19 Feb 10 - Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team Aprilia unveil the 2010 Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team Last night Aprilia unveiled their 2010 World Superbike team and livery at the Rome Fiumicino Airport. After much speculation Aprilia confirmed that the teams major sponsor will be the nation’s airline carrier Alitalia. In attendance at the launch was Maurizio Roman the Group Director of Product Development and Strategy who commented on the partnering of two prestigious Italian brands “Partnerships are often forged between brands and sponsors that have very little in common, with no relation whatsoever between their respective activities. Today, however, we are witnessing one of those rare cases of an auspicious union between brands that share many values. They share the same Italianness and, above all, the same commitment to technological advancement and excellence. Behind both are companies that strive to elevate prestigious brands to new heights, and which have made history in their respective segments.” Leo Francesco Mercanti the Director of Aprilia Racing & Product Development was also there to see the unveiling of the Aprilia Alitalia Racing team and commented on his expectations for the season “We have a great tradition to uphold; it is a tough challenge that comes after a 2009 season in which exceeded our expectations, proving its competitiveness with three world MotoGP titles and surprising everyone with its results in the Superbike series. These successes justify great ambitions and expectations; to fulfil them will be a great challenge. It is difficult to make predictions at the beginning of a season, but we have prepared well for the challenge, working hard and improving on every front”. Aprilia RSV4 race winner Max Biaggi was over whelmed at the launch of the new team “The presentation of a new season, of a bike with new colours, is always very emotional for a rider - it's like witnessing the birth of a living creature. It will be an honour to carry these prestigious colours onto the circuits of the whole world - a tricolour that will make both the bike and team unique. We also have a new team member: Leon comes from the tough British championship, and he certainly has all the right cards to become the strong wingman that both I and the team need. Aprilia did a fantastic job in 2009, we made giant strides from a technical standpoint, which were made possible by the whole team. The win at Brno was just the crowning moment of a continuous process of growth. Of course, we were the great surprise of the 2009 season, and I am really happy with the results; nobody could ever have predicted that we would be so competitive at our debut. I still feel as if the greatest satisfactions are still to come, we haven't reached the top yet - only a championship win will really crown it all for me. We are now facing the forthcoming season armed with more knowledge, more experience on the circuits and with the awareness of our potential”. The four times World Champion will be joined on the grip by 23 year old Englishman Leon Camier, in what is his debut season in SBK. Leon comes fresh from winning the title of British Superbike Champion, after dominating the 2009 season of his national championship for production derived bikes with an incredible 18 wins out of a total 26 races. Beaming with pride Leon Camier commented “Being a part of this team, a part of the RSV4 project, is an incredible opportunity for me. This championship will be very tough, with extremely high levels of competitiveness. I'll be racing against some outstanding, highly experienced riders. This is why it is so important to be in a team like Aprilia Alitalia, one of the very few that offer a rider extraordinary opportunities in terms of developing the bike. My first impressions of the RSV4 were phenomenal: it has enormous potential and is a very quick bike. Now, I must first get as much experience as possible to fully exploit the potential that Aprilia puts in the hands of the rider. It is a great challenge for me to learn how to develop a bike and make it better. Everyone wants to win and everyone sets off from the grid to win, but my first goal will be to understand the bike and constantly improve my performance. I think that we have already found the right direction for the development of the bike, our goal now is to continue in this direction and to improve together with the bike”.