Aprilia is the new holder of the MotoGP top speed record – until Sunday at the very least.
When Jorge Martin rocketed up Mugello’s main straight at 368.6km/h during Saturday morning’s Free Practice 2 session, KTM’s year-old record was no more. The previous mark of 366.1km/h had been set by Brad Binder and Pol Espargaro at the 2023 and 2024 editions of the Italian Grand Prix, respectively.
Martin’s factory team-mate Marco Bezzecchi showed it was no fluke by matching that mark during the afternoon sprint race, which turned into a 1-2 for the marque as Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez headed Martin home.
But with another day’s action at the fast Tuscan track still to come, it may be too soon to launch a full celebration for the speed record. Aprilia’s technical director Fabiano Sterlacchini said the grand prix could yet see the bar raised.
“I’m not discounting it,” said the man credited for much of Aprilia’s technical gain over the past 12 months. “Because clearly if we have the right wind direction in the middle of the grid, with some slipstreaming, another 2km/h or faster is possible. We’ll keep an eye on it.”
Mugello’s long straight offers the season’s best chance to set new speed records, and any mark set at the Italian GP this season is likely to remain in the books for a significant period of time. That’s because MotoGP’s engine capacity will be reduced from 1000cc to 850cc from 2027 onwards.
While teams have downplayed the importance of owning the record when they leave Mugello on Sunday evening, Sterlacchini admitted it had certainly been on Aprilia’s radar.
“Yeah, for sure, it’s one of the targets that we have, because it’s super exciting to reach the highest ever,” he said.
Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
Sterlacchini went on to explain the combination of elements that went into Martin – and later Bezzecchi – setting the new mark: “Obviously, it’s thanks to the job of all the people in the company in terms of aerodynamic perfection and also the engine performance. Everything is the synergic work of all the aspects of the bike.
“For sure, we have lost friction in terms of, for example, the chain, together with the engine performance, together with the aerodynamic reduction.
“But part of the top speed is coming from the way that you are exiting from the last corner. So, the stability of the bike, the electronics are always [a factor].”
KTM can hope to snatch back the record on Sunday, if the sprint is anything to go by. Enea Bastianini (Tech3), who has been fast through the speed traps all weekend at Mugello, clocked a speed of 367.3km/h before falling out of the race.
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