Italy's Marco Simoncelli has come under considerable media focus recently as the reigning 250 cc world champion expressed a desire to take part in the opening two rounds of the 2009 Superbike World Championship on a factory Aprilia RSV4, as a wild-card entry alongside the team's new pairing of Max Biaggi and Shinya Nakano.
Although the initial enthusiasm in competing came from the 21 year-old from Cattolica after he completed a test on the Aprilia Superbike at Valencia as a ‘prize' for winning the 250 title last year, the Noale-based manufacturer has also been quick to come round to the idea. To the point that if there is a possibility to do the opening two rounds, then Aprilia will willingly prepare two bikes, or at least one, for Simoncelli.
However, as an Aprilia source pointed out to WorldSBK.com, "It would be great for the company from an image point of view, but logistically it would also be very difficult to prepare six or even five bikes for Biaggi, Nakano and Simoncelli, as well as put together the extra technical crew for the two overseas races".
The final decision will rest with Giampiero Sacchi and Luigi Dall'Igna, but with Aprilia anxious to speed up the RSV4's development in its first WSBK campaign (nine days of testing - three at Portimao, three at Phillip Island, and three at Valencia - are planned before the opening round in Australia on March 1st), the possibility of seeing three brand-new Aprilia RSV4 machines on the grid at Phillip Island is not so remote after all.
Source:
http://www.worldsbk.com