Category: MotoGP

MotoGP Dutch GP – Circuit Assen TT

The riders of the MotoGP category started to work in Holland and enjoyed magnificent summer weather on the first day of practice, which is quite unusual in this region of the Netherlands. Tito Rabat started well and concluded the first free practice session in the morning in twelfth position. Even though he further improved his lap times in the afternoon, he dropped back in the time sheets to 17^th place, 1.1 seconds behind the fastest rider. It was not a good enough result for Rabat, who hopes to be able to make another step on Saturday, with the goal of moving directly to the Q2 qualifying session of the fastest riders.

For teammate Xavier Simeon, the first day at Assen was not unlike the first day at school. After leaving Barcelona with a very good feeling for his bike, the Belgian rider struggled a bit on Friday to find the same levels of comfort with his Ducati once again. But both rider and team remain optimistic, because they know the areas in which they can improve. Their aim is to improve step by step and to get a little closer to the times of the front runners.

“It was a difficult day, but we came to a lot of conclusions because we know where our problems stem from. We know how to solve these and we have the right solutions for tomorrow, because we’ve only missed a few small details to put the right package together. Let’s see if we can do this small step on Saturday and claw our way back to the front with a good FP3”.

“Today was a learning day. The Assen circuit has a completely different layout compared to Barcelona. This circuit feels more like a karting track and with the Ducati. I struggled a lot in the corners, mostly in fast direction changes, because this bike is quite heavy. I didn’t manage to squeeze the maximum performance out of the bike, but I knew this would be like that. I was hoping to be a littler faster, but the good part is that I know the points on the track where I lose time. I’m sure that we make a step forward tomorrow”.

MotoGP Dutch GP – Circuit Assen TT

Reale Avintia Racing riders Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon head to the legendary Assen circuit this weekend in order to take part at the eighth round of the MotoGP World Championship 2018.

The Dutch TT in the “cathedral of racing” will be a crucial event for Spaniard Rabat, who had several strong and encouraging weekends recently and is desparate to confirm the good feelings with his Ducati Desmosedici by scoring an equally good result in the race. From lap to lap, he gets more comfortable with his bike and in Assen, he hopes to deliver the best race of the season so far.

For teammate Xavier Simeon, Assen is like a home Grand Prix, since it is the circuit closest to his birth place in Belgium and he will be supported by thousands of Flemish fans. At the last GP in Barcelona, Simeon improved significantly and even though he crashed in the race, he left Spain with more positive than negative impressions. The Barcelona weekend gave the Belgian rider a moral boost and he will confront the Dutch TT with high motivation and high expectations.

“I can’t wait for the Assen GP to start, because I like the circuit a lot. To make things even better, it looks as if we will have good weather throughout the weekend. The recent test we had at Barcelona was very good and we seem to have reached a very high level. I am heading to Assen with my mind set on scoring a good result, because we have all the ingredients to make this possible. We are fast in the practice sessions, I start well in the races and all we need now is a little luck on our side, because since we arrived at the European rounds, the races never went as planned. I hope this will change at Assen and we can finally score the result we deserve.”

“Assen is a circuit I love and where I rode good races in the Moto2 category. It is also, together with Le Mans, a little bit like my home Grand Prix, because it’s really close to Belgium, which gives me a lot of extra energy. We come from Montmeló, where the race didn’t go very well, but where the weekend as a whole was very positive and where I felt much better on the bike. I hope to learn the circuit quickly with this bike and to go fast from the first day of practice. My goal is to enjoy and to go full throttle in order to reward the Belgian fans with a good result.”

Reale Avintia Racing – GP of Catalunya– Circuit of Barcelona-Catalunya

The race day at the GP of Catalunya started really well for Tito Rabat, who clocked the second fastest time in the warm-up session, leaving no doubt that he had his homework done for the 24-lap-race. When the red light went out, he did a good start and, despite losing some positions initially, clawed his way back to take ninth on lap 15. But only three laps later he ran into a mechanical problem and was forced to retire with his Ducati on fire. But nevertheless, the Reale Avintia Racing Team rider was quite satisfied, because from race to race, he is getting closer to the top and he shows his great potential.
For Simeon, the race finished in the eighth lap with a crash in turn one. All in all though, the Belgian rider was still happy with his progress over the weekend at Barcelona. He improved in each free practice session and in the race, he was fighting within a group of riders until the crash.
It was a very special Sunday for everyone in the Reale Avintia Racing team remembering Andreas Pérez and it was a pity that Rabat and Simeon were not able to dedicate a strong result to the young rider who tragically lost his life one week ago.
The riders will stay at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to complete a one-day-test on Monday in order to get ready for the next round in Assen in just two weeks time.

