Category: MotoGP

Reale Avintia Racing– Test MotoGP – Circuit Barcelona-Catalunya

Reale Avintia Racing rider, Tito Rabat, suffered a big crash this morning during MotoGP testing session at Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit. It was only the third exit for the 2014 Moto2 World Champion when he lost control of his Ducati in the last corner of the Catalan circuit. It was a big tumble. The bike was on fire and the rider immediately felt a bog pain on his left arm.

After the first medical checks at the circuit medical centre, Tito Rabat was transferred by ambulance to Quiron Dexeus Hospital for further examinations carried out by Dr. Xavier Mir’s team.

He has had an MRI and a 3D CT Scan of the left elbow and the following injuries have been diagnosed:
Muscle rupture grade 3 of fingers deep flexor.
Muscle rupture grade 2 of the carpal ulnar flexor.
Contusion in the ulnar nerve.
Bone edema in the epitroclea or olecranon.

He will undergo more tests tomorrow to decide the treatment to be followed and the recovery time.

Rabat has already informed team members that he wants to be in Mugello within nine days. Dr. Mir will decide if it is feasible.

Reale Avintia Racing– GP of France – Le Mans

Reale Avintia Racing team leaves France without reward. Until Sunday, the weekend had been very positive for Tito Rabat, moving straight to Q2 and qualifying eleventh on the grid. The Spaniard had a great start in the race and was in the top ten on the first lap, behind his compatriots Pedrosa and Rins. Tito felt he was strong, but crashed on the second lap when he tried to overtake both of them. Rabat picked his bike up and continued the race, but something was not working well and he was forced to retire on lap eleven.

His teammate Xavier Simeon finished the race, but with a lot of pain in his right forearm. It was a shame for the Belgian rider who was very comfortable with his bike and had been able to put up a fight with some rivals during the first few laps.

This week he will consult Dr. Xavier Mir at the Hospital Universitari Quiron Dexeus, and then a decision will be made if surgery is necessary.

The Reale Avintia Racing team now heads to Barcelona for a one day Michelin tire test on Tuesday. The track has been completely resurfaced and it has a revised layout.

“It is a shame, because I struggled during the whole race and I was hardly able to ride the bike. After five or six laps, the pain in my right arm was too much and it is a pity because in the warm up this morning we found something on the set-up that helped me a lot. I was really comfortable and during the first few laps, I was able to attack and battled within a group. But then I had this problem in my forearm and I was counting down the laps until the end. We have to find a solution to this issue for the rest of the season, because we improved the bike and we want to continue on our way up.”

“This time I had a good start, the first lap was strong, I gained one place and my feeling with the bike was perfect. I felt so strong that I wanted to overtake Dani and Rins as soon as possible. Instead of thinking and be patient, I just wanted to pass them. They went long in one turn and I tried, but in the next corner I changed my lines to defend my position, lost the front and crashed. I want to say sorry to the team because I had a great bike today and a good opportunity for a top ten finish. But I’ve screwed up.”

Reale Avintia Racing– GP of France – Le Mans

Tito Rabat did a superb job on Saturday morning, when he improved his lap times in FP3 enough to make a straight move to Q2 for the second time this season. In the afternoon, he showed a strong pace with the bike in race configuration and improved his lap time once again in Q2. Finally, he was 11^th with a best lap of 1’32.049, which was a great result for Reale Avintia Racing team today and showed Rabat’s big potential for this race.

Xavier Simeon feels more and more comfortable aboard his Ducati and was satisfied with his progress, even though he expected to be a little higher up than in 23^rd place in qualifying. Nevertheless, he shares Rabat’s optimism for the race and is sure to be able to improve further on Sunday.

Incredibly, the weather forecast remains sunny and warm for the race in Le Mans.

“It’s been a great weekend so far and I’m very happy because we are always in positions close to the front. We qualified for Q2 for the first time without help from another rider. But it’s true that I was following Andrea Dovizioso in Q2. In the end, I was not able to improve a lot. But with a good start, the race should also be good.”

“Today was slightly better than yesterday and I’m happy for that. In qualifying, when I was improving my lap time, the red flag came out. The only positive thing about today is that I was the best rider on a Ducati GP16. The gap to the fastest riders is bigger than in Jerez, and this is not positive. Tomorrow I hope to be focussed and be more consistent during the race to get more experience. I will do my best.”

MotoGP French GP – Le Mans

The first day of practice for the French Grand Prix went very well for the riders of Team Reale Avintia Racing.

Tito Rabat was, once again, very strong in terms of race pace and finished in twelfth position in both free practice sessions. Once again, it was apparent how competitive and hard-fought the MotoGP category is, with the 16 fastest riders separated by just nine tenths of a second. On Saturday, Rabat hopes to improve a bit more and to make a direct move to Q2.

