Shinya Nakano and Aprilia hinted at their World Superbike potential during testing at Valencia this week as they set an encouraging pace with the new RSV-4.

Nakano, who will race alongside Max Biaggi in the series next year, was out on the bike for the first time as he looks to acclimatise to larger capacity, but heavier, machinery before the start of the new season.

Despite having just two days on the machine though, which is still in the early stages of development, Nakano produced a best lap of 1min 35.3secs.