Category: MotoGP

MotoGP – GP of the Czech Republic – Brno

The weekend of Tito Rabat in the Czech Republic started in a perfect way. On Saturday, he made the move to the Q2 directly and in the race on Sunday, he had the best start of the season so far and got away with the top group. The rider of Team Reale Avintia Racing clocked the fastest lap of the race on lap five and rode along comfortably with Honda factory rider Dani Pedrosa.

But on lap nine, bad luck struck once again. A technical problem left Rabat without any options, his bike simply stopped and there was no way to get it going again. Ducati immediately started a thorough analysis, trying to solve this problem for once and for all, because it was not the first race in which Rabat was left without reward due to a fault within the exhaust system. Nevertheless, Tito’s motivation remains high and he hopes for a great comeback from this disappointment with a strong result at Spielberg next week.

For team-mate Xavier Simeon, the race was a positive experience. The Belgian rider was able to put up a fight with Luthi, Abraham y Guintoli in the last group of riders. Only on the last laps of the race, the wear of his rear tyre had reached a point that made it impossible for himi to continue the battle until the chequered flag.

Team Reale Avintia Racing will now travel to Spielberg to contest the Austrian Grand Prix, where both Rabat and Simeon hope to finish higher up in the classification.

“This weekend was very positive until we ran into bad luck in the race. I had a phenomenal start and I think that I finally learned to start well with this motorcycle. And on the first laps, that are normally tough for me, I managed to hang on to the race leaders. But then, the bike simply stopped. We don’t know precisely what happened, but it’s a real shame because we could have scored a good result today. Even though, I repeat that I am satisfied, because I improved in areas in which I had struggled before. Now we go to Austria where I really want to show our progress in the race on Sunday.”

“I honestly think that this was a good race. I had a very good start, I recovered a number of positions on the first lap and I felt good on the bike. But five or six laps from the end, the rear tyre performance dropped and it was difficult to continue the battle with Abraham and Guintoli. Apart from that, the race went well and I saw things that will be useful in the next races to come. Now we go to Austria, a circuit that should be good for Ducati. Let’s wait and see”.

MotoGP GP de la Rep. Checa – Brno

Team Reale Avintia Racing and their Spanish rider Tito Rabat had a fantastic second day of practice at the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic, with Rabat moving straight to the Q2 of the Top 12 riders and scoring a fourth row grid position for the race on Sunday.

After a strong Friday, Rabat confirmed his good feelings with his Ducati on Saturday morning and ended up in ninth position, which paved his way to the Q2 session. In FP4, he concentrated on the best possible race set-up and came to very good conclusions once again. In the Q2, he pulled all stops and improved his lap time significantly, but the others in the top group of MotoGP riders raised the bar as well and Rabat finally took eleventh place.

Teammate Xavier Simeon also improved his lap times in comparison to Friday, but it was not enough to improve his position in the time sheets. Even though his feeling with the bike and with the soft tyre option from Michelin was clearly better, he will have to start from the end of the grid. Nevertheless, Simeon is determined to put up a fight and to battle within a group from the first to the last lap.

“I am very happy because we went directly to Q2 today and this is an amazing achievement. I rode a great lap in qualifying, but the guys in front also pushed very hard. Now we will have to wait and see what tomorrow brings. It will be a very tough race, in which you have to be fully concentrated because the smallest details can be crucial. The key will be to manage tyre wear with throttle control. Physically, we are all very strong, so the heat won’t be a problem. But you have to be smooth with the throttle and you also have to avoid sliding under brakes. This is the only way to keep the tyres in good condition until the end and to score a strong result”.

“Things went well this morning and I had a better feeling with the bike. We made a big step forward and I was confident about a good qualification. With the first tyre I didn’t have as much grip as I had in the morning, but when I went out with the second one, the good feeling with the bike returned. I was about to put in my fast lap when Pol Espargaró squeezed past. We slowed each other down and lost this lap. It’s a shame because I could have been closer to the front. Tomorrow I’ll grit my teeth in the race. 21 laps will be tough, but I hope to do well”.

