October 2018 - Page 2 of 3

20 October, 201820 October, 2018

Esponsorama Racing MotoE – GP of Japan – Twin Ring Motegi

Esponsorama is pleased to announce their rider line-up for the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup in 2019. Xavier Simeon and Eric Granado will take part in the challenge for the first ever title in the history of motorcycling racing being contested with electric bikes, with five races on different European circuits next year and 18 riders competing with the same machines.

After a year in MotoGP, this will be a completely new experience for Xavi Simeon. The 29-year-old Belgian rider, winner of the German Moto2 Grand Prix 2015, is enthusiastic about this next step in his racing career and he hopes to be competitive and to put up a fight from the first moment on.

Eric Granado is the fastest and popular Brazilian rider and the 22 year-old has previous experience in the World Championship in Moto3 and Moto2 classes. He won the Moto2 European Championship in 2017 and now is racing in Brazil with Honda. Eric is known as a fierce fighter and there is no doubt that he will provide a spectacular show on the Energica Ego Corsa as well.

At the end of November, the first official tests of this class will take place at the Jerez circuit. On May 5^th, 2019, Jerez will also host the first of the five races in the MotoE calendar next year. Simeon and Granado will then move on to Le Mans Le Mans (May 19^th), Sachsenring (July 7^th), Spielberg (August 11^th) and Misano (September 15^th).

“Without a doubt, this will be an important step in my racing career. I love the idea of being part of the first world championship with a completely new generation of competition bikes. It will be a completely different, but at the same time a very exciting experience. I have been thinking about this change for months, because I am at a stage of my sporting career where it is very important to take the right decisions for the future. I experienced a year in MotoGP, which hasn’t been easy at all, and now I’m very happy to be part of a new adventure in this championship and with my team. I can’t wait to go testing and see what we can achieve, because even though the bikes will be completely different, the level of the riders will be as high as in the other categories. But now, there are still four races to go in the current championship. From here until Valencia, I am determined to keep fighting and working hard with the aim of scoring some points in MotoGP.”

Eric Granado

“I want to say big thanks to Raúl and Bocha and the whole team for giving me this great opportunity, I’m looking forward to start and test the bike for the first time in Jerez. The MotoE World Cup is something new for everybody. It will be a question mark how the bike will work and how we will have to adapt our riding style to be competitive. But I’m sure that with the support from the team we will be competitive from the first race. MotoE will be a milestone in road racing motorcycling and I’m pleased to be part of this new adventure. I’m ready and I’ll train hard to get to the maximum level for the first test in Jerez. I want to thank my family and all the people supporting me from Brazil. Now, full throttle!!”

19 October, 20187 November, 2018

MotoGP GP of Japan – Twin Ring Motegi

Reale Avintia Racing rider Xavier Simeon had his best ever Friday in MotoGP on Twin Ring Motegi, finishing in 16^th place just 1.6s behind the fastest rider Andrea Dovizioso.

The opening day of practice for the Japanese Grand Prix was disrupted by intermittent rain showers before FP2, which cost the team valuable track time for their task of finding the best possible set-up for the bikes. But in the morning, Simeon was fast and consistent in dry conditions, reporting positive feelings with the bike.

In the afternoon session, the Belgian was one of the few riders who went out in tricky damp conditions. He finished eight after swapping to Michelin slick tyres in the final minutes, when the track started to dry.

His Reale Avintia teammate Jordi Torres decided to sit the session out in the garage without taking unnecessary risks. In the morning he’d done a step forward in his learning process and he was 22^nd with a best lap of 1’47.665. Most importantly, he started with good feelings and, although he wasn’t able to try a fast lap in FP2, he is determined to improve in dry conditions tomorrow.

The action on Saturday will start at 9:55 am local time with FP3, followed by FP4 at 13:30 h and Qualifying at 14:10 h.

“This was my best first day in MotoGP and I’m very happy. Every time I ride the bike I feel better and it’s a relief to see myself higher up in the time sheets. In the afternoon, the circuit was never completely dry. But in the end, we did the last run on slicks. The feeling was positive and I got more experience in these tricky conditions. This is a stop-and-go circuit and our bike performs really well. I hope to continue in this line tomorrow”.

“This was a positive Friday. It made a noticeable difference that I hadn’t been racing on another bike last weekend, as I was able to recall the feeling I had during the Thailand GP and build on that, riding in a more natural way. I learned lots again, especially in the morning, even though I first had to find the reference points around the track.”

