is keen to return to the positions that count after a difficult year with Ducati, the only high being a win at Le Mans. Considering also the possible absence of Marc Marquez during the first part of the season, the championship is likely to be another unpredictable one and it's important to remember that consistency is often more important than single race wins, as proved by the 2020 champion, Joan Mir. In light of the KTM project&rsquo;s many strengths, it&rsquo;s impossible to exclude the RC-16 from the running, the bike set to grow even further this coming season. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP: while awaiting winter testing, the riders have fun... with Ohvale        

The Austrian manufacturer has grown exponentially during the latest MotoGP season and, with its solid project and excellent rider line-up, it&rsquo;s only right that they think big ahead of 2021

9 risultati per 'EN miguel oliveira'