Aprilia has been conspicuously absent from the middleweight and lightweight Grand Prix classes since the elimination of two-strokes. However, Aprilia has been active in the MotoGP class since 2015 and is currently campaigning with Aleix Espargaró and Andrea Iannone.
Team Gresini, which works with Aprilia Racing, participates in Moto2 and Moto3, though not on Aprilia machinery. Now, working on getting young riders into road racing and connected to the brand, the 2020 Aprilia RS 250 SP is being offered for sale.
The RS will be used in the Italian FMI Aprilia Sport Production Championship Series, as part of the Campionato Italiano Velocità – CIV Junior 2020 Series. “Together with the Noale-based manufacturer,” Federazione Motociclistica Italiana President Giovanni Copioli announced at EICMA 2019, “which has always been committed to introducing and grooming the best Italian talent, we will be launching this new championship within the CIV Junior program. For years, we have been seeking to improve the growth path for young talent, and this will certainly be another training center for future champions.”
Aprilia has long fostered young talent, with MotoGP World Champions Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, and Casey Stoner, all racing Aprilia motorcycles early in their careers.
“From 2020, thanks to the partnership with the Federation, we will once again be providing fun for young people who, in this championship, will find a way to make their dreams come true and perhaps, this is our wish, the start of a path in the world of competitive motorcycling. This is why we have designed an easy bike and formula that will attract the highest number of young people to competitive motorcycling.”
Although we don’t have any technical specs for the 2020 Aprilia RS 250 SP, photos reveal to us that it has a carbureted four-stroke motor with an SC-Project exhaust, twin-spar aluminum frame, Öhlins piggyback-reservoir shock, Andreani inverted fork, Brembo braking system, Marchesini Racing wheels, and Pirelli Diablo Superbike slicks (100/80 front, 120/70 rear). Although the final price has not been determined, Aprilia is shooting for an MSRP under €10,000. There’s no word on availability in the United States.