MotoGP GP of the Czech Republic – Brno

Reale Avintia Racing rider Tito Rabat returned from the short summer break of MotoGP racing highly motivated and started the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic with a bang. In the first free practice session on Friday morning, Tito climbed into the Top 10 and was only six tenths of a second behind the fastest rider on the track. In the afternoon, with track temperatures in excess of 50 degree, he was also fast and consistent over the whole 45 minutes. Rabat concentrated on working with the hard rear tyre compound, but took to the track with the softer option from Michelin for his last run and scored the eighth fastest time of the day. For Saturday, his aim is to make a direct move to the Q2 qualifying session of the fastest riders, in order to secure the best possible place on the starting grid for the race.

Team-mate Xavier Simeon also had a productive day, even though this didn’t reflect in his position in the time sheets yet. The Belgian rider had a very consistent rhythm and, most importantly, felt comfortable with his bike. Tomorrow, he expects to make another step in the right direction.

“I really wanted to get on my MotoGP bike again, because even though I was riding bikes in the past two weeks, nothing compares to this feeling. We put in a solid day of work with the bike and we were very competitive in both sessions. But we have to keep our heads down, it’s just Friday and we have to keep improving. Michelin did a great job for this race, because the tyres worked really well. Now I need a good night’s sleep, so I can give my maximum in FP3, maybe make the move directly to QP2 and give everything in qualifying.”

“It was a very positive first day for me, much more positive than at the last two races. From morning to afternoon, we made a good step forward, I felt much, much better on the bike and I had the right feedback. This gives me confidence that we can improve further tomorrow. I wasn’t able to string a faultless fast lap together, which means that there is still room for improvement. I had a consistent rhythm and I hope that I can make another big step when it counts in qualifying”.

MotoGP Czech GP – Brno

The second half of the 2018 MotoGP World Championship will start this weekend with the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic. Following a two weeks summer break, the Reale Avintia riders head to the Brno circuit with their batteries fully recharged. However, Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon didn’t have a lot of rest time in the last 15 days.

Just a few days after the race at Sachsenring, both flew to Misano to take part in the tenth edition of the World Ducati Weekend, where both competed in different races and both scored podium finishes. Simeon was second in the Scrambler Flat Track race, while Rabat was runner-up in the Race of Champions riding the brand new Panigale V4 S.

Last week both took to the track again, training together at Valencia, with different bikes and in different conditions. They also did some bicycling to get physically prepared for the second half of the season, which will start with two consecutive races, the first one at the Czech Republic this weekend and the second one seven days later in Austria.

“After the summer break, my batteries are full again and I badly want to get back on my bike and race again. We did some fun races in the WDW, but MotoGP is a different story. Following two difficult tracks for us in Assen and Sachsenring, we will now have more favourable circuits for Ducati, like Brno and Austria, where I hope to be strong. I want to get better results and increase my level to bring home a good amount of points.”

“I had a lot of fun in the last two weeks, first with the WDW and in the last few days training with Tito in Valencia. I’m looking forward to start again and I’m fit and ready to be strong for the rest of the season where I’m determined to get the best of our package. Now we have two favourable circuits for Ducati, mainly Spielberg, and I will give my best to shine a little bit.”

MotoGP GP of Germany – Sachsenring

The German Grand Prix didn’t bring the desired results for Reale Avintia Racing Team, with their riders Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon finishing in 13th and 19th position.
For Rabat, the race was like a lottery, because after struggling with grip problems throughout the weekend, he came up with a completely new set-up on Sunday. The change was for the better and he was able to fight within the point rankings for the whole race, after starting from 19^th place of the grid.
Xavi Simeon hoped to have the pace to fight with Lüthi, Abraham and the riders who were right in front of him on the grid. On the first laps he did so, but after only five laps he lost contact and was left riding alone. The Belgian hopes to turn the situation around in the next races to come.
Reale Avintia Racing team will now travel to Misano to attend the WDW (World Ducati Weekend) where they will meet thousands of ‘Ducatisti’ in an incredible weekend. Afterwards, they will take a week off before heading to Brno, stage of the Czech Republic GP from August 3 to 5.

“I had a complicated weekend, with many problems with the grip of the tyres. We changed the bike at the last minute for the race, in which we have done well and picked up a couple of points. Now I’m going to ‘relax’ a bit in the WDW and then rest a bit to recharge my batteries for the next race”.