19 October, 201819 October, 2018

Reale Avintia Academy 77 Moto3 – GP of Japan – Twin Ring Motegi

Reale Avintia Academy 77 rider Vicente Pérez finished twelfth on the first day of practice for the Japanese Grand Prix. Although he didn’t know the circuit, the young Spaniard was fast in dry conditions this morning and showed a constant pace in wet conditions in the afternoon.

Following his great race in Thailand, where he was fighting in the leading group and eventually finished sixth, Vicente arrived in Japan determined to confirm his good shape. He expects to make another step forward in Saturday’s qualifying practice, trying to get the best possible grid position for Sunday’s race.

The qualifying session for the Moto3 Japanese Grand Prix will start at 12:35 h local time.

Vicente Pérez P12 1’58.857

“I really like the circuit and I think the first day was quite positive, because we were fast both in dry and wet conditions. We have to keep focussed and work to improve the bike settings for tomorrow, but I think that we have a good base set-up. My team is doing a fantastic job. I hope to be faster tomorrow and I will try everything to get the best possible grid position for Sunday’s race”.

16 October, 201816 October, 2018

Reale Avintia Academy 77 Moto3 – GP of Japan – Twin Ring Motegi

Reale Avintia Academy 77 rider Vicente Pérez heads to Japan eager to learn more and improve his level in the Moto3 World Championship.

The young rider from Valencia played a starring role the last time out in Thailand, where he was battling in the leading group for the whole race and finally finished in sixth place. But Pérez knows that he still is a rookie and Japan won’t be easy. Nevertheless, he wants to fight to score some points and get more experience.

The first free practice session of Moto3 will start on Friday at 9:00 am local time.

“We are on the right track since Misano as we showed with my sixth place in Thailand. But we have to keep our feet on the ground, as this will be a new track for me. The target for Motegi will be to learn and try to finish inside the points again. It’s important to do well and learn in the last few races of this season, because this will set the foundation for next year, which will be a crucial year in my career”.

15 October, 2018

MotoGP GP of Japan – Twin Ring Motegi

Reale Avintia Racing Team riders Xavier Simeon and Jordi Torres head to Motegi for the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend. The Japanese round is the first of three races on consecutive weekends, with Phillip Island (Australia) and Sepang (Malaysia) to follow.

Simeon heads to Motegi highly motivated following his performance at the Chan International Circuit last time. In Thailand, the Belgian rider was really comfortable riding his Ducati GP17 and this weekend at the Twin Ring Motegi, he expects to be competitive and fight for the top 15 positions.

Spaniard Jordi Torres will continue to replace injured Tito Rabat. In his third race in MotoGP, Torres wants to make the most of his previous experiences with the bike and the MIchelin tyres in order to get closer to other riders. He already beat some rivals at Buriram and he wants more in Motegi.

The MotoGP action will start on Friday with FP1 at 9:55h local time.

“We made a step forward in Thailand with the bike set-up and I hope this set-up will also work in Motegi. I’ve never been so comfortable with the bike and no doubt it was my best race in MotoGP so far. The Twin Ring Motegi will suit our Ducati and I’ll work hard from Friday get the best of the weekend, trying to fight for my first points in the premier class on Sunday.”

“We arrive at Japan with high expectations. I didn’t race in Motegi since 2014, but I like the track because it’s quite technical and features hard braking points. I hope to understand the bike and the riding style better to be more efficient. It was good not riding bikes in the last few days because this allows me to bring all the feelings from Thailand to Japan without any interference. It will be great to keep working with the team and learn more in these overseas races, where you live together and you bond with the team even more. I trained a lot before this race and I’ll be physically and mentally fit for this weekend.”

7 October, 20187 October, 2018

MotoGP GP of Thailand – Chang International Circuit

Reale Avintia Racing riders Xavier Simeon and Jordi Torres took 19^th and 20^th place at the first ever Thai Grand Prix on the Chang International Circuit today. The most difficult mission was just to finish the race due to the extreme tropical heat, with air temperatures soaring to more than 32 degrees and the track surface heating up to more than 50 degrees.

Xavier Simeon and Jordi Torres rode almost the entire race together. At times, Torres got close to his teammate, only for Simeon to pull away again and to manage the gap. In the end. Simeon crossed the line a little more than two seconds before Torres.

