How Aprilia reached MotoGP’s summit: ‘Ideas come from people that are not shy’
Aprilia’s RS-GP has utterly dominated the start of 2026, so how did MotoGP’s smallest manufacturer get here and what does Ducati need to do to close the gap?
Freddie Spencer’s final rider insight at the season-ending 2018 Valencian MotoGP round
Freddie Spencer on the last round of the 2018 MotoGP season in Spain, where “atrocious” conditions made for an exciting race.
He talks about the pressure on riders, his own experience at the circuit (having participated in the Valencia Classic), the race itself – including secrets to overtaking in the rain – and more.
Plus, he explains why this will be his final Rider Insight for Motor Sport.
All of our podcasts from Freddie Spencer’s Rider Insights to Issue Previews and Formula 1 reviews are now available on Spotify, so you can add them to existing playlists or download them using the service. Make sure to follow Motor Sport on Spotify so you never miss a podcast.
And you can still watch, listen or download the Rider Insight using the links above.
More: MotoGP 2018 season review – Submit your questions
Aprilia’s RS-GP has utterly dominated the start of 2026, so how did MotoGP’s smallest manufacturer get here and what does Ducati need to do to close the gap?
Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi is dominating the 2026 MotoGP season with the same quiet, truculent self-assurance that has always made him impossible to ignore, and even harder to interview
The first Brazilian MotoGP round in 22 years was characterised by a track that was falling apart, not that Bezzecchi and Aprilia seemed to mind
These are happy days for Aprilia, which leads the MotoGP constructors' championship for the first time in its history. And there’s no one better to tell its story than team manager Paolo Bonora, who joined Aprilia in 2002 to do pioneering electronics work on the Cube MotoGP bike