Aprilia Riding Academy #bearacer, on pole at debut [PREVIEW VIDEO ON THE TRACK]

Aprilia Riding Academy - A marriage that comes after three years of engagement, That between Aprilia and Specialbike, which adds an important piece to the picture, combining the test ride sections, organized for some years, with a new and very interesting initiative, which completes a policy of closeness with the amateur. This is the Aprilia Riding Academy, because no one is born a rider and making their debut on the track, without appropriate training, would be dangerous for themselves and others.

Unfortunately this is not clear to everyone in Italy, so we often find ourselves faced with people who simply ignore the meaning of the flags displayed by the commissioners or the behavior that must be followed on the track, which is the best place to unleash the power of their motorcycles. , in maximum safety, provided that everyone knows how to act correctly. Fortunately, in recent years the phenomenon that has led to a greater interest in test ride sessions on the track has been accompanied by the birth of various schools, some more structured and well managed, others a little more improvised and, most likely, oriented to a logic of mere economic interest on the part of the organizers. Certainly among the best we can include those that are officially linked to motorcycle manufacturers, also for economic reasons. In these cases, the aim is no longer that of profit, but to retain customers, giving them interesting options to make the best use of their motorbikes, or to expand the customer base. This is demonstrated by Aprilia's initiative, in which it is also possible to try one of the 15 RSV4 RFs available for two shifts, in renowned circuits where the SBK and MotoGP World championships stop, at the paltry price of 70 euros. It is clear that everything is aimed at bringing current and potential customers closer to the Noale brand, making them fall in love with these magnificent motorbikes, thanks to the opportunity to try them in their ideal habitat.

Aprilia Riding Academy

A palmares of 54 world titles it is certainly an important business card in itself, but Aprilia with its own school wanted to do things in the best possible way, taking care of the smallest detail. This is clear from the first reading of the press release launching the first season of courses. The first element that enhances the program is theuse of world-class circuits, we are talking about Misano and Mugello for 2017, with the prospect of opening in 2018 in Imola. Not only that, in addition to a selection, a decision was made exclusive use of the tracks, with a track dedicated to the #bearacer. Always in compliance with other initiatives, putting your wheels on the asphalt used in the race by Valentino Rossi or Marc Marquez, just to mention the first names that come to mind, is different from taking part in a course organized in a kart track or on less popular circuits. prestigious, just as it is quite clear that, also for the safety and serenity of the motorcyclists involved, having the exclusive track is certainly an important plus. Another fundamental element is that linked to the relationship between the number of students and instructors. Even in this, the conditions are better, given that it was chosen to assign each instructor has a maximum number of 4 students, so that we can follow them as best we can. The recognition of the course by the IMF closes the picture, with experienced and well-known pilots as instructors.

Three levels, with a good margin for customization

Base, Pro and Race, these are the three courses you can choose from. The first is a reference for those who are new to the track, but also for those who rarely go there and want to train / refine themselves, perhaps learning to work in the saddle in the correct way, optimizing what they already know. The Pro course is aimed at those who are more experienced and want to start doing work that leads to improving their skills and, consequently, lowering the lap time. The Race course, on the other hand, is the most technical, aimed at those who have significant experience and who wish to make a leap to a higher level, knowing better the technique, both the set up of the motorbike and the physical preparation and much more. Here lap time becomes a central element, while of the three it is the only course that is open only to those who own an Aprilia. Since the audience of those who enroll in a course is varied, it is obvious that if the basis and structure of the day remains the same, the instructors will give a different slant to the program and content, based on the preparation of the participants. We will also discover this with our experience, as we will have the opportunity to tell you later.

