Savadori to test Aprilia MotoGP bike at Misano
Aprilia World Superbike rider Lorenzo Savadori will ride the Noale firm’s MotoGP bike at a test at Misano next week, according to Autosport.com.
Savadori stepped up to the Superbike World Championship last season with ex-MotoGP outfit Ioda on a an Aprilia RSV4, the Italian winning the European Superstock series with the manufacturer in the year before.
The Italian enjoyed a strong maiden campaign, the highlight being a brace of fourth-place finishes at Assen and Donington. He ended the year 10th in the standings with 150 points.
Savadori switched to the Milwaukee-backed Shaun Muir Racing outfit for 2017 alongside 2014 WorldSBK runner-up Eugene Laverty with increased factory involvement from Aprilia.
This season has proven rather more difficult than last year, though Savadori has still tallied up several top six finishes on the bike and currently lies 14th in the championship.
Aprilia – along with Yamaha, Honda and Ducati – will take part in a private test at Misano next week ahead of the British Grand Prix, with Savadori getting his first taste of MotoGP machinery during the outing.
Savadori won’t be the first WorldSBK rider to sample a MotoGP bike this year, with Ducati’s Chaz Davies spending a few laps with the Desmosedici GP17 at Mugello in May.
While a deal is yet to be confirmed, all talk in the WorldSBK paddock suggests Savadori will remain with Aprilia next year alongside Laverty.
In MotoGP, Aprilia will bring onboard Scott Redding – who it tried to sign for its return season in 2015 – to replace fellow Brit Sam Lowes, who was made surplus to requirements on the Thursday of the Austrian Grand Prix.