As the championship battle in MotoGP heats up, Racing CEO of Aprilia, Massimo Rivola, stated that competing against Marc Marquez and Ducati is one of the toughest tasks they could face. Jorge Martin's championship lead was only two points ahead before the Indonesian Grand Prix.
Aprilia's Performance Against Ducati
He expressed that Aprilia's performance against Ducati demonstrated the success of the development work carried out in Noale.
"How hard is it to beat Marc? This is the toughest challenge we could face."
The Scale of the Championship Battle
Massimo Rivola expressed satisfaction with the level achieved by Aprilia while acknowledging the strength of their rivals.
"We have achieved this several times this year. Whether we can sustain it until the end of the season is something to be said later. However, competing in a championship race against some of the strongest riders and motorcycles we have seen in many years is a great pleasure."
The Importance of Mandalika
Despite losing two races against Marquez at Motegi last week, Aprilia is hopeful for Indonesia. The RS-GP was quite strong at Mandalika in 2025. Marco Bezzecchi secured pole position and a Sprint victory, while Raul Fernandez also made the podium. Jorge Martin, who could not race in Indonesia due to injuries last year, and Ai Ogura will also be in the grid this time. All four Aprilia riders have achieved a Grand Prix victory in the 2026 season. While Martin holds the lead by two points, Bezzecchi is in third place, 49 points behind. For Aprilia, Mandalika will be a significant opportunity to stop Marquez's momentum in Japan and regain an advantage in the championship race.
Statements
Massimo Rivola:
Competing against Marc and Ducati is a great achievement
Figures
- Marc Marquez is competing in 2nd place with 353 points in the 2026 MotoGP season (Ducati Team).
- Archive: Jorge Martin: "Not fast enough to compete against Marquez" (October 11, 2026)
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Go to sourceCompiled by Şükrü Utku Poyraz