A course like many others? Absolutely not

Up to this point we have shown you a well-studied and well-thought-out initiative, but similar to other proposals that can be found on the market. The peculiarities of the Aprilia Riding Academy come from a different approach from all the current competition. In addition to the professionalism, assistance and hospitality found on the track, for the first time we found ourselves faced with a truly 360° view. The presence of technicians to discover every detail of the motorbike that we are going to drive is also flanked by physical preparation experts, with the possibility of having a consultation with a physiotherapist, ready to intervene on the students' bodies, as in our case, to relieve pain or simply to remedy problems related to tiredness. The “package” really includes everything you can think of, from lunch to the space reserved for your motorbike inside the garage, from insurance coverage in case of rain, with the possibility of obtaining a refund or changing the date of your course. It's not even missing discount for Aprilia customers who have regularly registered their motorbike with the #bearacer club, which is entitled to a 10% advantage on all courses.

Our “Basic Course”

So far the "theory" has been able to convince us, but will practice live up to its promises? We decide (or rather I decide, given the very interesting premises of the Aprilia Riding Academy) to include in a session of the basic course not our expert rider Gianluca Cuttitta, who has been racing motorcycles for twenty years and who also has some championships in his palmares Italians, but the most "road-oriented" tester, myself, precisely to have an interpretation closer to that which the typical student of this course might have. The arrival in Misano, given the distance from Milan, takes place the evening before, to be on the circuit early in the morning, around 8.30. The start of activities is scheduled for 9am, while the track will be entered for the first round at 10am. It begins, as it should be, with a theoretical session, which starts from telling the philosophy of the course, that it's not so much about lowering the lap time, but about achieving suitable technical, physical and vehicle set-up preparation. It goes without saying that the direct consequence of this translates into obtaining a better chronometric result, but it must not be the starting objective, but rather a positive "side effect" of the treatment. The main aim is in fact to drive safely and without getting more tired than necessary. For those who wish, the course can start the evening before, with an initial meeting with technicians and physiotherapist, so as to arrive with an initial preparation.

A very intimate but heterogeneous class

We said that each instructor has a maximum of 4 students, but in our "class" there are three of us, moreover with the most heterogeneous situation imaginable. In fact, of the three we have a 100% neophyte, who not only has never driven on the track, but who has equipped himself with the technical equipment specifically for the course and who does not even have much experience in road driving. Then we find the undersigned, who although he has covered many kilometers on the road on a motorbike, in addition to having tested almost 150 two (or three) wheeled vehicles, he has done very little on the track, with only one real experience riding a super sports bike . The third of the group is a fellow journalist, who on paper could be out of context for a basic course, but who we will discover will also be able to appreciate the very professional approach of the instructors, perfect for improving the driving of even an expert pilot.

After the theory you drive and a lot

After having had the first indications on the correct behavior to be followed on the track, also respecting the flags displayed by the commissioners and the rules to be respected in "standard" situations, we put on gloves and helmet and finally hit the track. Given the presence of pilots of such different levels of experience, the instructor mainly dedicates himself to the less experienced, leaving us in the hands of... the physiotherapist! It may seem crazy to you, but in addition to being a professional in physical preparation, he is also an expert motorcyclist and follows us for the first round, obtaining video material with the two action cameras mounted on his motorbike.

Here we discover one of the most interesting aspects of the Aprilia Riding Academy, because in addition to the information gathered by the instructors, who observe the students to understand where it is appropriate to intervene to correct and improve the riding technique, technology plays a fundamental part, given that in a film, watched and analyzed also with still images and reviewing some passages several times, it is easier to grasp the details, both for the instructors and for the students, showing them from the outside what they have done on the bike.

Between one driving session and another, there is time to recover your strength, but above all, to receive instructions from the instructor which concern technical aspects related to driving, the position to hold and other details, which for an expert pilot will become automatic, but which instead are not at all initially. The tricks to work less are as obvious as they are important. An example is the action of the arms on the handlebars: if the posture is not the correct one, you end up giving an incorrect "input" to the motorbike, which will have to be corrected with an opposite action, perhaps with a leg. The result is a double and useless effort. The day continues, with three driving sessions in the morning and the same number in the afternoon. A sixth is added to the 5 sessions scheduled for the course, to try out an Aprilia RSV4RF or a Tuono V4 MY17. The course is in fact aimed, as we mentioned previously, at enticing potential customers, perhaps after having tried the Noale super sports bikes and having discovered the differences compared to the motorbike with which they participated in the course, for which it is possible to register by any means (only the Race course is reserved for owners of an Aprilia).

