Nakano confirmed alongside Biaggi on Aprilia RSV4 in 2009
Shinya Nakano has been confirmed to ride the Aprilia RSV4 alongside Max Biaggi in the 2009 Superbike World Championship.
The Japanese rider, after visiting the Racing Department in Noale, signed a contract that ties him to Aprilia for the 2009 season with an option for the 2010.
Shinya Nakano was born in Chiba, Japan, on October 10th 1977, his resume boasts 10 seasons in the World Championship: two seasons in the 250cc championship – one season in the 500 cc championship and seven seasons in the premier class of the MotoGP championship. With the 2008 MotoGP season finishing last weekend in Valencia, Nakano riding for Team Gresini Racing ended the season in ninth position with 126 points.
After signing the contract Shinya Nakano declared: “I am very happy indeed, for me it is a joy to join the great family of Aprilia. Here I have found tradition, extraordinary competence and professionalism that Aprilia apply in every race and their 33 World Championships are proof of that. The Superbike is a new challenge that inspires me, I hope to apply all of my experience to develop the exciting Aprilia RSV4 project. It will be an honor to be able to race beside Max Biaggi, he is a hero of mine and he was an inspiration to me at the beginning of my career. I am sure that together we will succeed in developing the best motorbike and achieve great results in the 2009 season”.
Leo Francesco Mercanti, who’s responsible for development of products and racing activities for the Piaggio Group commented “With the arrival of Nakano we have ticked another box in this important and ambitious project in developing the superbike RSV4. We develop the bike, the team and the riders to the highest level. We constantly set ambitious goals. And always aim to realize our goals and I believe that Nakano with Aprilia can reach the highest heights. We admire his experience in developing motorcycles and have great trust in his talent. We believe he will be able promote the technological advantages and the sophistication that is the backbone of the RSV4 project”.
Giampiero Sacchi, Sports Director of the Piaggio Group commented, “With the signing of Nakano we have completed the 2009 Aprilia World Superbike team. Aprilia in 2009 will face difficult competition against the world’s greatest motorcycle manufactures. It is a hard but fascinating challenge that requires riders of the level of greatness that Biaggi and Nakano represent. They are fast, competitive and have a huge amount of experience. You could not ask for more when developing an innovative, technologically advanced and ambitious project such as the Aprilia RSV4.”