September 2021 - Esponsorama

19 September, 2021

Avintia Esponsorama and Sky VR46 Avintia completed the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini race, where Enea Bastianini took his first podium in the premier class.

The Avintia Esponsorama rider rode an almost perfect race. After starting from 12th position, lap after lap, Bastianini recovered positions thanks to a great pace, even setting the historic fastest lap record in the race. With 8 laps to go, the Italian was able to consolidate his 3rd position, achieving his first ever podium in MotoGP in front of his crowd.

Luca Marini was unable to finish higher than 19th. The Sky VR46 Avintia rider was fighting for the top 15, but a long lap penalty with 18 laps to go ruined any chance of scoring points.

After a very positive weekend for the team, Avintia Esponsorama and Sky VR46 Avintia will head to the United States in two weeks, where the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, the 15th round of the calendar, will take place.

Enea Bastianini | P3

“It was an unexpected result, but since this morning I thought it was possible because I saw that I could do good lap times easily. We were able to find a good set-up on the bike and I was able to enjoy. In the middle of the race I felt really good and when I overtook Miller, I kept setting my pace. I knew I had Quartararo and Bagnaia in front of me and I wanted to try to attack them, but I was already pretty much at the limit. I’m very happy with this 3rd position and it was great to get this podium in Misano.”

Luca Marini | P19

“I didn’t have a bad start, but from the beginning I didn’t have enough speed to overtake riders in my group like Pirro, Binder or Nakagami. In the slipstream, the temperature of the front tyre went up and that’s something I have to work on, because I’m still not used to managing it to the maximum. I went long at Turn 1, then I tried to lose time to let other riders pass me, but I still got a long lap penalty that pushed me back to the last positions. I struggled to recover, I suffered a lot with the front tyre and, with seven laps to go, the left side of the rear tyre was badly damaged. We have to work, we are at a standstill and the two days of testing this week will be very important.”

19 September, 2021

The Avintia Esponsorama Moto3 and the Avintia VR46 Academy concluded the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini race with a very positive result for the team.

Niccolò Antonelli crossed the finish line in an excellent 2nd position, his second consecutive podium and third of the season. After starting 3rd, the VR46 Academy rider made a good start, recovering one position. With 14 laps to go, Antonelli made a mistake that caused him to lose four positions. However, thanks to his better pace over his rivals, the Italian was able to climb positions to finish in a well-deserved 2nd position.

Carlos Tatay took a hard-earned 8th position. The Valencian rider lost some positions at the start, dropping to 14th. As the laps went by, Tatay was able to recover and join the fight in a second group made up of five riders. In the end, the Avintia Esponsorama Moto3 rider finished 8th, his second best result of the season after 6th in Jerez.

In two weeks time, and two years later, the Avintia Esponsorama Moto3 and the Avintia VR46 Academy will head to the United States, where the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas will take place from October 1st to 3rd.

Niccolò Antonelli | P2

“I’m happy with the second position, although it was a pity, because without the mistake I made I could have won. I was managing all the laps to be able to attack, but after the mistake I finished last in the group. It was difficult to keep the pace and be close to the other, but in the end I was able to come back and, in the last two laps, I regained the second position. I’m happy because we were fast and the race was really nice. We will keep pushing like this until the end of the season.”

Carlos Tatay | P8

“It was a very positive weekend and we worked very well together with the team. We are very satisfied with the work, although the result could have been better. I made a mistake on the first lap which cost me several positions, but as the laps went by I had a very good pace and was able to recover positions. I want to thank the team for all the work they have done and in two weeks in Austin, more and better.”

19 September, 2021

Avintia Esponsorama Racing finished the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini race at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

Xavi Cardelús crossed the finish line in 8th position, ending the season with his best result of the year. Finally, the Andorran Avintia Esponsorama Racing rider finished 16th in the world standing with 13 points.

André Pires suffered an incident during yesterday’s race which prevented him from being on the grid for the second race of the weekend. The Portuguese rider suffered an injury on his right shoulder and, after a visit to the circuit doctors and a more thorough examination of the area, he was declared unfit. The Portuguese rider finished 17th and scoring 12 points in his first season in MotoE.

Avintia Esponsorama Racing has finished the third edition of the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup. It has been a season where all the members of the team have fought and pushed in the same direction, overcoming all the setbacks that have appeared during the year.