“It was a shame because until this moment, our weekend was perfect, the race included. We were close to the front and I think it would have been possible to score a good result. We had positive experiences throughout the weekend, like our strong FP3 that allowed me to get straight in Q2, like my good start in the race today and my strong race pace. I overtook several riders and got a lot of information for my technical crew. I’m happy because race by race I feel more confident with the bike. I love how the Ducati works and my team did a wonderful job again. We wanted to push very hard at home, and this things can happen. Now we are concentrating on tomorrow’s test and the next round in Assen.”

“I want to say sorry to my team, because the crash was my fault. Apart of that, the weekend has been positive and I want to keep all this in my mind and learn from the mistakes. During the weekend we have been closer, and I was able to show more of my potential, and this is definitely positive. I understand better now how this bike works, so despite the crash I think I have reason to be happy. I look forward to go to Assen and keep this progression.”

Reale Avintia Racing – GP of Catalunya– Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

Tito Rabat shone at his home Grand Prix today, clocking the eighth fastest lap in qualifying in front of his Spanish fans.

This weekend has been one of the best ever for the Catalonian rider this season so far. He moved straight up to Q2 with a lap time of 1’39.256 in the third free practice session. In qualifying, he battled his way into the Top Ten even though he didn’t find the best feeling with the front of his Ducati. With a best lap time of 1’39.504 minutes, he will now start the race from the third row of the grid. He is ready to race at 100% and he is determined to push hard and to ride the best possible race at his home GP.

It was an unlucky day for Xavier Simeon. After making a step forward and improving his pace in free practice, he did the last exit in FP4 with the hardest front tyre and he crashed in the final minutes. When he crashed again in Q1, his crew repaired the bike in record time and Simeon went out again, improving his lap time. But unfortunately, he exceeded the track limits on his hottest lap and his lap time was cancelled. On Sunday, Simeon is determined to recover and to show his real potential in the race.

“Today has been a positive day, because we did a good practice and this morning we went straight in Q2. In FP4 we also had a great pace and I’m confident for the race. But in Q2 I struggled in the braking areas. Nevertheless, we are ready to race, we just have to wait and see what the weather will be like and if it’s cooler or warmer than today, because this will be crucial for our tyre choice. Needless to say, we will give our best in the race tomorrow. If I have a good start, I’ll be able to fight for a strong result.”

“Qualifying was really difficult for us today. I was very happy with the bike and in FP3 I was 1.3s from the fastest rider, which is the closest we have ever been this season. But in FP4 I tried the hardest front tyre and I crashed in turn 2. In Q1 I crashed again and thanks to the quick work of my mechanics I was able to take to the track again. It was a strange session, because honestly we expected to qualify better. Tomorrow I’ll try to recover, because I think my pace is better than my position on the grid.”

Reale Avintia Racing – GP of Catalunya– Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

The Grand Prix of Catalunya started in a positive way for Reale Avintia Racing riders Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon. Rabat finished the opening day in 11^th place with a best lap time of 1’39.851 and he has a strong race pace for Sunday. He now hopes to go straight to the Q2 qualifying session for the Top Ten riders of the MotoGP class tomorrow and also to score a top result at his home Grand Prix on Sunday. The Spaniard, who suffered a big crash during the test held at this track a few weeks ago, is happy with the new tarmac and the revised layout, even though he thinks there is room for improvement in certain areas.

Xavier Simeon made a step forward at the Catalonian venue. With a best lap time of 1’40.697, he finished 21^st in the combined standings. The MotoGP rookie is on the right track and he is getting closer to achieve his goal that he set at the beginning of the season: to battle within the top 15 places.

The expectations are high for tomorrow’s qualifying sessions and the riders, together with the team, are giving their 100% to honour Andreas Pérez in the race on Sunday.

“The first day at my home Grand Prix was very positive, as we found a good pace and did some fast laps. We finished 11^th today, but I’m confident to be faster tomorrow. We have to keep working to find another few tenths of a second tomorrow. The track surface is very good, it’s really fast now, but the problem is that there is only one race line and if you miss it and get off line, it’s dirty and tricky.”

“I’m happy because this morning we finished in 16^th place and we were 20^th in the afternoon. Even better, we improved our pace on every exit. We are stronger, but we need to keep going in this direction to get closer to the top 15. We improved a lot, also compared with the test we did here, and this is the most positive thing about today. To be faster is good for my morale, because even thoough I was closer to the other riders in the last few races, I always was behind them. Now it’s time to rest and we will push again tomorrow.”

MotoGP GP of Catalunya – Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

The Reale Avintia Racing team has arrived at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit, making preparations for the second home Grand Prix of the season. It will be a very emotional weekend for all team members, just a few days after the tragic loss of Andreas Perez who had a fatal accident during the Moto3 Junior World Championship on Sunday.

