Category: MotoGP

Avintia Esponsorama Racing and Sky VR46 Avintia put an end to the season after the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana race at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo.

Enea Bastianini crossed the finish line in 8th position. The Italian, who had struggled throughout the weekend, managed to make a big step forward on Sunday that allowed him to make a great comeback. The Avintia Esponsorama Racing rider said goodbye to a great rookie year with two podium finishes and 11th place in the MotoGP world standings with 102 points.

Luca Marini said goodbye to the 2021 season with a 17th position at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. The Sky VR46 Avintia rider finished his first year in the premier class in 19th position in the MotoGP world standings with 41 points, completing a positive learning season.

After a great year for the team, with 143 points and 8th position in the world team standings, Avintia Esponsorama Racing and Sky VR46 Avintia have closed their best season since their debut in the premier class.

“I am happy with the race. I was able to overtake a lot, we showed a good pace and we got back to the speed we lacked yesterday. We didn’t get the rookie of the year, but it was more important for me to be fast and have a good race. Congratulations to Jorge for getting it, he did a great job but I would have liked to fight on equal terms.”

“It was a difficult race. I was hoping to have a better pace, but I had a lot of difficulties with the rear grip. It was a good season where I was able to share with Valentino and where I gave my all. I tried to learn something every weekend and gain experience. I want to thank the whole team and Ducati for their support. And finally, a special thanks to Vale for everything he has done for our sport.”

Avintia Esponsorama Racing and Sky VR46 Avintia completed the last qualifying of the season at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, where neither of the two riders were able to enter to Q2.

With a time of 1:31.185, Enea Bastianini will start from 18th position. The Italian, who hasn’t felt comfortable during the weekend, couldn’t pass the Q1 cut. From the 6th row of the grid, the Avintia Esponsorama Racing rider will try to make a good comeback tomorrow.

Luca Marini, who also failed to go through to Q2, will start 17th after stopping the clock at 1:31.073. The Sky VR46 Avintia rider will be looking to finish the season with a good position starting from the 6th row of the grid.

Tomorrow at 14:00 the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana race will start, where Bastianini and Marini will try to close the year with a good result for the team.

“It was a bad day. Unfortunately we couldn’t understand why we couldn’t make a step forward compared to yesterday. I will start 18th and I will try to make a comeback, but I think it will be difficult. It’s the last race of the season, I will try to enjoy it and to finish in the best possible way.”

“It’s a tricky track where it’s difficult to find a good feeling with the asphalt and tyres. I’m missing something at the front to be able to be completely comfortable with the handling. It was a pity the yellow flag in FP3, it would have been a different Saturday with direct access to Q2. I was fast, but maybe I lacked a bit of experience with the asymmetric front tyre, plus the rear grip is very difficult to manage. The more experienced riders are making the difference.”

Avintia Esponsorama Racing and Sky VR46 Academy completed the first two free practice sessions of the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo.

The rain made an appearance during the morning session and Bastianini and Marini were able to have their first contact with the Spanish track with the MotoGP bike. The Avintia Esponsorama Racing rider was 14th, while the Sky VR46 Avintia rider finished seventh after suffering a crash without serious consequences.

In the afternoon and in dry conditions, all the riders were able to improve their times. Bastianini suffered a crash that affected him for the rest of the session, where he finished in 20th position. Marini was 21st.

Tomorrow at 9:55 the third free practice will start, where Bastianini and Marini will try to get a position that will give them direct access to Q2 of the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana qualifying.

“No estoy contento. Esta mañana con la lluvia no ha ido demasiado bien y por la tarde me he ido al suelo, en general no me he sentido con mucha confianza. De todas formas, nos centraremos en hacer un buen trabajo mañana en el tercer entrenamiento libre y conseguir una buena posición en la clasificación.”

“No ha sido un viernes fácil. El agarre ha sido probablemente el aspecto más difícil de manejar. Tengo que acostumbrarme a este tipo de condiciones, pero la diferencia con el grupo no es grande y mañana podemos acercarnos. Volveremos a trabajar en el FP3 y probar el neumático duro delantero.”

Enea Bastianini and Luca Marini will face this weekend at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo the last round of the 2021 MotoGP World Championship, the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana.

Bastianini, currently 12th in the world standings with 94 points, arrives in Valencia in great shape and with the aim of being crowned ‘Rookie of the Year’. The Avintia Esponsorama Racing rider has a three-point advantage over Jorge Martín.

Luca Marini is 18th with 41 points. The Sky VR46 Avintia rider, who has made a big step forward since the Misano test, wants to continue confirming the good feelings of the last races at the Spanish track and close the campaign with a good result.

Avintia Esponsorama Racing and Sky VR46 Avintia will contest the first free practice session of the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana tomorrow from 9:55am.

