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| - Aprilia on Thursday committed to remaining in MotoGP from 2022 to 2026. The Italian team, which have been racing under the Gresini name, become a fully-fledged factory operation. It is the sixth and final manufacturer to sign up with MotoGP owners Dorna, joining Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda, Ducati and KTM. "From next season, we will be participating in an official capacity as a manufacturer. This opens up new and hopefully great opportunities," said Massimo Rivola, the Aprilia Racing CEO in a statement. "It is a natural step." Aprilia-Gresini finished last among the manufacturers in 2020. This term, their Spanish rider Aleix Espargaro is sixth in the championship and Italian Lorenzo Savadori is 22nd. Former Italian rider Fausto Gresini, founder of the Gresini team, died of Covid-19 on February 23 at the age of 60. His widow Nadia Padovani is the new owner and manager of the team who have agreed with Dorna to return to MotoGP as an independent outfit from 2022. "In heartfelt memory of Fausto, I wish the team and all its staff the best success for the coming seasons," said Rivola. ole/pel/clv/pb/iwd
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