Aprilia allowed to use gear driven cam motor

After weeks of speculation, the factory Aprilia team of Max Biaggi and Leon Camier have been given permission to use a new gear driven cam motor in 2010.

Although there has been no official confirmation, MCN understands that the SBK commission has given the go ahead to Aprilia, but they won’t be able to use the new system until after the Salt Lake City race in America at the end of May.

The legality of the system was brought into question at the opening round of the championship at Phillip Island, which led to rival manufacturers asking for clarification of the rules.

Speaking to MCN, Aprilia’s Motorsport boss Gigi Dall’lgna said:

“The rules are not written in the right way. For me the rules are clear, but for others it is not which is why they asked for clarification.

“When we start the development of this engine we planned to use this system in the future and with our crank case it is quite easy to introduce it. The crankcase has been designed to accept this system so for us it is simple and inexpensive. At the end of the day it is a cost saving because the life of the engine increases a lot. At the moment I have to renew the cylinder head at 900km, with this system I hope to double the mileage.”

For full story and reaction from the paddock see MCN out Wednesday March 31st