Xavier Cardelús | P8

“We didn’t make any changes to the bike compared to yesterday, so the feeling was exactly the same and I had the same problems. I did the best I could, so I’m happy with how these last two races of the season ended. I want to thank the team for the work they have done all year, we were unlucky, but we were fast, which is the important thing.”

André Pires

“It was not the way I wanted to finish the season. Unfortunately, an injury to my right shoulder prevented me from taking part in the last race of the year. I did everything I could to be there, but after yesterday’s race, I felt a strong pain. After a visit to the doctor at the circuit and several tests, I was declared unfit. Anyway, I am proud of my season where I have been able to learn a lot. Thanks for the support and thanks to the whole team for their dedication.”

18 September, 2021

The Avintia Esponsorma Racing riders completed the first of the two races of the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

Xavi Cardelús crossed the finish line 10th, his best race position of the season. The Andorran rider was able to make a step forward from the E-Pole to the race and scored 6 more points.

For his first time in Misano, André Pires managed to finish the race in the top 15, inside the points zone.

Tomorrow at 15:30, Cardelús and Pires will have the opportunity in the second race of the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini to close the season with a good result.

Xavier Cardelús | P10

“I think I had a good race. Today’s lap time was faster than the rest of the weekend, which is positive. I had some problems in the first three corners with the incidents and I lost a few positions which, fortunately, I was able to recover. Without these problems, I think we could have been much closer to the front group. Overall I’m happy, but especially with the lap times, as I improved by more than a second compared to the E-Pole.”

André Pires | P15

“I am happy and it was a good race. I got one more point which is important for the championship. I was able to improve my times and I am looking forward to tomorrow’s race to keep improving and get another good result.”

18 September, 2021

Avintia Esponsorama and Sky VR46 Avintia have finished the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini qualifying, where both riders had to compete in Q1.

Enea Bastianini was able to make it through the Q1 cut after finishing 1st. In Q2, the Italian rider couldn’t go further than 12th position as he couldn’t complete almost any fast lap. His best time was cancelled for exceeding the track limits and, on his last attempt, he had to abort the lap due to a yellow flag.

Luca Marini will start the race in Misano in 15th position. After a difficult Friday where he didn’t find a good feeling on the bike, the VR46 Academy rider made an important step forward on Saturday. In qualifying, Marini managed to set a good lap that will allow him to start the race in a good position to fight for the points.

Tomorrow at 14:00, Bastianini and Marini will fight in the race of the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini to continue scoring important points for the team.

Enea Bastianini | 1'32.461 | P12

“It’s important to be in Q2, although I could have done more. However, I didn’t feel as good as I did in Q1 and it was a shame because I’m sure we could have finished in the top 6. We have improved a lot throughout the weekend and the track conditions are constantly changing. I think if we keep going like this we can do well in the race.”

Luca Marini | 1'32.289 | P15

“Yesterday we struggled, but today we worked well and made a good step forward. I’m riding better even though we are still a little bit short in terms of set-up to be 100%. We are going in the right direction, maybe I could have done more in Q1 by putting the hard tyre on immediately. I went out for the first time attack on the medium to get more grip, but the hard tyre would probably have given me more stability. Let’s look at the data, the tyre choice for tomorrow is pretty much set and we’ll sort out the final details.”

18 September, 2021

The Avintia Esponsorama Moto3 and Avintia VR46 Academy have completed the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini qualifying at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

Niccolò Antonelli will start the race from a brilliant 3rd position, after setting a time of 1:42.020. The Italian rider has been fast throughout the weekend and in qualifying, he set a good lap time that will allow him to start from the front row.

Carlos Tatay was able to go through the Q1 cut, finishing 1st. In Q2, the Avintia Esponsorama Moto3 rider was 10th fastest of the session, setting a best time of 1:42.566.

Tomorrow at 11:00 the Moto3 race of the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini will start, where Antonelli and Tatay will fight for a good result for the team.

Niccolò Antonelli | 1'42.020 | P3

“Qualifying went really well. I am very happy with how it went and the front row was our target. Tomorrow we will start from the front, we have a good pace and I think it will be a fast race. We will try to get a good result.”

Niccolò Antonelli | 1'42.566 | P10

“It was a positive day. We have done a good job since this morning, going from less to more and making progress after having a difficult day yesterday. We will keep working to try to take another step forward and in the race we will give our best.”

17 September, 2021

The Avintia Esponsorama Racing riders took part in the first two free practice sessions of the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, where rain made an appearance in the afternoon.

