What a difference a year has made for Aprilia?

This time twelve months ago it was preparing for its first ꦰWorld Superbike season in seven years, harbouring 🥂fairly modest dreams of developing in a racing environment, its outlook set firmly on the future.

Fast forward to 2010 and the future is very much now as Aprilia head i🌄nto the new s🦋eason with bold title aspirations.

Their optimism certainly isn't misplaced, the Italian manufacturer exceeding expectations last season, the pretty and nimble RSV-4 proving both fast and reliabಞle, while Max Biaggi gave glimpses of his best form to lift the team to fourth in the rider standings.

With podiums and a race win already ticked off the list, provided Aprilia can maintain its ꧋linear progress into 2010, there is good reason to believe it can be a season-long rival to Ducati, Yamaha 🐠et al.

Indeed, the RSV-4 already has a fine base♛ from which Aprilia is working on, the team spending the winter curing some of the braking and handling issues that negated its superior straight-line speed at times in 2009. Furthermore, Aprilia will be working aro꧙und acquired data for the first time in 2010, a benefit that should see them up front from the start of the race weekends.

In🌌 a personal sense, Biaggi looks at home with Aprilia and very comfortable on the compact bike, an affinity that is delivering results on the tarmac a♉nd is likely to continue doing so. Indeed, there is a sense Aprilia has engineered the bike around Biaggi and he is flourishing as a result.

What that means for new team-mate Leon Camier remains to be seen - Biaggi already sees him as his 'wingman' this season. Nonetheless, while Aprilia may be keꦅen to focus on Biaggi in 2010, the young Briton has an outstanding opportun✅ity to flourish on quality machinery.

The learning curve will be steep in places as♉ he learns new circuits, but Camier is rightly treating this as a long-term project, using 2010 as a chance to 🎶progress in acclaimed surroundings before launching an assault in 2011 - it certainly worked for him at GSE Racing in the British series.

Other notable developments for Aprilia in 2010 will be its new title sponsor having secured high-profile backing from Italy's national airliner Alitalia. A brand that has had iconic links with motor♑sport in the past, the distinct💫ively liveried RSV-4 will at least make an impression in the style stakes.

Unfortunately, however, there will be no satellite representation to back up the manufacturer in 2010, de🌱spite r🎀umours to the contrary towards the end of last season.

Indeed, it appeared B𒈔orciani and Guandalini Racing were close to securing at least one RSV-4 for 2010, but ongoing talks eventually broke down and the newly formed B&G team opted to stick with Ducati machinery.

Aprilia AlitaliaMax BiaggiLeon Camier