Improvements come to everyone

As we move from one shift to another, we put into practice what is explained to us in the briefings with the instructors, with truly sensational results. The lines are starting to be close to the optimal ones, the speed increases and the fun and satisfaction of being able to put the teachings into practice are priceless. Last but not least, we learned the meaning of managing tiredness, which is fundamental in terms of safety.

Driving even just a couple of laps in the throes of the desire to make time, without paying attention to anything else, inexorably translates into sudden fatigue, which leads to sub-optimal, potentially even dangerous driving behavior. We, just to give an example, ended a lap with a braking with the rear wheel raised, either due to the use of the Race mode on the RSV4, which excludes the anti-rollover and the Cornering ABS, but above all because we did not transfer the load on the footrests, thus ending up shifting the weight of our body entirely onto the front. This, in addition to tiring the forearms, has repercussions on the motorcycle, with the rear wheel lifting.

Having noted that the 5 rounds for us were the maximum level of physical preparation we had, we preferred to give up the last session, preferring a treatment from the physiotherapist, which certainly avoided some of the muscle pain with which it is normal to end such an intense day. The other two students both had tangible improvements, even the most experienced, who improved the lines in some key points of the Misano track, as well as having corrected some aspects of his riding technique.

The neophyte is the most satisfying student

However, those who had the greatest benefit from participating in the course were the least experienced pilots. We admit it, we too were skeptical after seeing it in the first driving session, but we had to change our minds. Each shift was dedicated to individual aspects, from posture to gaze, up to movements in the saddle, with the result that for him this day ended with the "baptism of the knee", one of the experiences that every motorcyclist who has lived it will certainly remember.

The course ends for everyone with the delivery of a certificate of participation, but above all with the desire to continue on a path that has given satisfaction to all participants. A note deserves the fact that at the end of the course we were asked to give our suggestions on the aspects that had convinced us less about the course, but we just couldn't find any, not even when we reflected on it in the following days. Think about that the approach is so complete as to include any theoretical lessons for shooting on board, while for those who wish, it is possible to rent and try on, during the course, technical clothing from the 2017 range.

How much does the Aprilia Riding Academy cost?

Obviously one of the aspects that everyone looks at is the economic part. For the basic course the price is 690 euros, we go up to 750 for the Pro, while the more advanced Race Track, which lasts a day and a half instead of one like the first two, with the support of a professional pilot, the expected cost is 1.600 euros. Many? In our opinion no, also because evaluating everything that is offered, first of all a world championship circuit for exclusive use, but also the many elements that we have described to you, comparing them with the costs of a day on the track faced independently, we are not at all very far away, indeed. We are keen, especially for the basic course, to remind everyone how important it is to approach the track in the right way, with the necessary preparation and the support of serious professionals, this both for one's own safety and that of others, but also to be able to have fun collecting all the satisfactions that the track can give you. In this, as far as we have been able to discover today, the Aprilia Riding Academy presents itself as an absolute point of reference to support all those who intend to enjoy a sports bike on the circuit to the fullest.

We close with a note that will certainly be important for some, participants will be able to purchase shots from a professional photographer, which will immortalize the day's participants during their shifts on the track. The Aprilia Riding Academy season ends on June 8th at Mugello, but we are certain that "year zero" will be followed by a 2018 with a calendar fuller of dates and circuits, including the Imola track, as announced.

Testimonial clothingt:
Leather suit: Spidi Track Wind Pro
Gloves: Spidi Carbo 3
Boot: TCX R-S2 Evo
Helmet: X-Lite X-702GT