From a press release issued by Aprilia:

APRILIA Racing is proud to announce one of its strongest ever line-ups for the 2004 world championship season.

With 16 bikes in the 125 category, 17 in the 250 class and two in the premier MotoGP world championship, Aprilia’s racing department – led by Jan Witteveen – is ready to show the results of some of the best technology in the world.

It is that technical expertise that has already delivered 22 world championships for the Italian manufacturer, including 13 rider world titles and nine constructor wins.

Aprilia has been associated with finding and developing great talent including Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi, and that philosophy is continuing with riders like Manuel Poggiali and Alex de Angelis.

And the Noale factory is as committed and determined to continue a long-standing tradition of winning races and world championships at the highest level of racing.

That is reflected in the entry lists for the season’s opening race in South Africa. Of the 85 bikes on the starting grids, 35 will be Aprilia machines, further reflecting the commitment in all three classes of GP racing.

Aiming to continue an excellent record in GP racing, Aprilia’s race department now employs 80 people. Thirty of those are made up of engineers that are specifically focused on the research and development of the RS125, RSW250 and RS Cube machines.

Such has been the highly competitive state of the 125 and 250 machines, that at the end of the 2003 season last November, the 2004 versions were immediately delivered to teams to commence the long and intensive winter testing programme.

“The development of our bikes does not finish at the moment we deliver them to the riders. It is an on-going process and the development continues throughout the entire season, “said Witteveen.

He added: “Our engineers are in constant contact with the technicians and riders from all of the teams and that information collected is used to make the bikes better. In 250 for example, we did a lot of work this year on the chassis and the suspension to permit the riders to have a bike that is simple and effective. It is our aim that everybody shares information to make the best bike possible, and surely that was demonstrated in last year’s world 250 championship won by Manuel Poggiali. That shows that our working methods work very well.”

One of the most important aspects of Aprilia’s 2004 racing strategy is to continue showcasing the high level technology in the MotoGP class with the RS Cube.

Witteveen added: “We have not stopped development of our technology in 125 and 250 and that is the same in MotoGP. In 2004, Aprilia’s MotoGP project once again be one of constant research and development. We are working to simplify the RS Cube. We want to make the bike more simple and to permit the riders and the team to do well. Our bike is a third of a Formula One engine and also features pneumatic valves. So we do not believe there is a loss of power compared to others who have more than three cylinders. All the riders who have tried the RS Cube have not had any problem with the horsepower. We are convinced that this project has a lot more development ahead of it and we have a lot of new innovations that will be seen later in the 2004 world championship.”