Month: November 2018

MotoGP Test Jerez – Jerez Circuit

Reale Avintia Racing riders, Tito Rabat and Karel Abraham, completed a successful two-day-test at the Angel Nieto – Jerez Circuit. This was the final test of 2018 MotoGP season and, although the riders had to wait for more track temperature every day, the weather was sunny and warm in the South of Spain.

Tito Rabat did 113 laps in the course of the test at the 4,4 km circuit and he finished 14^th in the combined time sheets with a best lap time of 1’38.876, only 0.9s from the fastest rider of the test. Big respect for Tito, as he showed a great determination to get back on the bike as he uses crutches to walk and he still recovering from multiple fractures on his right leg. Rabat highlighted the potential of his new Ducati GP18 and he is confident of his package to be fighting at the top next season.

Reale Avintia Racing new rider, Karel Abraham, had some pain in one foot from a training incident, and he was not able to complete too many laps, but the Czech rider is happy with the work done these two days and he could test many positive things on the bike. He did a step forward with the bike and adapted to his new team crew.

Rabat and Abraham will have to wait until February 6^th to back on track. This will be the first of three days of testing at Sepang that will open 2019 MotoGP winter test schedule.

“The test was very positive because we managed to finish within a second from the fastest rider and, considering my physical condition it is not so bad. I also understood my new bike better and I think we have a bike with a big potential. The team did a master job during the test and, with this bike and this team we have a very competitive package to be fighting for better results next season. Now we have to get stronger during the winter break.”

“I think it was a very good and productive two days of testing. Today we did manage to make another step forward to go faster and be more consistent, which is important for us. It was the last test of the season and I felt good, we were fast, we did not crash and everything we tried has worked in the right direction. Now holidays, that will be good to refresh and work to get back stronger for the first test of the year in Sepang.”

MotoGP Test Valencia – Ricardo Tormo

Reale Avintia Racing riders Tito Rabat and Karel Abraham,completed the first test for 2019 with positive feelings at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia today.

The riders had to wait for dry conditions again, as the asphalt of the 4,005 m track was full of wet patches. But once the action started for Rabat and Abraham, the work of the team progressed consistently. Tito Rabat rode 59 laps with his new Ducati GP18 and finished the test 15^th overall. He improved his best lap from the first day by almost one second and he left Valencia only 1.1s behind the fastest time.

His new teammate Karel Abraham continued to familiarise himself with the team and to adapt to his new Ducati GP18, a bike quite different from the one he rode until last Sunday. Abraham also improved his pace from the first day and wants to progress even more at the next two days of testing at Jerez.

Next week, Reale Avintia will continue the winter test program at the Angel Nieto Circuit in Jerez, at the second official MotoGP test for 2019 season.

“This was a positive test. We did a good job, we were calm and I used every lap to learn more about the new bike and some new staff members in my team. I’m very happy about this test and I’m in love with my Ducati GP18. The bike turns better and the power is incredible. Now we have to keep working in the same way at Jerez next week”.

“Today we did a lot of work and we were able to test many things on the bike, but we have more to do next week in Jerez, where we will double-check the set-up base that we established. We know the potential of the bike is much higher than our position in the time sheets today, so we have to work hard to get the best out of this machine. That’s why I’m not completely happy. But the first connection with the team is good and I’m sure we will improve during the winter test to get to the maximum before the season starts in Qatar”.

MotoGP Test Valencia – Ricardo Tormo

The 2019 season started for Reale Avintia Racing riders Tito Rabat and Karel Abraham today at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Spain.

It was a very special day of testing for Rabat this as he made his comeback on a MotoGP bike almost three months later his leg injury at Silverstone. The Spanish rider went step by step and his feelings with his Ducati GP18 were very positive. Rabat completed 36 laps and finished just 1.4s behind the fastest rider. He will be back on track tomorrow to continue working and adapting to his new bike.

Karel Abraham’s debut with Reale Avintia Racing was also positive and his feelings with his Ducati GP18 were great. The Czech rider is convinced of this bike’s big potential and he was full of praise for the work of the team. The first day was just a shakedown to get to know his technical crew and the first contact was encouraging. Abraham finished 20^th and just 1.8s behind the fastest lap time of the day.

“Today was a good first contact with my bike and the team after too much time at home. We did a good job and the only negative point was that it started to rain in the afternoon. But I’m happy, we finished the first day 1.4s from the top, which is much more than I had expected. I can see that the bike has huge potential, which makes me very optimistic for the upcoming season. The plan tomorrow is to continue working to improve and get closer. I still miss strength in my right leg, but I knew that before I came here. Even though riding is painful sometimes, we need these two tests here in Valencia and then in Jerez to get the leg stronger and get some rhythm. This morning before the start I was afraid how it would all go, but then the day was good and I’m looking forward to ride again tomorrow”.

“The first day couldn’t have been better! The bike is really good and very different from the one I’ve been riding before. We have many things to set and change to adapt the bike to my demands, but unfortunately it started to rain when I was on my fastest lap. The most important thing is that I’ve improved at every exit and the goal tomorrow is to continue this way. I’m excited about the team and the bike and I’m very optimistic. The team is new for me, we still have to make some adjustments, but overall the first day has been good in all aspects”.

MotoGP – GP of Valencia – Ricardo Tormo Circuit

Reale Avintia Racing rider Jordi Torres scored his first ever MotoGP World Championship point today at Valencia. Torres was the only rider of the team at the last race of the season, after Xavier Simeon was declared unfit to race due to concussion.

