The latest addition to the enhanced motorbike category at the 2024 Adelaide Motorsport Festival on March 16-17 is an Aprilia MotoGP bike which will be ridden by MotoGP race winner Chris Vermeulen.
The Team Aspar 1000cc four-stroke Aprilia ART GP13 Grand Prix bike was ridden by Aleix Espargarò before he became a MotoGP winner. On the Aprilia, in 2013 he had eight top 10 finishes and placed 11th in the MotoGP Championship standings.
Brisbane-born Vermeulen raced in Superbikes through 2004 and 2005 for the Ten Kate Honda team. He finished as the series runner-up in 2005. He also won the World Supersport Championship for Ten Kate in 2003.
He rode in MotoGP between 2005 and 2012 and won the 2007 French Grand Prix at Le Mans for the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Team. Overall, he finished on the podium seven times. Vermeulen returned to the Superbike World Championship in 2009 with Kawasaki.
He injured his knee in a crash at the season-opener at Phillip Island and missed the next two races. He reinjured the knee in a first-lap pile-up at Brno and followed medical advice to sit out the rest of the season.
During his career, Vermeulen was regarded as a wet-weather expert and was nicknamed ‘Vermin’ on account of his last name. He will join fellow premier class motorbike grand prix winner Kevin Magee who will ride a 1992 500cc two-stroke Yamaha YZR Grand Prix motorbike.
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Other Grand Prix bikes, Superbikes and riders will be confirmed in the coming months, with the motorbike category running twice on each day of the event in an expanded on track experience.
Besides the bikes, there will be other categories that will feature Formula 1, V8 Supercars, Group C and A Touring Cars, sportscars, IndyCars and more over the course of the Adelaide Motorsport Festival, with more news on categories, star cars and drivers and on and off-track activations coming soon.
For more information and ticketing details, visit AdelaideMotorsportFestival.com.au.
