February 18, 2016 (Houston, TX) – Aprilia HSBK Racing is excited to announce their return to the MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 class for the 2016 season. Last year was the first time the Aprilia RSV4 saw a professional race series in the United States. Despite many obstacles, the team is proud to have had the most successful season in Aprilia’s US racing history. With a year of valuable data under their belts, the team is prepared to unleash the full potential of the RSV4 to secure the 2016 Superstock 1000 Championship. The team has downsized to a one-rider program and brought in international rider Claudio Corti to accelerate progress.

Corti worked his way up through the Italian Championship quickly and by 2004 he came in second in the Italian Supersport Cup. Corti then moved up to the European Superstock 600 Cup and took the championship in 2005. Between 2006 and 2009 he ran in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup, and placed second in the championship three of those years. In 2010, he moved up to Moto2 and had a second place finish in France, and stepped up to MotoGP in 2012. In 2013, he returned to the premier class and was teammates with MotoAmerica’s own Colin Edwards. The next season, he was recruited to run in World Superbike on an MV Augusta.

While the team had good success with Sheridan Morais on-board last season, the World Endurance schedule conflicted with several MotoAmerica rounds and ultimately it meant the two had to part ways. The team will be bringing another South African to their pits though. They have hired ex AMA and Formula USA road racer Robbie Petersen as their Crew Chief. He has managed competitive road racing teams in both the US and abroad. 

Team owner, Bobby Shek, commented, “I’m excited to get the RF back on the track after a long off season. We had a good run last year particularly once we had the new bikes and I’m excited to build on that progress with a very promising rider and our experienced crew. We couldn’t do it without the support of all our sponsors, particularly Aprilia Racing. They have been an integral piece of our team’s success both last season and moving forward.”

For more information on the team, updates after testing sessions, sponsor spotlights and race recaps, follow HSBK Racing on Facebook. www.facebook.com/HSBKRACING

Aprilia HSBK Racing

Founded in 2011, HSBK Racing is a division of Houston Superbikes showcasing its race parts and talented Technicians. Known for its bold distinguishable red and black livery, HSBK Racing prides itself on showcasing the best riders from the U.S. and abroad.

Houston Superbikes

Established in 2005, Houston Superbikes caters to motorcycle enthusiasts with its diverse line of high performance bikes, parts and apparel. Houston Superbikes is proud to offer their own line of carbon fiber and billet accessories for racing and street applications. Offering dyno tuning, engine building services and suspension setup, they are an industry leader in building race machines. For more information regarding Houston Superbikes, or to find out what they can do for you, please visit www.houstonsuperbikes.com