Xavi Cardelús was 13th in the combined free practice times with a time of 1:46.033, set in the morning session. In the afternoon with wet track, the Andorran rider set the 7th best time of the session.

André Pires has rode on the Misano circuit for the first time. The Portuguese rider finished 18th in the combined free practice times and, like the other riders, set his best time in the morning, stopping the clock at 1:58.513.

Tomorrow at 11:45, Cardelús and Pires will try to get a good position in the E-Pole of the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli and, in the afternoon from 16:20, the first race of the two that will take place this weekend will start.

Xavier Cardelús

“It was a difficult morning, but in the afternoon I felt better. As always in the rain, I have a good feeling that allows me to be fast. In dry conditions, we still need to improve as the set-up of the bike wasn’t quite right, but that’s normal in FP1. Tomorrow if we can improve some aspects of the bike and I can be a bit faster, we will make a big step forward. I hope the E-Pole will be in the wet to be as high as possible.”

André Pires

“First day finished. Today I got to know this circuit for the first time and I’m liking it. The second free practice was in the rain and lap by lap I felt better on the bike. It was a good Friday.”

17 September, 2021

Avintia Esponsorama Moto3 and Avintia VR46 Academy finished the first day of the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

Niccolò Antonelli finished 4th in the combined free practice times after the first two free practice sessions, which puts him in direct access positions for Q2. The VR46 Academy rider set a best time of 1:42.452, set during the afternoon session.

Carlos Tatay finished 15th in the combined free practice times. The Valencian rider made a step forward from the first free practice to the second, which allowed him to set his best time of the day in the afternoon session, stopping the clock at 1:43.140.

Tomorrow at 9:00 the third free practice of the Moto3 class will start, before the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini qualifying.

Niccolò Antonelli

“Today I felt good on the bike and we did several laps with a good pace, so I’m happy. Tomorrow we will try to continue on this way, but we are satisfied with today’s work.”

Carlos Tatay

“Tomorrow we will have to keep working and we know where we need to improve. We will go for a good day and try to go straight into Q2, that will be our target.”

17 September, 2021

Avintia Esponsorama and Sky VR46 Avintia completed the first day of the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, where rain was the main protagonist at the Misano circuit.

Enea Bastianini was 12th in the combined free practice times with a time of 1:33.314 achieved in the morning, as most of the practice has been held in dry conditions. In the second free practice, the Italian suffered a crash without consequences and, due to the rain, like the other riders, he did not improve his lap times.

Luca Marini finished the first day 23rd with a best time of 1:34.037. The Sky VR46 Avintia rider worked on the set-up and, step by step, improved his feeling on the bike.

Tomorrow at 9:55am the third practice of the premier class will start, followed by the fourth free practice and the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini qualifying.

Enea Bastianini

“It was a difficult day. We had a good start and immediately I felt pretty good on the bike. I didn’t feel quite comfortable under braking, so that’s something we’ll have to work on tomorrow. It rained in the afternoon, so I took it easy. We’ll keep working tomorrow, but overall it was a good start.”

Luca Marini

“Today was definitely one of the hardest days of the season as I didn’t find the feeling I was looking for in the dry or in the wet. We couldn’t do much work, FP1 finished earlier than planned and FP2 was in wet conditions. Tomorrow we will have to make some changes to the bike because it’s difficult for me and I can’t do what I want to do. We will keep working to find a solution.”

16 September, 2021

The Avintia Esponsorama Moto3 and Avintia VR46 Academy will compete this weekend at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for the 14th round of the championship, the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini.

Niccolò Antonelli is currently 7th in the world standing with 98 points and arrives in Misano after a positive weekend at MotorLand Aragón after finishing 5th. The Italian rider will face his home Grand Prix in Misano and will be looking for a good result in front of the Italian crowd.

Carlos Tatay is 23rd with 20 points. The Spanish rider was unable to achieve a good result at Aragón after crashing and will be looking to reverse the situation at Misano and cross the finish line in a good position.

This Friday at 9:00am, Antonelli and Tatay will contest the first free practice of the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini.

Niccolò Antonelli

“We are in Misano, my home Grand Prix. I am very happy, but we will approach the weekend like any other. We will do the best we can and try to do as we have been doing so far. We will give our best from Friday and the goal for the weekend is going to be in the top 5.”

Carlos Tatay

“This weekend I want to get back the good feeling we had at Silverstone. I’m motivated and it’s a circuit I like a lot. We will work from the beginning and we will try to have a good weekend.”