“It has been a difficult weekend. I expected to do much better, but lately, we didn’t find the right way. Today in the race there was no way to fight with those who were ahead of me and I don’t understand why. Now we are going to have a small break, where we will reset in order to get stronger for the rest of the championship”.

MotoGP GP of Germany – Sachsenring

The weekend at the Sachsenring has been difficult for Reale Avintia Racing riders so far. Even though the weather in Germany has been almost perfect with sunny and warm conditions, Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon are not satisfied with their performances in qualifying for tomorrow’s 30-lap-race.

The Spanish rider was not able to fight for a place in Q2 in this mornings FP3 and things were no different in Q1. He tried his best, but Rabat couldn’t break the 1’20 minute barrier. On Sunday, he will start the race from the seventh row of the grid.

Simeon was disappointed because he is far from the fastest riders. Following a positive test in Barcelona, the Reale Avintia Belgian rider was expecting more at Assen and more again at the Sachsenring, where he won the race in Moto2 back in 2015. Nevertheless, Xavi is confident for the race, as he has a decent pace. If he starts well, he expects to be able to put up a fight within a group of riders.

The MotoGP race is scheduled for 2pm.

“So far the weekend has been difficult, but the race is tomorrow and we have some ideas to try during the warm-up session that should help me to find more rear grip. The set-up of the bike is okay, we have the right tyres and everything is set to fight for a good result tomorrow, and this is the most important thing.”

“I’m disappointed because we are very far behind. After Catalunya, where we made a step forward, I was hoping to do better, but we dropped back again. Sachsenring has been always good for me and I can’t understand why I’m so slow. The most important thing is that my pace is not so bad comparing with Thomas Lüthi or Stefan Bradl, so I hope, if my tyres last, to be able to battle with them during the race.”

MotoGP GP of Germany – Sachsenring

Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon, the riders of Team Reale Avintia Racing, had good feelings on the first day of practice for the German Grand Prix. For the first time ever, Spaniard Rabat felt comfortable on the twisty circuit that had never ever suited him before. After a fall in the morning, from which he walked away unscathed, he dusted himself off to break into the Top 15 for a while in the afternoon, before finishing the second free practice session in 15^th place, less than a second behind official Ducati factory rider Jorge Lorenzo on top of the timesheets. On Saturday, Rabat hopes to be able to make another step forward and to battle for a place in the Q2.

For team-mate Xavier Simeon, the first day of practice at Sachsenring was positive as well. The Belgian rider of Team Reale Avintia Racing had a good rhythm all day long and felt comfortable aboard his Ducati, on a circuit where we always did well in previous years in the Moto2 category. Only when it got to the point of trying to improve the lap times with soft tyres, Simeon couldn’t deliver. The goal of Simeon and his crew for Saturday is therefore to find these extra tenths of a second with new tyres in order to score a better grid position for the 30-lap-race on Sunday.

“It was a bit difficult in the morning and I had a crash in turn 12. But nevertheless, things went well altogether and my feeling with the bike was much better than I expected, from the word go. In the afternoon, I went faster, I felt good on the bike. We completed lots of laps, we tried lots of things and we worked with mappings for the race. Tomorrow I expect to make another step. Together with Assen, this is usually the most difficult circuit for me, but this time, it seems that we started better. I hope we can finish better as well.”

“It was a positive day, because from the start in the morning, I was riding with a good rhythm and I felt fine and comfortable on the bike. We completed the entire session with the same set of hard tyres, and despite a crash, I went out and improved my lap time again. When we finally put the soft tyre in, I was hoping to make a leap forward, but for whatever reason, I didn’t have the grip I expected and I couldn’t improve. This is something I don’t understand. Now we have to work on this in order to improve in qualifying.”

MotoGP GP of Germany – Sachsenring

The Grand Prix of Germany this weekend, ninth round of 2018 MotoGP World Championship, will be the last race before the summer break. Reale Avintia Racing riders Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon head to the Sachsenring highly motivated and eager to fight for a strong result and finish the first part of the season with a boost of confidence.

