With less than two weeks remaining before the start of the World Motocross Championship, Team Aprilia Off Road showed its hand on Monday, March 24th at the fifth round of the Italian championship: the 2009 Model Year Aprilia MXV 4.5.

It is a profoundly redesigned bike that operates around a powerful 77° V twin engine. The main difference in respect to the previous version is a more rigid yet lighter frame, including upright anterior latticework with a different diameter and material. The gas tank has also been moved to the area under the saddle. The box filter was lifted again to better concentrate the bike's weight. Other changes include the posterior frame, home to a new undersaddle and double-exit exhaust that is about 2 kg lighter than the previous version. In effect, these alterations changed the weight distribution and decreased the bike's overall mass by almost 4 kg.

Tighter radiators allow for more compact conveyor belts that improve the overall ergonomics.

The motorcycle, in the pre-series configuration, was entrusted to Fabien Izoird, who marked the 8th-best time in Sunday morning's MX1 time practice. In the first fraction, the French rider was immediately slowed down by a pair of fallen riders in front of him. He was thus forced to mount a comeback that allowed him to move from 18th to 11th place. At the start of the second heat, Izoird's MXV 4.5 took off in the lead of the group. The Frenchman, relieved of his position by Antonio Cairoli (Yamaha), battled for the podium for half the race until a fall caused him to fall back and finish 11th.

Cedric Melotte instead raced an Aprilia MXV 4.5 Factory. With the third-best time, the Belgian rider had a spectacular Race 1 in which he came back from 9th to 2nd place overall behind the international Mx2 champion, Antonio Cairoli. While battling for the podium, Melotte registered the race's fastest lap with a time of 1.51:281.
Slowed down at the start of Race 2, he made contact with an adversary in the initial phase of the race and inflicted irrevocable damage to his anterior brake. His withdrawal was inevitable.

From this point on, all of Team Aprilia Off Road's energy will be directed towards the World MX1 Motocross Championship that will take off on Sunday, April 6th in Valkenswaard, Holland.

Cardano al Campo (VA) - 5th round of the Italian Motocross Championship

MX1 Class

Race 1:

  • 1. Antonio Cairoli (Yamaha);
  • 2. Cedric Melotte (Aprilia MXV 4.5);
  • 3. Jan Zaremba (Ktm);
  • 4. Cristian Beggi (Honda);
  • 5. Chicco Chiodi (Tm);
  • 11. Fabien Izoird (Aprilia MXV 4.5).


Race 2:

  • 1. Antonio Cairoli (Yamaha);
  • 2. Chicco Chiodi (Tm);
  • 3. Alex Salvini (Suzuki);
  • 4. Cristian Beggi (Honda);
  • 5. Jan Zaremba (Ktm);
  • 11. Fabien Izoird (Aprilia MXV 4.5).
  • Withdrawn: Cedric Melotte (Aprilia MXV 4.5).