The Piaggio Group announces that from 7 January 2019 Massimo Rivola will assume the responsibilities as CEO of Aprilia Racing.
47-years-old Massimo Rivola has a business degree, a motorcycle and is an Aprilia brand enthusiast. He also has the experience of twenty-one seasons and more than 300 GP races in F1. Rivola has spent 12 years in the pitlane with Minardi, Toro Rosso. With seven seasons, he was the longest running Sports Director in the history of Ferrari. He has worked with great champions including Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel. For the last three years, Rivola has been the head of the Ferrari Driver Academy. The academy took a young Charles Leclerc from an F3 car to the wheel of the F1 car from Maranello.
The appointment of Rivola, who brings to MotoGP the vast experience accumulated in Formula 1, is another important step in the path of consolidating the Noale racing department and confirmation of the Piaggio Group’s commitment to growing the MotoGP project.
With this addition, Aprilia Racing continues to grow after the signing of top rider Andrea Iannone, who will ride alongside reconfirmed Aleix Espargaró, the arrival of Bradley Smith as tester and the addition of two new crew chiefs with proven experience, Antonio Jimenez and Fabrizio Cecchini.
