Aprilia RNF have confirmed a new MotoGP line-up of Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez for the 2023 season.
Aprilia Racing and RNF have confirmed that Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Raul Fernandez (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) will be racing RS-GPs next season in the Noale factory’s new Independent Team.
After the confirmation of Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales in the official team, the pair of riders for Razlan Razali’s RNF Team has also been confirmed. Both Oliveira and Fernandez chose and strongly wanted Aprilia, despite the abundance of offers, showing great confidence in the potential of the new Independent Team.
Oliveira made his MotoGP debut in 2019 after emerging as one of the best talents of his generation in the smaller classes. In the premier class he has four wins and two podiums to date. Fernandez seized his first outstanding result by winning the CEV Moto3 title in 2018. The promotion to the premier class came after an outstanding rookie season in Moto2. In his debut campaign in 2021, the Spanish rider finished second overall with a haul of seven pole positions, eight wins and 12 podiums in total.
Razlan Razali – Founder and Team Principal WithU RNF MotoGP Team: “We are extremely excited to welcome Miguel Oliveira and Raúl Fernandez to the WithU RNF MotoGP Team from 2023. It has not been a simple process, but together with Aprilia we were very clear on the riders that we wanted. They are both young riders with a good combination of experience, coming from Miguel, and Raúl who I’m personally a fan of since he shocked the Moto2 category last year to become Vice Champion. To finally secure him, is fantastic. Both Aprilia and we believe in the talent of both riders, so we can’t wait for them to ride for us next season!”
Massimo Rivola – Aprilia Racing CEO: “Our satellite project with Team RNF is taking shape in the way we conceived it from the very beginning. We have succeeded in securing two extraordinary talents, two riders whom I greatly respect both from a human point of view and for their technical skills. Miguel has shown his talent in all categories, although he is still very young he has already accumulated a lot of experience, winning four races in MotoGP, sometimes with dominant performances. At his side will be Raul, a rider I make no secret of having sought out several times. I think he is one of the most crystal clear promises of recent years, what he did in Moto2 on his debut speaks volumes about his speed. We’ll have to be good at offering them both a technical package that will allow them to perform at their full potential. I would like to take this opportunity to thank KTM who, showing their great sportsmanship, have allowed Miguel and Raul to ride on our bikes immediately after the end of the 2022 Championship.”
[Note: The story is as per press release]