MotoGP, Rivola: “Viñales? The aim is to have him race as soon as he's ready”

Like Aleix Espargaró, Massimo Rivola can’t wait to see the #12 rider at work during testing at Misano next week, as the Spaniard moves to Aprilia from Yamaha. Could the test serve as a prelude to a possible race at Aragón? It will all depend on the rider and whether he wants to immediately take to the track with his new team.

Speaking to Sky, the Aprilia CEO touched on the Misano test and his expectations regarding the Spanish rider.

Rivola: “The aim is to set up the bike to suit him as well as possible”

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Massimo Rivola is keen to see Viñales on track and work with him and the test team, to prepare the RS-GP21 effectively, also ahead of next season, when the Spaniard’s contract with Aprilia officially begins: “If we can get ahead with a view to 2022, every suggestion he can make is more than welcome. Our aim is to set up the bike to suit him as well as possible. We’ll do the test and see how it goes. We don’t want to rush and have him straight on track for a race, but we do want to have him race this year, as soon as he feels ready”, he explains.

Rivola doesn’t rule out the possibility of an appearance already at Aragon: “It might be an option, we’ll see how Tuesday’s test at Misano goes first”.

“The human side will be very important”

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As for rider ‘management’ the Aprilia CEO adds “The most important thing is to get to know Viñales and understand what he needs to feel comfortable. We each have our own equilibrium and you need to find that equilibrium to feel good. Something Espargaró has found for example. We need to get to know him and try to set everything up to suit him, from the bike to the team, to the family. The bike has to be competitive of course, we need to find horsepower etc. For such a talented rider, management in human terms will be very important”.

Translated by Heather Watson

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