Tito Rabat heads to Barcelona highly motivated and with his left arm fully recovered. He is looking forward to a strong result in front of the Spanish fans. The results in the last races have been far from the real level of the Catalan rider and this weekend, he is determined to leave his bad luck behind.

It will be also an important weekend for Xavier Simeon. The Reale Avintia Racing Belgian rider has been training hard and he did a promising one-day-test last month in Barcelona, so he is confident to get on the pace from Friday and to be fighting for a better result on Sunday’s 24-lap-race.

“I’m looking forward to start my home Grand Prix. I arrive with my arm at a 100% and I want to do a good race in Montmelo and give my best in front of my home crowd. It will be a sad weekend for all of us as we lost one of the youngest members of our team. Rest in peace Andreas. All my thoughts are with your family and friends.”

“I arrive at Barcelona very motivated. I trained hard during the last week to be ready and to start the weekend in a positive way. We did a test here a few weeks ago and it was quite positive, so I expect to start with a good base set-up and hopefully climb up to more decent positions. I really want to be with the group and I’ll give my best to achieve this. I want to send all my support to the family of Andreas. His loss has been really hard for the team.”

MotoGP GP of Italy – Mugello

Reale Avintia Racing rider Tito Rabat rode his 200^th Grand Prix in the motorcycle world championship today at Mugello, and to celebrate this milestone, he conquered two points despite his injury. The left arm of the Spanish rider was still in pain after the heavy crash suffered at the Barcelona test last week, but Rabat grit his teeth and completed the gruelling 23-lap-race to cross the finish line in 13^th position. Under normal circumstances, this position wouldn’t have been a dream result for Rabat, but to finish such a difficult race, which saw seven crashes and five riders not being classified, was an achievement in itself. Even though the arm injury continued to bother him throughout the race, Rabat’s main problem was the rise in asphalt temperatures, which caused a sudden drop in front tyre performance. Now, Rabat is only concentrating on his recovery in order to be fully fit for his home race at Montmeló in two weeks, where we wants to make his comeback within the Top Ten of the MotoGP category.

Xavier Simeon also hung in and finished a long and tough race, but wasn’t happy with his final position. The Belgian rider had a very good start, but ran into problems with his rear tyre early on in the race. The “rookie” of Reale Avintia Racing managed to bring his bike home in 17^th position, which is his best result since his debut in the MotoGP class at the season-opening race in Qatar. Obviously, Simeon wants to finish higher up and to put up a fight with his rivals. In Barcelona, where he completed quite a promising test, he hopes to be able to show his true potential.

“First and foremost, I am happy that I scored two points here, when it would have been easy to stay at home after my crash at Barcelona. However, after doing so well in qualifying yesterday, I sincerely hoped to finish higher up. But in the race, the front tyre felt as if I was skating on ice. The track conditions had changed dramatically and with the rise in temperatures, we all suffered a lot. I struggled to adapt to these conditions. I rode with the handbrake on, so to speak, and we finished the race 22 seconds behind the winner. Now I am thinking of the next race at Montmeló, my home Grand Prix, where I hope to be able to fight for positions within the front group of riders again.”

“I started very well and I made up four positions, but after four or five laps, the problems with my rear tyre began. The rear end would step out every time I cut the gas and I was close to crashing on four or five occasions. Apart from that, I concentrated on trying to keep the pace, but the race was tough and felt especially long, because I was riding by myself for most of the time. The warm-up session this morning was positive and we made some changes that helped me to ride more comfortably in the race. But I am not satisfied. I want to fight higher up in the field, so we have to continue to work.”

MotoGP GP of Italy – Mugello

After a difficult first day of practice at the Italian Grand Prix, where the muscle injury in his left arm made it impossible to ride very fast, Reale Avintia Racing rider Tito Rabat surprised his team and the fans at Mugello with a great performance on day two. The Spaniard was on fire, rode consistently fast and was battling for an entry to the Q2 qualifying of the twelve fastest riders of the MotoGP class until the last minute. At the end of the Q1 session, he was third, only fractions of a second behind Jack Miller and his compatriot Maverick Viñales, and will start the race on Sunday from 13th position on the grid.

For team-mate Xavier Simeon, the second day of practice was also positive. The Belgian rider of Reale Avintia keeps struggling with the adaptation of his riding style to the premier class and the fast Mugello circuit is certainly a special challenge for a MotoGP rookie. But on Saturday, Simeon improved his best lap time by roughly a second and he is now confident to make another step in the warm-up session before the race.

