I like this Aprilia!": Vannucci enthusiastic about the RS 660 and the Revo M2 team

Thursday, 05 March 2026 at 08:45

Matteo Vannucci durante i primi test su Aprilia

Beautiful—no, gorgeous. It was love at first sight between Matteo Vannucci and the Aprilia RS 660 Factory. The Tuscan rider is among the most anticipated protagonists of the upcoming Sportbike World Championship, the new entry-level category of WorldSBK.

In the World Supersport 300, Matteo Vannucci was a star, with 13 podiums to his name: 6 wins, 5 second places, and 2 thirds, all on a Yamaha R6. In 2025 he finished the World Championship in fourth place, and it’s a pity about the quiet start to the season—otherwise he might have been able to celebrate the world title. Sportbike is still a puzzle to solve, and as of today it’s impossible to say who will be able to aim for the final victory. There will be bikes completely different from each other, and we’ll have to see how it plays out. In any case, Matteo Vannucci is undoubtedly one of the top riders in the championship, and his presence aboard the team Revo M2 Aprilia RS 660 is drawing a lot of interest. In the meantime, he has started getting familiar with the new bike.

"First we went to Portimão," Matteo Vannucci tells Corsedimoto, "I started to get to know the bike in terms of acceleration, tires... It’s completely different from the 300. We worked a lot on setup, on weight balance, and I tried to get used to the riding style as quickly as possible because it’s different. Some might think it doesn’t change much compared to the 300 because it has 50 more horsepower, but it actually has double the power. As a result, the riding changes a lot."

What impressed you the most?

"At first I was slightly in trouble, but after the first session I got used to the brakes. Right, because braking has changed a lot too: on the 300 I had to squeeze the brake lever hard to get great stopping power. Now, I won’t say that just brushing the lever is enough to make the bike lock up, but it’s close. So I was surprised by the bike’s acceleration and especially by the braking. It shook me—in a good way [laughs]. Then I got a bit used to it, dropped my lap times a bit, and rode with my teammate Mattia Sorrenti. Then we went to Jerez, and there I already experienced what it means to crash with the Aprilia. Well, I’d have preferred to avoid it, but the team immediately fixed the bike—they were perfect."

How did you find working with the team?

"I like this Aprilia! I still need to get used to a few things, but I had a lot of fun. I’ve built a really great feeling with the mechanics and with the whole Revo M2 team: it’s a family, but hyper-professional. I was extremely impressed by the technicians’ professionalism, by Mirco who is my mechanic—in short, by everyone. Fantastic! I can’t wait for the championship to start."