RM Sotheby’s, the world’s largest auction house for high-value collector cars and motorcycles, is going to offer Valentino Rossi’s first-ever Grand Prix motorcycle and the bike on which he scored his first race win on the GP stage. The 1996 Aprilia RS125R offered for sale via RM Sotheby’s Sealed platform was ridden by Rossi to first place in the 125cc class at the 1996 Czech Republic Grand Prix as the maiden checkered flag of his 115 Grand Prix victories.
The bike is presented in the preserved livery it wore for Scuderia AGV Aprilia for every race of the 1996 season and adorned with Rossi’s iconic race number 46. The bike was sold by the Aprilia racing team to a private owner in January 1997 and has been retained by the current owner since February 2013.
The historic machine is accompanied by factory team sheets that verify each of this bike’s race entries for the 1996 season. The bike was ridden to sixth place on Rossi’s debut, and he remained in points-scoring positions for the next four races. At Brno later in the year, Rossi earned his first Grand Prix win. This would be the first of Rossi’s 115 victories across all three first-class Grand Prix classes; a record that still stands, making “The Doctor” the most successful rider in modern motorcycle racing.
The bike is offered for sale with team documents that verify each of its race entries by Scuderia AGV Aprilia in 1996, along with bills of sale that chart its brief private ownership chain. A note from the team manager, Mauro Noccioli, is on file, detailing his thoughts following Rossi’s first win. Furthermore, the team sheets confirm that the engine installed is the very unit that propelled Rossi to his first victory at Brno Circuit.
The Aprilia is estimated at $117,700-$176,177 USD and is offered without reserve. Bidding opens on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. Visit https://rmsothebys.com for bidding information. CN
