Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola will become the new president of the MotoGP World Championship Constructors’ Association (MMSA), Motorsport.com has learned.
The Italian was chosen in a vote that took place on Monday during preparation for the official post-season test at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
With his election, Rivola will replace KTM CEO Stefan Pierer for the next two years, with the option to extend his term to a total of four years.
Rivola joined Aprilia in 2019 after a long stint in Formula 1 where he worked for Toro Rosso and Ferrari and has been instrumental in turning the Italian brand into a race-winning force in MotoGP.
The MMSA brings together all manufacturers that compete in the championship, although that doesn’t mean they are aligned in all aspects.
In fact, in recent times there have been tensions within the organisation when delicate issues were brought up. One of the most recent examples was the discussion regarding the engine freeze which will come into force when next year’s engines are homologated. The engine freeze will continue until the end of 2026, just before new 850cc units arrive on the scene in 2027.
Despite the fact that the technical regulations had already been presented by then, the proposal left a wide margin for interpretation in the regulations, something that always creates conflicts between manufacturers.
Aprilia was one of the most sceptical members of the proposal that was approved. Among other things, the Italian manufacturer considered it a contradiction to impose a restriction of that extent under the pretext of preventing costs from skyrocketing, when Yamaha - which enjoys the most flexible level of concessions - was allowed to develop an engine in V-configuration with the current displacement (1000cc) when it will have to move to a smaller specification motor (850cc) in less than two years.
In any case, the matters discussed in the meetings of the MSMA must always be ratified by the Grand Prix Commission, which is the governing body of the World Championship, and in which, in addition to the manufacturers, members of the promoter (Dorna), the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM), and the Teams' Association (IRTA) are also represented.
