October 2021 - Page 2 of 2

3 October, 2021

Avintia Esponsorama and Sky VR46 Avintia have disputed this Saturday the qualifying of the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas at the COTA circuit.

Enea Bastianini will start the race in Austin from 16th position after failing to go through the Q1 cut. The Italian rider will be looking for another good result tomorrow to continue scoring points.

Luca Marini was 9th, his best qualifying position since his debut in the premier class. For the second time this season, the Sky VR46 Avintia rider fought for pole position in Q2 after leading Q1.

Tomorrow at 21:00 (CET+2) the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas race will start, where Bastianini and Marini will be looking for a good result.

Enea Bastianini | 2'04.118 | P16

“It was a difficult day. This morning we had a good start and I felt comfortable to do some good laps. This afternoon in qualifying I didn’t feel good on the bike. We need to understand what happened so we can work on it. Tomorrow we start a little bit behind, so it won’t be easy, but we’ll try to do the best we can.”

Luca Marini | 2'03.546 | P9

“I am very happy with the qualifying and the lap time, because it means we are doing well and we can see the results of our efforts at the Misano test. I feel better on the bike and I can ride the way I want to ride. In FP3 and FP4 we had some problems and maybe for the first time this season we have some doubts about the tyre choice for tomorrow. Our options are soft or medium on the rear, we will look at the data from the other Ducati and decide after the warm up. The team is doing a great job and I had fun today.”

3 October, 2021

The Avintia Esponsorama Moto3 and Avintia VR46 Academy completed the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas qualifying at the COTA circuit.

Niccolò Antonelli made it straight into Q2. After the qualifying session, the VR46 Academy rider will start from the 5th row of the grid, taking 13th position with a time of 2:16.701.

Carlos Tatay, who had to go through Q1, will start the race from 19th position. The Valencian rider suffered a crash during qualifying that caused some damage to the bike, which the team was able to fix with in record time. With only one attempt, Tatay was only 28 thousandths of a second away from go through the cut.

Tomorrow at 18:00 (CET+2), Antonelli and Tatay will contest the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas race, where they will try to cross the finish line in a good position.

Niccolò Antonelli | 2'16.701 | P13

“Today went quite well. In qualifying we couldn’t close a good lap, but we managed to make a step forward. The most important day is tomorrow, we don’t start in a good position, but we’ll be looking to put in a good performance and recover positions.”

Carlos Tatay | 2'18.053 | P19

“Overall, a difficult day. Qualifying didn’t go as we expected. After the crash I only had one attempt, I tried my best, but after the crash everything wasn’t in place. Tomorrow is the race and we will work in the warm up to try to keep evolving. I want to thank the team for the work they did after the crash and for getting the bike ready for me so quickly.”

2 October, 2021

The Avintia Esponsorama Moto3 and Avintia VR46 Academy completed the first two free practice sessions of the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas at the COTA circuit.

The morning practice was held on a wet track. Niccolò Antonelli was the fastest of the session with a time of 2:32.254. In his first time in Austin, Carlos Tatay finished 18th, setting a time of 2:36.285. The Valencian rider suffered a crash in the final stages of the session.

In the afternoon, in dry conditions, Antonelli set the second fastest time of the session, which puts him second in the combined free practice times after the first day. Tatay missed most of the session due to a mechanical problem with his bike. In the end, the Avintia Esponsorama Moto3 rider was 25th.

Tomorrow at 16:00 (CET+2) the third free practice will be held, before to the qualifying session of the Red Bull Grand Prix

Niccolò Antonelli

“I am very happy to finish the first day in second position. There are still small details to improve, but overall I felt comfortable. I’m focused for tomorrow and I hope to get a good qualifying result.”

Carlos Tatay

“It was a complicated day. In FP2 we had a problem with the bike that has caused us to lose a big part of the practice. It’s a circuit that I still have to get to know, so tomorrow we’ll have to focus on that, enjoy it and keep working.”

2 October, 20212 October, 2021

Avintia Esponsorama and Sky VR46 Avintia had their first taste of the COTA circuit on Friday after the first two free practice sessions of the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas.

