The cards are dealt in his hand, now it is up to him to decide whether to play them or get up from the table. The stakes in front of Jorge Lorenzo are called Aprilia. It is well known that he has already been offered a job as a test driver, but it could now become that of a rider. “In Noale I would come full circle,” commented the Mallorcan a few days ago about the World Cup in the 250cc. Since then, however, the stakes have increased …
Massimo Rivola is working hard it’s a great opportunity and it would be a mortal sin not to try and get Jorge.
Aprilia had always said she wanted to be by her driver’s side from the start of the doping affair Iannone was involved in and she kept her word. Even more so, now the second RS-GP is free until the CAS judgment is available, which, if the promise is kept, will come within a week, maybe even less.
That doesn’t mean they didn’t look around Noale. There were negotiations with Dovizioso, the same with Crutchlow, but now these two doors have closed. Apart from an almost impossible rethinking by Andrea (Dovizioso), Aprilia can only hope that the CAS will lift the disqualification of Andrea (Iannone). What is possible, but still far from certain.
If not, who would be there to mount this bike? All MotoGP riders, like the most promising ones in Moto2, are already taken and there are no alternatives. From here we can reach Lorenzo …
In the last few weeks he had been approached for the role of test driver, after relations with Yamaha deteriorated after the Portimao Tests. The Spaniard was not dissatisfied with the idea and had also thought of switching to Iannone as a coach. The two both live in Lugano and sometimes train together on bicycles, as their social media profiles confirm.
As always, Lorenzo is said to have kept the door open to the race because he wanted the possibility of some wildcards being set in black and white. He’d done the same with Yamaha and his return to racing was pinned to Barcelona before Covid thwarted those plans.
It would be the same with Aprilia, but the ability to switch from test driver to driver is real. Nothing has been written at the moment, but the contacts are ongoing and the offer is on the table. It would be a sensational coup for Noale. To have Jorge, a multiple champion with undoubted experience and sensitivity on the team, would be invaluable in a promising project that is difficult to get off the ground.
At this point it is up to Lorenzo to decide. If he wants to return to the MotoGP paddock permanently, the bike is there for him and the agreement can go through. All that remains is to say how much pleasure he really has and the CAS decision to Iannone. Aprilia is just one step away from a coup that no one could ever have imagined.