Tito Rabat wants to show that he can fight for the top 10 and although the Sachsenring is not on his favourite track list, the Spanish rider is confident that with his Ducati GP17, the story will be different this weekend.

His teammate Xavier Simeon heads to the Sachsenring full of confidence. Things didn’t go as expected last time at Assen and he hopes to adapt better to the tight and twisty German track this weekend. The rider from Belgium has really good memories from Sachsenring, with the ultimate highlight in 2015 when he won his first race in the Moto2 class.

“In previous years, Sachsenring has not been the best circuit for me, but I feel strong and I hope to turn my luck around. We were close to the top in the last few races, but for whatever reason, we haven’t been able to score a good race result. I hope that this result will finally come in Germany. I need to find something extra to get this result and I’m sure that working with my team, we will finally succeed.”

“I go to Germany really excited, because I have really good memories from this track and I’ve always been fast there. I hope to find a good set up quickly. Sachsenring is a special circuit with many left-hand turns. With the MotoGP bike, it will be like riding on a go-kart circuit. I’m motivated and I hope for a good result on Sunday”.

MotoGP Dutch GP – Circuit Assen TT

The Dutch GP weekend started with difficulties for the Reale Avintia Racing riders and things didn’t improve in the race today.

Starting from 14^th place on the grid, Tito Rabat overtook some riders to take 11^th place after the crash of Danilo Petrucci. But with the Italian gone, Rabat started to struggle with the strong wind that blew on Sunday, he couldn’t find to his usual speed and had bad feelings riding the bike. Nevertheless, he continued to fight and finished in 16^th position after a great battle with five more riders that were separate by just 0.5s when the chequered flag came down.

Teammate Xavier Simeon also had a tough weekend. He had a good start and was ahead of Abraham and Lüthi on the opening few laps of the race, but then the Belgian rider ran into problems with his rear tyre and eventually decided to retire.

The MotoGP World Championship will be back in action in two weeks time at the Sachsenring for the German Grand Prix.

“We had difficulties all weekend long and today made no difference. First I felt good in the race and I was comfortable riding behind Petrucci, but when he crashed, it became very difficult to ride the bike because of the strong wind. I had no confidence, I was losing positions and in the end I couldn’t fight for more than 16^th place. We have to work and prepare better for the next windy race, because it’s obvious that we have to improve in this area. At the end we got no points, but I finished only 16 seconds behind the winner, which is not so bad.”

“It was difficult to understand what happened this weekend. After the test in Barcelona, where we did a promising race simulation and I got a good feeling with the bike, I was expecting a good result here at Assen. I’ve been always fast here and I love the track, so I came here determined to do well in front of the Belgian fans. But I was not comfortable during the whole weekend. In the race I struggled with the rear tyre after ten laps and we don’t know why. I want to say sorry to my team, because we all came here looking forward to a good result. Now we have to think of Germany”.

MotoGP Dutch GP – Circuit Assen TT

MotoGP riders enjoyed today another day of sunny and warm conditions for the second day of free and qualifying practice for the Dutch TT.

Tito Rabat continued working hard with his crew to improve his feelings with his Reale Avintia Racing Ducati. The Spaniard improved his pace today, but it was not enough to be in Q2. Rabat will start the 26-laps-race tomorrow from the 14^th place of the grid, but he is eager to finish ahead and score some good championship points.

So far, the weekend in Assen has been very difficult for Xavier Simeon. The Belgian rider was looking forward to start the weekend in Holland following his good performance and pace in Barcelona. But, although he improved his best lap time today, it was not enough and he will start the race from the last row of the grid.

“It has been a difficult weekend so far, but I’m happy with the way we are working here. We did our best in a circuit where I struggled a lot since I jumped to MotoGP. My best lap time in qualifying was not bad, but now we have to think how to improve even more during warm up to get some more speed an fight for a good result in the race.”

“I’m frustrated. Nothing worked today and we tried many different things with the bike, but my improvement was not enough. The bike is very difficult to drive here in Assen and, with the set-up we have right now we are not able to go any faster. I’m not happy because we are far away. After Barcelona where I was closer, we did a step back. I hope to find something during wam-up tomorrow and be stronger during the race.”