Enea Bastianini and Luca Marini finished 10th and 12th in the combined combined free practice times at the end of the first day. In the morning session and in wet conditions, both riders were able to get their first laps on the MotoGP bike and start to get confidence with the track.

In the afternoon, in dry conditions, Bastianini was 10th fastest with a time of 2:04.836, whilst Luca Marini set the 12th fastest time of the second free practice session after stopping the clock at 2:04.933.

Tomorrow at 16:55 (GMT+2) Bastianini and Marini will be back on track for the third free practice and then the fourth free practice and the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas qualifying.

Enea Bastianini

“It was an interesting first day. The asphalt is very bumpy and it wasn’t easy. The morning was wet and I tried to start to get some confidence. FP2 was completely dry, but I had some pain in my back caused by the crash I had in the Misano test, and I didn’t feel 100%. Anyway, we had a good lap. In the fast corners I feel good, but in the slow ones I still suffer a little bit. We have all day tomorrow to work and we will try to make a step forward.”

Luca Marini

“A good and positive day. We were able to run in both conditions and I was fast in all sessions. It was a difficult situation to manage, especially with the many bumps in the track. Probably one of the most complicated things I’ve ever had to deal with riding a MotoGP bike, which is a shame because the track is very nice. I don’t think they can do anything between now and tomorrow, so all we have to do is work on the bike to make sure we can push as hard as we can and not make any mistakes. We will definitely talk with the other riders in the Safety Commission because this is close to be dangerous. Overall, the feeling on the bike is good, most of the work we did at the Misano test has worked on this track and hopefully the weather will be good for qualifying.”

1 October, 2021

ANTONELLI AND TATAY, LOOKING FOR A GOOD WEEKEND IN AUSTIN

Austin (United States), 30th September 2021

Two years later, the Avintia Esponsorama Moto3 and Avintia VR46 Academy will contest this weekend’s Red Bull Grand Prix of the America, the 15th round of the calendar.

Niccolò Antonelli heads into the weekend in Austin after getting a superb second place finish in Misano. The Italian rider is motivated to face a new weekend and to achieve another good result that will allow him to continue climbing positions in the world standings.

Carlos Tatay, who crossed the finish line in San Marino in 8th position, lands in Texas with the objective of taking advantage of his good performance and repeating another good result to continue progressing in a new circuit for him.

The Moto3 riders will have their first taste of the circuit this Friday at 16:00 (CET+2) for the first free practice of the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas.

Niccolò Antonelli

“Tomorrow is the start of the weekend. We will be looking to do the same as in the previous Grand Prix, work well from the start and come into the race ready to fight for the top-5, which is our goal.”

Carlos Tatay

“We are looking forward to the race after the positive weekend in Misano. It’s a circuit I don’t know and it will be a new track for me, so I’ll be motivated and looking forward to it. As always, we will work hard from the beginning to get a good result.”

1 October, 20211 October, 2021

Two years later, Avintia Esponsorama and Sky VR46 Avintia will return to the United States for the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, the 15th round of the calendar.

Enea Bastianini arrives in Texas after his first podium in the premier class in San Marino. The Italian rider wants to continue his great performance at the Circuit of the Americas and to get another great result.

Luca Marini arrives in the United States with renewed energy. The Sky VR46 Avintia rider had a positive test in Misano and is very motivated for the weekend in Austin, aiming to get back in the points positions.

On Friday at 16:55 (CET+2), the first free practice for the premier class of the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas will get underway.

Enea Bastianini

“We are ready. Misano gave us the right energy and we did something incredible, we worked well all weekend and it was a very special Grand Prix. We know that the Circuit of the Americas is a difficult track, however, I think we can do a good job. In 2019 I was able to ride the Moto2 and I liked it a lot. We will have to look for a good set-up from Friday, as it is very important in this track.”

Luca Marini

“Austin is undoubtedly one of the most special and difficult circuits on the calendar. We have a week of hard work ahead of us, where we have to make the most of what we did at the Misano test last week. We tried some new solutions and we were fast. The last few weekends have not been easy and the goal is definitely to get back in the points.”