Aprilia boss: Experienced line-up key for 2015

Aprilia boss Romano Albesiano believes it was vitally important for the Italian factory to sign an experienced line-up for its return to MotoGP competition in 2015.

Aprilia will field Alvaro Bautista and Marco Melandri in its factory squad run by Fausto Gresini next season, and the pair will form one of the most experienced line-ups on the 2015 grid.

Between them Bautista and Melandri have competed made over 400 GP appearances and it is that experience that Albesiano believes will be vital to help development of Aprilia’s new 1000cc contender.

Aprilia is back in MotoGP next year with an official effort for the first time since 2004 and the new bike will feature a pneumatic valve engine ahead of a brand new project being launched in 2016.

Albesiano told MCN: “It is very important for us to have two experienced riders. We wanted to have one rider with recent experience of a top-level bike and Alvaro is this one having been on the Honda. And Marco has huge experience. We know him very well from working with him in World Superbikes and we really appreciate his ability to develop the bike. We have two riders that can help us a lot to develop the bike and that is important with a new project.”