Qualifying took place in sunny and hot conditions, with track temperatures up to 50 degree. The weather forecast for the race on Sunday, the sixth round of this year’s MotoGP world championship, is much the same, with lots of sunshine and summer heat.

“If anybody would have told me yesterday that I would be battling to get into Q2 today, I wouldn’t have believed it. But I had a really good day, we did well both in the free practice sessions and in qualifying. I am happy, because it would have been easy to stay at home and watch the race on television, but now I am here and will start the race from 13^th place on the grid. With the adrenalin of racing, the arm doesn’t hurt, which is also very positive. Now we have to check and see where we can improve a bit more in the warm-up session. Then I will concentrate on the race and try to achieve the best result possible.”

“I still don’t feel comfortable with the bike, but nevertheless, we managed to make a step forward, which was very positive. Our performance was much better than yesterday. Even though we are still far from where we want to be and we still need to improve, I finished the day satisfied. We got closer to the top and this is what counts. Having said that, the level in this class is very high, the times are very close together and we need to boost our performance even more if we want to have a chance to battle for positions towards the front. It won’t be easy, but we will continue to work hard in order to get the maximum out of the equipment we have.”

MotoGP GP of Italy – Mugello

Reale Avintia Racing rider Tito Rabat returned to action on the first day of practice for the Grand Prix of Italy, after his spectacular crash during the tests at Barcelona last week. Rabat worked hard over the last days in order to arrive in Italy in the best possible shape. Even though it became obvious in the first laps that he is not at a 100 per cent physically, he found to his rhythm and improved his feelings with the Ducati Desmosedici step by step. From the first to the second free practice session, the Spaniard managed to improve his lap time by roughly a second. He now hopes to make another step forward on Saturday.

Teammate Xavi Simeon had a difficult day on the fast and sweeping Mugello circuit. The MotoGP rookie is not comfortable on his bike yet, which slows his progress. Despite his best efforts to change his riding style for the premier class, the habits from the Moto2 category are still present. The Belgian rider knows where he needs to improve and his technical crew, together with riding coach Rubén Xaus, are working hand in hand so Xavi can move up to where he deserves to be.

“This morning, I hoped my arm would be better, but I realised immediately that i lacked strength. But as I continued to ride, my body adapted to riding the bike step by step and we made progress. After my crash at the Barcelona test, it was very important for me to get back on the bike as soon as possible and every time I go out on the track, I feel a little better. In the afternoon, we made a good step in the right direction and things went quite well. It was a shame that I ran into traffic towards the end and we slowed each other down, because I could have finished a bit higher up.”

“I am struggling to make the steps I want to make and we continue to be far away from the top. I keep a lot of lean angle in the corners whereas you should pick these bikes up very early on the corner exit in order to make the best possible use of all the horsepower they have. So far, I can’t use this power to my advantage, but I need to figure out how, if I want to make real progress. In my sixth Grand Prix I should be closer. That’s why I am not very happy with the way the first day at Mugello went.”

Reale Avintia Racing MotoGP

After crashing heavily during the MotoGP tests at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuito on Wednesday, Reale Avintia Racing rider Tito Rabat spent one night at the University Hospital Quiron Dexeus in Barcelona, where MotoGP Medical Director Dr. Ángel Charte, MotoGP traumatologist Dr. Xavier Mir and internal specialist Dr. Jordi Robert took the best possible care of the 28-year-old. On Thursday morning, Rabat received the all-clear to leave the hospital and set himself the goal to race at the upcoming round at Mugello next week, despite a left-arm injury.

In an ultrasound test, Rabat was diagnosed with a muscle rupture of three centimetres in length. Dr. Xavier Mir and his team decided that surgery was not necessary and just immobilised Rabat’s left arm. Tito will now return to his house at Valencia, where he will undergo sessions of cold therapy in order to speed up the recovery of the muscular tissue over the next days.

Rabat will return to Barcelona on Tuesday next week for another ultrasound check. The doctors are then going to decide if his participation at the Italian Grand Prix will be possible or not. Rabat wants to ride his Ducati at Mugello at all cost. Even though the final answer will only be given next week, everybody in the team is convinced that Rabat is going to reach his goal.

“I was released from hospital already. My treatment couldn’t have been better, at the circuit as well as at the Dexeus clinic, where Dr. Charte and Dr. Mir gave me the best care imaginable. Yesterday we thought it would be an almost impossible task to race at Mugello, because it looked as if I needed an operation. But this morning, we made some more checks and decided to simply leave the arm in a cast for a week. Next week, we will check on the injury again. This year has been good for us so far, we have been very competitive, and this is why we want to try everything possible to get back into shape and be able to ride at Mugello. I want to thank everybody for the tremendous help and support I received since this crash”.