“We are at the last race of the year. We will try to find a good rhythm from the first day to have a good weekend. It’s a circuit I like, but I’ve never had great results, so it will be important to have a good set-up on the bike, get a good qualifying position so as not to compromise the race and, on Sunday, give everything to achieve our objective.”

“I am happy to be back on track this weekend, even if it is the last race of the season. In Portimao we confirmed the progress we made in qualifying and free practice. We will keep working in the race to make a good start and keep the pace of the group during the race.”

Avintia Esponsorama Racing and Sky VR46 Avintia completed Sunday’s Grande Prémio Brembo do Algarve at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve.

The race ended early due to a red flag with two laps to go, caused by a crash between Oliveira and Lecuona. Fortunately, both riders escaped the incident without serious consequences.

Enea Bastianini once again put in a great performance, where he was able to take 9th position after starting 13th. The Avintia Esponsorama Racing rider crossed the finish line in the top 10 again after a weekend where he has gone from less to more.

Luca Marini was 12th. The Italian had a difficult start, losing several positions in the early stages of the race. Despite this, Marini was able to impose a good pace that allowed him to reach the end of the race in the points zone.

Avintia Esponsorama Racing and Sky VR46 Avintia will now head to the Circuito Ricardo Tormo , where the final round of the season will be held in a week’s time.

“It was a good race. I lost a few positions at the start, but then, step by step, I had a good pace which allowed me to come back. I’m happy with 9th position, because it was a difficult weekend in general. Next week in Valencia we will try to finish the season with a good result.”

“The start compromised our race. It is our weak point and, at a certain point in the championship, everyone made a big step forward in this aspect, while we didn’t. I lost a lot of positions in the first corner and then I started to go fast. I’m glad I chose the hard front tyre, I had a lot of confidence, but it was difficult to overtake. We will work on it to improve next season.”

Avintia Esponsorama Racing and Sky VR46 Avintia have completed the the Grande Prémio Brembo do Algarve qualifying at Portimao.

Enea Bastianini will start from 13th position. Unfortunately, the Italian missed the Q2 by just one tenth of a second. Nevertheless, Bastianini has made an important step forward compared to yesterday and will start from a good position to fight for an ambitious result in tomorrow’s race.

Luca Marini made it through into Q2 again after a good free practice sessions and will start from 12th position. In the first stages of qualifying, the Sky VR46 Avintia rider suffered a crash that forced him to return to the pits to take the second bike. In the end, Marini had to settle for the fourth row of the grid.

Tomorrow at 14:00 (CET+1), the penultimate race of the season will start, where Bastianini and Marini will try to get a good result for the team.

“I’m quite happy because we improved, although it was a pity not to get into Q2. We keep losing time in the last sector, I can’t do it the way I want and I always lose those 2 or 3 tenths that compromise my lap time. I have to try to understand what changes I have to make for tomorrow. The important thing is that we are fast and we have improved compared to yesterday. We will have to think about the tyre choice as it will be crucial.”

“Qualifying was a pity, because we had a very good potential today. In the first run, I didn’t have a great feeling with the front tyre, I didn’t feel comfortable and I crashed. I went straight to the pits, but in the second bike I had the soft tyre on the front because I didn’t have any other mediums available. Unfortunately, with this type of tyre it is really difficult to find a good performance on this track. Overall, so far, it’s been a good weekend. We will analyse with data to choose the best tyres for tomorrow’s race.”

Enea Bastianini and Luca Marini finished Friday at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve after the first two free practice sessions of the Grande Prémio Brembo do Algarve.

With a time of 1:40.467, Bastianini was 16th in the combined practice times. The Italian was able to complete the first laps of the weekend at the Portuguese track. The Avintia Esponsorama Racing rider will have one last chance tomorrow to get a position that will give him direct access to Q2.

Luca Marini ended the first day at the Algarve 15th in the combined practice times with a best time of 1:40.323. The Sky VR46 Avintia rider was satisfied with the work done during the first day at Portimao.

Tomorrow will be the third and fourth free practice before qualifying for the Grande Prémio Brembo do Algarve, where Bastianini and Marini will try to get a good position for the starting grid of Sunday’s race.

“I was expecting a bit more, we are having more problems than expected and I still can’t ride like I want to. In the afternoon with the wind, it made the bike move a lot and I couldn’t put in a good lap. From tomorrow we will keep working to improve, especially in the second and fourth sector, which is where I lose more time. Normally, the corner entry is my strong point, but here I have to ‘fight’ with the bike to get it. Tomorrow will be a new day and we will try to get a good result.”

“This morning, in FP1, I had a good feeling with the bike, but in the afternoon with the wind, I struggled to keep the pace and in the last run I had very little confidence with the rear tyre. Anyway, we are confident for tomorrow, we are close to the Top 10, which is our goal, and we are not going to make any changes to the bike. We have shown that we can be fast in these conditions.”

