The year is 1985 and the debut of an extraordinary GP bike the Aprilia in the GP 250cc class is a fact. The first bike has an alloy aluminium dual beam frame with a Marzocchi fork and a rear monoshock mounted on a pro lever type suspension. The engine is a two stroke Rotax tandem twin. In the debut on 23 March 1985 in Kyalami South Africa Loris Reggiani finishes 12th. For the rest of the championship the bike performs so well that Reggiani takes a third place at Rijeka and repeats this in Imola.
In 1987 the Aprilia 250 rises quickly to the top. A new chassis and V-twin engine take it to second place (Salzburg and Rijeka). Victory is within reach and comes at Misano. The date is 30 August 1987 and Reggiani rides his AF1 250 to its first success in a Grand Prix race. In 1991 the bike configuration changes from AF1 to RSV (production bikes) and RSW (factory bikes). After three consecutive 250cc world titles for Aprilia with Biaggi from 1994 to 1996, the title is in 1998 for Loris Capirossi, as he beats fellow Aprilia rider Tetsuya Harada on the last corner of the last race in Argentina.
The late 1990s also saw Valentino Rossi thrilling race fans on Aprilia machines as he won the first two of his total of nine World Championships, in the smaller classes. Rossi spent his first four years in Grand Prix racing on Aprilia bikes, winning the 125cc title in 1997 and the 250cc crown in 1999, before he moved up to the premier class. In 2007 the configuration changes to RSA. The last 250 World Championship on an Aprilia was for Marco Simoncelli with a bike under the Gilera brand, he succeeded in 2008. Want to know how it sounds see
