Aprilia rider Miguel Oliveira draws a comparison with KTM and reveals why the decision to switch at the end of 2022 came at the right time for him
Since the 2023 MotoGP season, Miguel Oliveira has been riding for the Aprilia customer team, which will operate under the name Trackhouse-Aprilia from this year. The Portuguese rider previously spent four years on a KTM, during which time he celebrated a total of five victories and two second places
In his first year with Aprilia, he was unable to build on this – also due to a lot of bad luck with injuries. He dropped from tenth to 16th place in the riders’ standings.
Of the MotoGP races that Oliveira was able to contest, he finished five of them in the top 10, with his best result being a fourth place at Silverstone. In the official MotoGP podcast, the Aprilia rider says: “Every change is risky, and every change is made with the intention of improving and not the other way around.”
“That is still my intention. I’ve worked a lot on my riding style, because this Aprilia is very different to what I’ve been used to for the past four years,” explains the long-time KTM rider. “And I think that has helped me to prove to myself that I am able to adapt and still be competitive. That motivates me to keep going.”
When it comes to the differences between the KTM RC16 and the Aprilia RS-GP, Oliveira mainly refers to the power delivery of the engine: “Compared to the KTM, the Aprilia forces you to be a little more careful with the throttle.”
“On these powerful motorcycles and with the traction control, which intervenes a lot, you can’t overdrive the bike. So it’s all about the right finesse in the right wrist. And then the handling of the bike feels completely different. “
“I don’t want to go into too much detail, but it’s a bike that’s quite sensitive when it comes to the use of the rear brake and how much pressure you put on the front brake to get the bike through the corner. It’s tricky in some areas,” says the 29-year-old.
“But it’s a great bike. Aprilia has made great progress over the years. And I think we are very close to turning our bike into a dominant bike.”
When Oliveira looks back on his decision to switch, he emphasizes: “I can only say positive things about my journey with KTM. But of course, when you’re new, people want to make you happy and make sure you feel comfortable.”
“I had very pleasant meetings with Massimo Rivola back then and that was also a bit of a turning point – when you feel that the team really wants you. I was also at a point in my career where I wanted to try something new – something I might not have seen there. “
