Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racer Maverick Vinales has just joined the factory Aprilia racing team – and the Spaniard looks positively tickled pink about it.
Vinales had a bit of drama earlier in the year when he ended his contract with team Yamaha a tad early – a five-year business partnership that he was more than happy to leave behind after multiple interludes with both the bikes and the team.
Tuesday and Wednesday this week saw the racer performing a test run on the coveted RS-GP for Aprilia at Misano – and with the news that he’s officially in, Vinales couldn’t be happier.
“We are extremely proud to be able to announce our plans for the current season and for 2022 with the goal of optimizing the contributions of our three riders to the utmost,” Massimo Ravola, CEO of Aprilia Racing, says in a report on MCN.
Massimo Ravola, CEO of Aprilia Racing, with Maverick Vinales“Alongside our confirmed rider, Aleix, it is our pleasure to welcome a talented athlete like Maverick to the Aprilia Racing team, who demonstrated a great feeling with the team and the bike straight away and who I am confident will be able to give his best as early as the Aragón GP.”
Motorsport.com also made sure to check in on how Vinales was feeling after the test, asking if this experience was the happiest he’d been that year. To which the seasoned racer responded with, “Probably my life, [I’ve never had] a time when I am happier because after five years [at Yamaha] there have been ups and downs and I didn’t understand many things.”
“At the end, I said, ‘what is going on,’ but as soon as I jumped to Aprilia, I know my potential, I know what I’m able to do even more, and it was nice to jump quick because I have the opportunity to do six races.”
“This is much better than to do just five days of the test, and I will try to prepare well with Aleix [Espargaro] the 2022 [bike], which is very important for me.”
Our best to the Spaniard, as it is obvious, there will be more successes to come.
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