After more than a few rumours regarding Aprilia and Maverick Viñales joining forces in MotoGP, it was announced just the other week that the ex-Yamaha Factory rider has indeed signed for Aprilia Racing Team Gresini. And we?re not going to have to wait long to see him climb abord it either. You might have seen Aprilia announce that he?ll be making his Aprilia debut in just over a week?s time in in Aragon.

But actually, that?s not strictly true. He?s had a couple of day testing at Misano which, by all accounts, went fairly well. He?ll be riding Lorenzo Savadori?s bike for the rest of the year, provided he doesn?t throw his teddies out the pram again.

Sazadori?s had a demotion to test rider, to commence once he?s poorly ankle’s better. That?s the broken ankle sustained at the Styrian GP when Dani Pedrosa crashed in front of him.
Viñales will be joining current Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro, fresh after his Silverstone GP podium (third). And if Aleix Espargaro is capable of putting the Aprilia on the podium, you?d have to say Viñales is. In fact you?d probably have to say he?s capable of sticking it on the top of the podium. The bloke?s a MotoGP race winner in the last six seasons on the trot; that?s all but his rookie season.

Gresini will be confident that they?ve got a bike capable of winning, and now they?ve got a rider capable of winning, will be expecting strong results.

Aprilia are obviously over the moon to welcome the uppity Spaniard to t...