New Dorsoduro test video

The guys from the slovenian site MotoMagasin also visited the launch of the new Dorsoduro and made a very nice video of their test ride.

Even if you don't speak slovenian check out the video its really worth watching

Go check it out here

More Dorsoduro goodies

Motorcyclenews have uploaded a little teaser video of the dorsoduro launch on their website: go here

Motoblog have their teaser test with pics online here

Motorbox have a nice review with a big gallery full of pics here

Infomotori also have a review,gallery and a cool video here

Dorsoduro website online!

Aprilia is launching the dorsoduro SMV750 today in Rome and the dorsoduro website has been launched too. Filled with a nice video,lots of pictures and technical info about the bike the site is certainly worth a visit!

At the end of the video they show 3 different color options: Black,Silvergrey and Red. Thank god no more gold frames or white/red/gold color combinations!

Go check out the site here: www.apriliadorsoduro.com

Motoblog.it also has a big gallery of pics online here

VDB leads after first supermoto Grand Prix

The red number plate of the S1 leader is back to Thierry Van Den Bosch (Aprilia SXV 4.5). The Aprilia French champion won the Italy Grand Prix, first race of the 2008 world calendar. On the hard road track around the Oval Lingotto, he proved to be already well trained. He was the fastest rider on wet track on Saturday and then proved to be the winner on dry track on Sunday. He started third in Race 1 and needed several laps to overtake the British Winstanley (Ktm) on a track where overtaking is extremely difficult. Once in second position, Van Den Bosch had already a good advantage gained during the first laps and the German Bernd Hiemer (Ktm) was not able to reach him anymore. In Race 2 Van Den Bosch sprinted to the first position and he kept it until the end. “I’m happy about the result” – Van Den Bosch says – “during the first manche I had some set-up problems, then solved during Race 2. Yet this is not a good track to show ability, most important was not to make mistakes on a track that changed from wet to dry.”

In S1 good marks to Aprilia thanks to Ivan Lazzarini too (DRC Aprilia Off Road), who concluded twice 4th on his SXV 4.5. In Race 1 he got from 6th to 4th next behind Winstanley, who unfortunately gave no possibility to get ahead. In Race 2 Winstanley was before him again and Lazzarin passed only when the first three riders were already far away. In class S2 the best was Luca Minutilli (PMR H2O Aprilia Off Road) who, after the fifth place in Race 1, reached the top in Race 2 and kept it for even 13 laps. A small mistake and some stress made him go down to the third place, which is anyway his best place ever in the World Championship. Good race for Massimo Beltrami on Aprilia SXV 5.5 (team DRC Aprilia Off Road).

Back to the higher displacement, Beltrami got forth in Race 1. In the final part he had a bad start a could only recover from the 15th to the 17th position. Tough test for Christian Iddon (PMR H2O Aprilia Off Road). While proving to be fast on Saturday and Sunday morning (he got the third time), Iddon has fallen more than once during both races and concluded the race only seventh and eighth.

Merriman almost makes the podium on the RXV

The engagement with the podium has been pushed back again as Stefan Merriman and his Aprilia RXV 5.5 missed it by just 2.13 seconds in the second day of the race at the Portuguese Enduro Grand Prix. The Australian battled at long for the victory and his final 4th place didn't sit too well with him since first place wasn't out of reach for the official Aprilia rider, in fact just 14.63 seconds. If you then consider that Stefan won four of the ten special tests (unbeaten in the Extreme Test), it demonstrates that the RXV project has become a splendid enduro reality, even at the international level. Much of that is thanks to a team who knows how to thoroughly respond to the needs of an undoubtedly valuable champion and put him in a position to reach for the top.
He was seventh at the end of the first day of racing, affected by an erroneous choice of tyres. Merriman demonstrated great character and grit and rode his Aprilia RXV 5.5 impeccably on Sunday, nearly onto the podium.
The overall performance of the other two Aprilia captains was positive. Nicolas Paganon (Aprilia RXV 4.5) earned points on both days, finishing 13th and 16th in the E2. After withdrawing due to friction problems (caused by the bike's cross settings) as he battled in the top ten, Antoine Letelier (Aprilia RXV 5.5) clocked in the 9th best place in the E3 on Sunday. Now the World Enduro Championship will take a two-month break: the next round is set for June 14-15 at the Polish Grand Prix.

WORLD CLASSIFICATION AFTER 3 RACES

E2: 1. Aubert (Yamaha) 139; 2. Salminen 114 (Ktm); 3. Ljunggren (Husaberg) 99; 13. Nicolas Paganon (Aprilia RXV 4.5) 44.

E3: 1. Aro (Ktm) 147 punti; 2. Tarkkala (Ktm) 120; 3. Nambotin (Gas Gas) 117; 7. Stefan Merriman (Aprilia RXV 5.5) 79; 15. Antoine Letelier (Aprilia RXV 5.5) 33.

GP of Jerez

The 250cc Spanish GP was absolutely breathtaking. The wide audience on the hills of Jerez de la Frontera was incredulous up until the end, when the race turned out in the most unthinkable way. Aprilia performed brilliantly, but has to be contented with the second place on the podium.

The race began quite monotonously with Bautista starting well from the pole followed by a tiny group of riders. Right from the second lap he managed to outdistance the others together with Simoncelli who, by the fifth lap, had already gained two second lead over his followers Kallio, Luthi, Barbera and Simon. The escapers managed to gain ground lap after lap overtaking each other in the last lap in order to launch the final attack. But, a few corners to the finishing line, something totally unexpected happened: Bautista, coming out of a corner, experienced an engine power drop and Simoncelli, who could not avoid him, went crushing against him. Kallio, who was eight seconds behind, could get to the finishing line 4”277 before Pasini, the current leader of the world stand, who got second, beating Takahashi’s Honda, Aoyama’s KTM and Barbera’s RSA.

The 125 cc race proved to be extraordinary at the Spanish circuit of Jerez de la Frontera. The young riders’ battle and the cheering audience stay in the eyes and heart of those who live in the world of races. Simone Corsi is the first to get to the finishing line, alone, followed three seconds later, by his team mate Nico Terol, Jack&Jones WRB team, while Bradley Smith completes the podium.

The race was very hard fought from the beginning, with Smith performing a very good start from the pole followed by Terol, Talmacsi, Corsi and Bradl. The riders started to push hard taking a considerable lead over their rivals right after two laps. Talmacsi, who was in the third position, is forced to withdraw because of a break down. Terol takes the lead and rushes ahead together with Smith and Corsi. Their pace is not extremely fast and Bradl and Nieto join the three in the tenth lap. Corsi takes the lead in the thirteenth lap and performs his fast lap of 1’47”999. Lap after lap, the Italian rider manages to gain metre after metre, right until the last three laps, when he engages in the long final stretch against Terol, the only rider who had been able to keep up with him. The Roman crosses the fishing line first and receives the congratulations of the King of Spain on the podium. Smith managed to conquer the third position on the long stretch over Bradl and Nieto.