Avintia Esponsorama Racing and Sky VR46 Avintia will compete this weekend in the Grande Prémio Brembo do Algarve, the penultimate round of the calendar and, for the second time this season, will be held in Portimao.

Enea Bastianini is 13th in the world standings, with a total of 87 points and provisionally the best rookie of the year. The Italian took his second podium of the season in Misano and will be looking to continue his good form in Portugal to repeat another great result.

Luca Marini is 20th with 37 points. The Sky VR46 Avintia rider arrives at Portimao motivated after a very complete weekend in Italy, where he achieved his best qualifying result and a superb 9th position in the race.

Tomorrow from 10:55 (CET+1) Bastianini and Marini will complete the first free practice of the Grande Prémio Brembo do Algarve.

“Second Grand Prix at Portimao. Since then, I have won experience with the MotoGP bike, it’s a circuit I like and I can go fast here. In the last races we have done a great job and we want to continue in this line. Every day I feel more comfortable on the bike and in this category you need to be 100% for the whole weekend. We are ready.”

“We are coming from a period of growth, improvement and a solid weekend in Misano. It is important to continue in this direction at Portimao, a track I like and where we have already raced this year. The goal is to get closer to the group and keep moving up positions in the race.”

Avintia Esponsorama Racing and Sky VR46 Avintia completed the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia-Romagna race at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

Enea Bastianini did it again. The Italian, who started 16th after yesterday’s qualifying, made a remarkable comeback, which allowed him to cross the finish line in an excellent 3rd position. With this result, Bastianini has taken his second podium in the premier class, after the one he achieved at Misano circuit in the last San Marino Grand Prix.

Luca Marini achieved another great result, 9th in his home Grand Prix. The Sky VR46 Avintia rider got a good pace throughout the race, which allowed him to finish inside the top 10 and score 7 more points after a very complete weekend for him.

After a very positive Grand Prix for the team, Enea Bastianini and Luca Marini will head to the Algarve International Circuit, where the Grande Prémio do Algarve, the penultimate round of the season, will take place in two weeks’ time.

“Until Saturday, it was a terrible weekend for me. I was not happy with Friday and Saturday, especially FP4 and qualifying, where I had too many crashes. This morning, I started to find the right feeling and I managed to go fast without going to the limit. From the first lap, I felt comfortable and I had enough pace to be able to move up and gain positions. It was an unexpected result, but it’s great to repeat this third position in Misano. I want to congratulate Quartararo for the title.”

“I can’t be completely satisfied with today’s result, even though we finished in the top 10 and made a big step forward compared to Misano 1. It was a weekend and a race where we won a lot of experience in the group and understood exactly where we need to improve with the whole team. We are on a good growth trend, we have to keep it up for the next two races and aim for another step forward. It was a great GP for the team, for Ducati, for VR46 and Vale. I followed the pace of the strongest group from free practice to today.”

Avintia Esponsorama Racing and Sky VR46 Avintia finished the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia-Romagna qualifying, which was held in dry conditions but with very tricky track conditions.

Enea Bastianini had a difficult Saturday. After suffering a couple of crashes in FP4, the mechanics were able to get the bike ready for qualifying. In Q1, when he was trying to get a good lap time to get into Q2, he crashed again. Finally, Bastianini will start from the 6th row of the grid.

Luca Marini took an excellent 3rd position in his home Grand Prix, his best qualifying result of the season. The Sky VR46 Avintia rider made it through to Q2 after finishing in the top 10 in the combined practice times after the three free practice sessions. In qualifying, the Italian was able to get the most out of his Ducati, which will allow him to start the race at Misano from the front row of the grid.

Tomorrow at 14:00 the race of the Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia-Romagna will start, where Bastianini and Marini will try to cross the finish line in a good position.

“It was a strange day for me. In the morning it was very difficult to set a fast lap and in FP4 and qualifying my feeling on the bike was not good at all. It was impossible to push and I had three crashes, two of them really strange because it was because the cold tyre and I lost the rear. In qualifying I tried to get the best time I could, but in the sixth corner I lost the front and crashed. In general, the asphalt was very difficult. Tomorrow the weather is likely to be better, so we will wait to decide on the tyres.”

“I am very happy with today’s result in front of the Italian fans. It will be exciting to be on the front row in MotoGP for the first time and also difficult, but I am happy. It has not been an easy season so far, but with the team and all the staff we have done a great job. I have a lot of people to thank and to share this moment with. I’ve had a good feeling and every time I’ve had a good feeling with the bike I’ve always been fast. Since the Misano test I have improved my riding position, I have made a step forward in the set-up and I have been able to focus on my style. Ducati supported me and tomorrow I will do my best to be on the same level as the strongest riders. Thanks to the whole team and thanks to Ducati!”