The next round of the MotoGP World Championship will take place in Japan in two weeks time. At Twin Ring Motegi, Simeon and Torres will have another opportunity to improve and to score their first points of the season.

“First of all, I have to admit that I did a bad start once again and I was not able to attack in the first few corners as I would have like to. But apart of that, the race was not so bad. I tried to keep a constant and fast rhythm, only that the rear tyre consumption on the left flank was more excessive than we expected and it was hard to manage tyre grip until the end. Nevertheless, I think the team did a great job over the weekend and we were able to take a big step. We couldn’t fight for points, because starting from the back always makes this a difficult task. But overall the weekend was quite positive and I think this was my best race so far this season.”

“I think that the race was okay, because I was able to finish a really hard race in scorching hot conditions, with tyres that are vey different to the ones I’m used to and that wear in a completely different way. But more than anything, I had to learn how to manage fuel consumption, changing the engine mappings when I was signalled to do so from the pits, and to be smoother with the throttle…there were many new things and therefore, I wasn’t riding as smoothly as I would have liked to. I didn’t ride according to my talent, instead I was riding in a programmed way. As far as everything else goes,the race was okay, I amanged to show my front wheel to a couple of other riders, which had been my plan, and later I was able to hunt Xavi and get close to him. I just didn’t have the courage to show him my wheel as well.”

7 October, 20187 October, 2018

Reale Avintia Academy 77 Moto3 – GP of Thailand – Chang International

Reale Avintia Academy 77 rider, Vicente Pérez rode a fantastic race today to finish in sixth position. Starting from twelfth place of the grid, he battled with the leading group all the way, from the first to the last lap.
In a pack of up to 16 riders, Pérez always maintained positions within the top ten, and he was as high up as fourth fourth on the last few laps. He never gave up and fought until the last lap to keep his position.
The 20-year-old Spanish rider joined the team at the Grand Prix of Germany replacing Livio Loi and, in his sixth race with the team, he showed why he deserved this opportunity. He now has four more opportunities to confirm his remarkable progress and to prepare for next season, where he will continue with the team.
The next round for Moto3 World Championship will take place at Motegi on October 21^st. It will be the first race of the triple, with Japan, Australia and Malaysia on consecutive weekends.

“It was an impressive race from start to finish. It felt really short and I enjoyed racing very much. Without a doubt, it has been the best race of my life. I do not have words to describe my feeling right now. I made big steps in a very short time and I want to thank the whole Reale Avintia team. When I say all, I mean every single person, my Moto3 crew as well as the guys from MotoGP, because without their help it would have been impossible to learn so fast. Of course, I want to also thank my manager, my parents and my family. But above all I want to send a big hug to Andreas Pérez, because I know that today he has been pushing me from up there. Now it’s time to work hard for Japan and keep this momentum.”

6 October, 20186 October, 2018

MotoGP GP of Thailand– Chang International Circuit

Reale Avintia Racing team riders Xavier Simeon and Jordi Torres improved their lap times on the second day of practice for the Thai Grand Prix and qualified in 20^th and 21^st position for the race on Sunday.
Once again, the extreme heat was tough on everybody on the Chang International Circuit, challenging riders and their bikes to the extreme.

Nevertheless, Xavier Simeon kept pushing and managed to improve his Friday lap times in FP3 on Saturday morning. After this succesful step, he delivered in qualifying and secured 20^th position for a start from seventh row of the grid.
His teammate Jordi Torres, will start right behind the Belgian rider. He also took a massive step in his adaptation to the Ducati MotoGP bike and the Michelin tyres and was just fractions of a second slower than Simeon in only his second Grand Prix with Reale Avintia Racing.
The MotoGP race on Sunday will start at 14:00h local time (9:00h Spanish time).

“It has been a very, very positive day. We made a big change to the bike that allowed me to take a good step forward for the first time ever. I did not expect that and it felt great to be able to improve our lap times by so much. We are now on the heels of the riders in front of me, which makes me very happy. If we compare to the test, I improved my best time by four tenths of a second, and this in completely different conditions, with the track being nowhere near as fast as it was back in February. I am also very happy with the work of the team because today the guys gave me a very competitive bike and I had fun riding, even though it is obvious that it is still not enough and we must do more. For the race, we have tried to get a good pace with the rear hard tyre and it has gone quite well. But races are always another story, so we’ll see.”

