Friday, 03 September 2010 12:24 by Luca Bologna

Gigi Dall'Igna stopped by Misano before leaving for the WSBK race at the Nurburgring, taking the time to chat with us about Aprilia.

"I'm here at Misano to see some of our 125 clients and for the MSMA meeting - Gigi told us - but I will then meet up with the team in Germany."

How are things at Aprilia? Are you really thinking about a return to MotoGP?

"At the moment more 'no' than 'yes'. We are certainly interested, but things still aren't in place.  Our motor is very strong, but it is not ready yet.  And then putting together a complete and competitive bike is another story.  Clearly our aim at the moment is to stay in Superbike, which is strategically important for supporting the production and sales of our sportsbikes.  There is still time for MotoGP in the future."

You have had the chance to take an up close look at Moto2, what do you think?

"It all looks very 'homemade'. They have more work to do."

You had a bike ready to go...

"Yes, but I am convinced that the decision not to compete in Moto2 was the right one.  We can't field a bike branded Aprilia that would be racing with a competitor's engine.  I am convinced of this.  As far as our bike was concerned, it was a little bit different from the ones I have seen here."

For Aprilia it would not have been the first time using another manufacturer's engine. Take the RSV250 street bike for example, which used a Suzuki motor.

"Certainly, but we have worked hard in recent years to break away from this mentality.  Now that we are doing well in WSBK with a bike that is 100% Aprilia, competing in Moto2 would have taken away from all that we accomplished."

Regarding the costs in Moto2, do you think they are really saving compared to the 250's?

"Absolutely not. What we were offering in 250's was an all inclusive package.  That included spare parts, technical assistance, engineers, and everything needed to compete at the very top level.  If we eliminated all that, leaving only the cost of the bike, we would have the same costs as Moto2.  So I think that anyone that wants to win in this new category will have spend as much as they would have on an RSW250."

Will Aprilia compete in Moto3?

"No, we don't have any single cylinder MX engines in our range, and we have no intention of adding one at the moment.  So we will not be in Moto3."