Aprilia's motorsport involvement began in motocross, entering the Motocross World Championship in the 125cc class from 1976 to 1981. The company shifted focus to Grand Prix road racing in 1985, winning its first world championship race at the 1987 San Marino Grand Prix when Loris Reggiani took victory in the 250cc class. In 1992, Alessandro Gramigni delivered Aprilia their first road racing world championship in the 125cc class. The manufacturer accumulated an extraordinary number of victories and titles in the 125cc and 250cc categories over the following decade, eventually setting the record for most points earned by a manufacturer in a single 125cc season with 410 points in 2007.
Aprilia entered the 500cc Grand Prix class in 1994 with an unconventional V-twin engine enlarged from a 250cc base, exploiting the lighter weight and nimble handling available from a smaller-displacement configuration. The bike eventually displaced 430cc and achieved a best result of third at the 1997 Dutch TT with Doriano Romboni, but could never overcome the power deficit on long straights against rival V4 machinery and was withdrawn at the end of 1997.
When MotoGP began in 2002, Aprilia returned with the technically ambitious RS Cube, a three-cylinder inline-triple machine that pioneered ride-by-wire throttle control and pneumatic valve actuation — technologies later adopted widely across the paddock. Despite the innovations, the bike proved difficult to ride and performed poorly. Aprilia withdrew from MotoGP at the end of 2004.
Aprilia rejoined MotoGP in 2012 under the Claiming Rule Team framework, supplying RSV4-derived bikes to Aspar Team, Paul Bird Motorsport and Speed Master under the Aprilia Racing Technology designation. The ART machinery stood out as the best CRT equipment in both 2012 and 2013.
For 2015, Aprilia entered a more committed partnership with Gresini Racing as a factory-supported independent team, competing as the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini with an all-new 1000cc V4-engined RS-GP. The partnership ran through 2021, providing a platform to develop the RS-GP through successive generations.
Aprilia entered MotoGP as a full works factory team for the first time since 2004 in 2022, with Gresini departing to run Ducati machinery independently. Aleix Espargaró delivered Aprilia their first premier-class Grand Prix victory at Argentina in 2022, a milestone achievement for the manufacturer. The following year, Espargaró and Maverick Viñales secured Aprilia's first-ever one-two result in a feature race at the 2023 Catalan Grand Prix.
For 2025, defending riders' champion Jorge Martín joined from Pramac Racing following Espargaró's retirement, alongside Marco Bezzecchi who transferred from the VR46 team. Bezzecchi won the British Grand Prix on his debut for Aprilia and added back-to-back victories in Portugal and Valencia, giving Aprilia their first ever consecutive wins in the premier class. In March 2026, Bezzecchi and Martín delivered a one-two finish at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, with Martín also taking the sprint race victory.
Aprilia's motorsport record across all disciplines — Grand Prix classes, Superbike and off-road racing — marks them as one of the most prolific racing manufacturers in history. Their return to MotoGP competitiveness from 2022 onward, culminating in race victories and championship-level performances, represents a significant achievement for a manufacturer operating at a scale far smaller than Honda, Yamaha or Ducati.
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