Having already secured one WSB title (in 2010 with Max Biaggi at the helm), in the early 2010s Aprilia, with its new V4 superbike, was starting to make a serious nuisance of itself to Italian rival Ducati.
Not only was it threatening to amass a collection of WSB titles where Ducati was struggling (the 1098R won in 2011, but that was it until 2022, whereas the RSV4 won in 2010, 2012 and 2014), it was also pushing boundaries in terms of tech – and this investment was quickly filtering down to its road bikes.