“We changed my riding position yesterday so I would be less tense on the bike, position, and this change really paid off today. A very big step in our overall performance became obvious as soon as I went out in FP3. Then in FP4, we concentrated on working for the race, trying to maintain the pace lap after lap, which is still difficult for me. In Q1 I tried to go for an all-out attack, but I still lack the knowledge and experience to find that extra speed, because it’s not about braking harder or accelerating earlier. Instead, it is all about preparing the corner entry better and getting the maximum lean angle as fast as possible… It is a puzzle of many things and there are still pieces missing before I can ride the bike in a way that is natural for me. In the race tomorrow, I hope I can put up a fight with some other riders, in order to learn everything I possibly can. My intention is to show the others my front wheel as often as possible”.

6 October, 20186 October, 2018

Reale Avintia Academy 77 Moto3 – GP of Thailand – Chang International Circuit

The second day of free and qualifying practice for the Thai Grand Prix went very well for Vicente Pérez, rider of Team Reale Avintia Academy 77.
The 20-year-old Spaniard managed to finish twelfth in qualifying and will the start the race on Sunday from the fourth row of the grid, the best qualifying position of the team this season so far. Nevertheless, Perez was not satisfied because he made a mistake on his best lap, which means he could have been even faster. More important is that he has a very good race pace, which will give him the chance to ride with the leading group and to fight for a good result.
The 22-lap-race of the Moto3 class will start at 6:00 am Spanish time.

“Qualifying went very well and I am very happy. In the morning, we already showed that we had a good pace, but when we mounted the soft rear tyre in qualifying, I did not feel very comfortable. However, I knew there was room for improvement and when we went out for our last run, I closed my eyes on the last lap and finished twelfth. I’m not completely happy, because I made two mistakes on my best lap and I would be able to cut another two tenths off my lap time. But anyway, I’m very motivated for tomorrow. I want to thank the team because they are doing a great job and little by little we are being rewarded.”

5 October, 2018

MotoGP GP of Thailand – Chang International Circuit

The riders of Team Reale Avintia Racing had a difficult start of the weekend at Buriram, with Xavier Simeon and Jordi Torres settling for 23^rd and 24^th place in the first free practice sessions of the Thai Grand Prix.

For Xavier Simeon, who rides the Ducati GP17 of his injured teammate Tito Rabat for the third consecutive time, these first two sessions were not easy. Even though his feeling with the bike improved in FP2, his progress was stopped when he suffered a crash. He only could improve by three tenths of a second when he tried to push for a hot lap with new tyres. Nevertheless, the Belgian rider remains positive and hopes to climb up in the time sheets on Saturday.

Jordi Torres accumulated solid track knowledge in four seasons of World Superbike racing at the Chang International Circuit, but with the MotoGP bike, many things were completely different and new again. The Spanish rider finished the day right behind his teammate, but was happy with what he learned on the first day. Bit by bit, he feels better with the bike and the tyres, so he shares Simeon’s confidence of doing better on Saturday.

FP3 will start at 4.55 h, followed by FP4 at 8.30 h and the qualifying sessions at 9.10 h Spanish time.

“I struggled a bit in the morning, but in the afternoon, I felt very good on the bike and I was hopeful to improve considerably. Unfortunately, I had a crash at the end of the session due to some oil on the track and I was forced to finish with my second bike. I couldn’t get the best out of it and improve my lap time the way I expected and therefore I’m a bit disappointed. Once again, I couldn’t improve enough in comparison to the others with a new tyre. I am really working hard on improving this aspect, but so far we haven’t found the solution. Apart from this, it was a positive day, as I had good feelings with the bike.”

“Even though it doesn’t show in the time sheets, I am happy with our progress. We had a super-productive day and I managed to get a lot more accustomed to the bike and the tyres. This morning, I allowed myself to ride the way I felt most comfortable, whereas in the afternoon, I tried to change my riding style in a way that suits the bike and the tyres. I changed my position on the bike a lot and as a consequence, I improved on the corner exits. But more than anything, I started to understand the behaviour of the front tyre and I began to feel when it starts to move. I treated this with lots of respect at the beginning, but in the end I started to like it. Tonight, I will think a lot about all the new information that I collected and tomorrow, I hope to get a bit closer to the others.”