With his left thumb operated just one week before the race, Torres took advantage of the rain, since he needed to apply less pressure on the handlebars in wet conditions. The target of the Spanish rider was to finish the race, which he achieved.

The race was red-flagged due to heavy rain after about half the distance and restarted for the remaining 14 laps. In both heats, Torres finished in the point rankings and was cheered on by 97.201 fans who were stoically watching the action from the grandstands even in torrential rain.

On Tuesday, the new 2019 season kicks off for Team Reale Avintia Racing, with the first official MotoGP test at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit. Tito Rabat will return to action almost three months after his leg injury. He will have a new teammate, Karel Abraham fro the Czech Republic. Both riders will have brand new Ducati GP18 in the garage.

“Today was a good day. Yesterday I rode six or seven laps in dry conditions and I had no force left in my hand whatsoever. We were aware that dry conditions would be difficult for us, but in the wet I knew I would be able to finish the race. I had a good start, but on the first laps there was zero visibility because of the spray from the other bikes. Visibility improved with every lap and I tried to follow the group in front of me, but as everybody could see, it was quite easy to crash in today’s conditions. Then they decided to stop the race. In the second heat I tried to ride as smoothly as possible, because the target was to finish the race and to secure our first point, which we did. I want to say a big thank you to my team because they did a fantastic job to adapt the handlebar to my hand and to Dr. Mir, because he did a master job with my hand and only one week after the surgery I was able to race”.

MotoGP GP of Valencia – Ricardo Tormo

Reale Avintia Racing rider Xavier Simeon will miss out on his last race in the MotoGP World Championship. After two crashes on Friday, the Belgian rider was in discomfort during the night and eventually diagnosed with concussion. Xavier wanted to get back on the bike today but was declared unfit to race by Dr. Ángel Charte. He has to rest for at least 48 hours and it would not have been safe to race, neither for him nor for the other riders.
Jordi Torres was therefore the only representative of the team on the track today, making steady progress and improving a lot compared to Friday. In FP3 in wet conditions on Saturday morning the rider from Rubí was faster already, but it was in qualifying on a dry track where he made his biggest step forward. Torres will start the race on Sunday from 23^rd place position of the grid and his lap time today was just three seconds slower than the time of pole position.
The warm-up session on Sunday will start at 9:40h, the MotoGP race of the season is scheduled for 14:00h, with rain forecasted for the entire day.

“It’s a real shame that I’m unable to ride. I had unexpected complications after yesterday’s crashes and even though I feel all right now, the doctors declared me unfit to race. Finishing my first and last year in MotoGP in this way is not what I had dreamed of, especially since I had a good chance to do well in wet conditions. I want to apologize to all my fans and the team. I would have liked to say goodbye with a good result, but it was not meant to happen. It’s very frustrating”.

“I felt much better better today and from FP3 on, we made a good step forward in the wet, which has been positive for my first weekend in these conditions. In FP4 the track dried up and in the end we mounted slick tyres, but the track was not dry at all and we didn’t take any risks. Except for a couple of wet patches, the track was dry in qualifying and we were able to improve. I expected it to be worse with my hand injury, because every time the bike moves I see the stars…but at least we don’t start from the last spot of the grid”.

MotoGP GP de Valencia – Ricardo Tormo

Reale Avintia Racing rider Xavier Simeon completed the first day of practice for the Valencia Grand Prix with good feelings in the rain and finished in the top 15 despite scrashing twice.
In the morning session, he was very fast and consistently in the top 10, but when he pushed even harder to find the limit he had a high-side crash in turn 13. After passing through the hospital to rule out injuries to his head, Simeon returned to action in FP2. Despite the difficult conditions with even harder rain and despite suffering another crash, he finished 11^th in the afternoon session and ended up 15^th in the combines standings of the first day.
Jordi Torres didn’t have an easy day. His injured left thumb didn’t bother him too much on the bike, but the conditions were definitely too dangerous to take any risks. Without pushing too hard, the Spanish rider gained more knowledge about the behavior of his Ducati and the Michelin tyres in the wet. Tomorrow he hopes to take a step forward and get closer to the riders in front of him.
FP3 will start at 9:55 am on Saturday, followed by FP4 at 13:30 pm and qualifying from 14:10 pm.

“The conditions were difficult, but I enjoyed riding a lot. I had two crashes, and the first one this morning was a heavy one. I lost control on the penultimate corner and I had a high-side. I hit the asphalt quite hard and went to the hospital in Valencia to make sure that everything was all right in my head. Fortunately everything is fine, at least the way it was before the crash! In the afternoon my feelings were good again and my second crash was a bit strange, because I lost the rear on the corner entry. But I’m fine and tomorrow I want to continue and improve”.

“The day went very well, much better than I expected. If they had told me that I would be here racing a week after the operation, I would not have believed it. I have to thank Dr. Mir, Macna for making me a special glove and also my team because they have done a great job to make things easier for me on the bike. They have made a different handlebar to support my injured hand and it works very well. At the beginning it was like playing dice, but everything worked out well. The wet conditions were difficult but also an advantage for us because you don’T have to brake as hard and you need less force to handle the bike. It my first time in the rain with a MotoGP bike and with the Michelin wet tyres and although the difference is very big, I found the right feeling and tomorrow we will improve for sure.”