IVANO BEGGIO, FOUNDER OF APRILIA, PASSES AWAY
M
ilan, March 13, 2018 – Piaggio Group and
Aprilia affectionately and respectfully
remember Ivano Beggio, founder of Aprilia,
who passed away during the night at the age of 73.
Ivano Beggio, born in 1944, began his passion for
two wheels in his father’s Aprilia handmade bicycle
factory, innovating and diversifying production,
with the introduction of motorcycles and scooters.
In 1975, he established a small team for the
production of racing motorcycles which, thanks
to technical innovation, soon made a name for
itself, so much that it won the Italian motocross
championship in the 125 and 250cc classes in 1977.
From 1980, Aprilia began to mass produce small
engine motorcycles (50 and 125cc), then launching
highly successful, aesthetically and technologically
innovative models on the market for urban
mobility: in 1991, the Scarabeo, the first high-wheel
scooter on the European market; in 1992, the first
two-stroke scooter and motorcycle with a catalytic
muffler; in 1993, the first scooter with a registration
plate; in 1998 it entered the large engine
capacity motorcycle sector with the RSV Mille.
In World Championship GP Motorcycle
Racing, where it made its début in 1985 in the
250 class, Aprilia took world class champions
to success the likes of Max Biaggi, Marco
Simoncelli, Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner,
Alvaro Bautista, Loris Capirossi, Marco Melandri,
Manuel Poggiali and Alessandro Gramigni.
74 KIWI RIDER
With 294 Grand Prix races won in World
Championship GP Motorcycle Racing from 1987 to
the present, Aprilia holds the record for the most
wins of any European manufacturer in the history
of maximum motorcycle competition. These race
wins are joined by no less than 54 world titles: 38
in the World Motorcycle Championship (20 in the
125 class and 18 in the 250 class), 7 in Superbike
(double Rider/Manufacturer title in 2010, 2012 and
2014, Manufacturer in 2013) and 9 in the Off Road
disciplines (7 in Supermoto and 2 in Trial). The Aprilia
trophy case also includes the 2005 Superstock
1000 FIM Cup, won with the RSV4 RF ridden by
Lorenzo Savadori, currently riding an Aprilia in
World Superbike alongside Eugene Laverty.
Roberto Colaninno, CEO and Managing Director
of the Piaggio Group (of which Aprilia has been
a part since 2004) said,
“Ivano Beggio succeeded
in combining the skills
and courage of an
entrepreneur with creativity
and a genuine passion
for motorcycles. He was
a visionary ahead of his
time and the extraordinary
combination of these
factors allowed him to
create, practically from
nothing, one of the
most brilliant stories in
the Italian motorcycle
industry, making a dream come true. Continuing
to race and improve the Aprilia brand around the
world is the best way to honour his memory.”
Romano Albesiano, Aprilia Racing Sport Director:
“You need to think about the champions that
Aprilia has groomed and the victories it has
collected to understand the importance of Ivano
Beggio’s project. Thinking about challenging
the Japanese on the track, going up against
the largest manufacturers in the world starting
from zero and in the end winning means putting
mind and soul together. Great management
skills and a lot of love for our world.”