For team-mate Xavier Simeon, the Le Mans circuit felt like a new race track. The MotoGP rookie improved his lap times every time he took to the track, but hasn’t found the best set-up for the “stop and go” characteristics of this race track yet. The Belgian rider also hopes to make a step forward on Saturday and aims at improving his position on the starting grid for the race on Sunday.

“We did a good job and scored twelfth place in the morning, s result that we were able to confirm in the afternoon. The best part was that we were able to improve our race pace and the feeling with the bike. Once again, the times are very close together. We are in twelfth place, but only six tenths of a second behind the fastest guy on the track. We are sure about our set-up and also made up our minds about the right tyre choice for the race. Tomorrow we will pull all stops for a good grid position, even though our focus remains on the race on Sunday, like always. We still need to improve on our speed for one single hot lap, but we are working on this and we’ll see what we can do tomorrow.”

“This first day at Le Mans was like the first day at school for me. Like at the last race at Austin, it was tough to go out on a track where I never rode a MotoGP bike before. It took me some times to set my reference points and to find the right lines with this motorcycle. Al things considered, we made a good step in the right direction and we improved every time I went out on the track. I still can’t push hard enough at the corner entries and I don’t pick up the bike early enough, which is why I cover more distance than the others and lose a bit. But we are analysing every detail in order to do much better on Saturday.”

MotoGP GP of France – Le Mans

Reale Avintia Racing team riders Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon head to Le Mans for the fifth round of the 2018 MotoGP World Championship.

Rabat, who was not able to show his real potential in Jerez after a bad start, arrives in France determined to use all what he learned during the one day test after the Spanish Grand Prix. He has a good set-up on his Ducati and he aims to get back in the top 10 at Le Mans.

The French Grand Prix is like his home race for Simeon. The MotoGP rookie will be backed by thousands of Belgian fans that will travel to Le Mans to see him racing his Reale Avintia Ducati.

The weather forecast for the weekend is completely unusual for Le Mans, sunny and warm from Friday.

“I was not happy after Jerez, the race didn’t go as planned and I was disappointed. But we had a positive test on Monday and we saw and improved many things. That’s why I go to Le Mans full of confidence. The weather forecast is good, although the forecast can always change in France. I like the circuit and I think it suits my Ducati perfectly. It will be important to get back to the level we showed in the first races. My aim is to qualify well on Saturday and do a good start on Sunday. If I can do that, I’m sure I can do a great race.”

“Le Mans is like my home Grand Prix. It’s really close to Belgium and it’s a circuit I really like. But as at all circuits this season, we arrive there without experience, so the first practice sessions will be important to see where we are. My goal is to do well in qualifying and to get closer to the pace, as we did in the test at Jerez on Monday. I’ve trained hard this week to arrive at Le Mans at the maximum and I’ll be fighting from Friday to improve.”

MotoGP Jerez Test– Circuito Angel Nieto

Reale Avintia Racing team riders, Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon, stayed today at Jerez for a one-day-test and both have been able to improve their feeling after a Spanish Grand Prix that was not as both expected.
Tito Rabat, who was disappointed yesterday despite scoring two championship points, improved his best lap time of qulaifying and completed a race simulation in 1’39s mid low and some 38. Rabat also worked hard to improve his feeling with the clutch to on the start, one of the main issues that affected his result on Sunday’s race.
Simeon also enjoyed a very productive test day, he changed his position on the bike, and now he is more comfortable and consistent. In the afternoon he had a small crash without consequences, and he leaves Jerez quite satisfied.
In addition to Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon, in these test the team hosted, the Andorran rider Xavi Cardelus who made his debut in MotoGP as team’s test rider. His first experience with the Ducati has been very positive and after completing his first Grand Prix in Moto2 as a ‘wild card’ for Cardelus, testing one of the Reale Avintia Racing bikes has been the culmination of a week full of emotions.
Now the team will head to Le Mans, where the French GP will take place from May 18^th to 20^th.

“This was a very positive test and we got very good conclusions. I have improved my qualifying lap time, we did a fast race simulation. But although all this makes me very happy inside I feel a great disappointment for not having been able to do it yesterday in the race, because the test doen’t count. In the end I spent a good time practicing exits; I already have clear how to start well and without problems, at least I’ll be able to maintain my position, because we can’t loose so much in the exits. Now I’m thinking in Le Mans where I hope to be fighting again in the top 10”.

“We have no new parts to test with this bikes, son we focused on trying new things to improve my feeling. We have changed my position on the bike we have seen positive things. I have found myself much better than during the race weekend. I have also worked a lot to change my riding style, but didn’t improve as much as I would like to. But we must be patient because it is a long process and every time I go a little better. I do not want to push myself, but it is clear that I would like to be much faster”.

“In just a few days I had many emotions together. First for my debut in the Moto2 World Championship, and I think that it went quite well. And today testing the MotoGP bike was just amazing. I’m very happy and I don’t have words. I was surprised how fast is the bike, it’s incredible, but the biggest impact for me was acceleration. The carbon brakes are also interesting, they work in a very different way from what I’m used to, but I liked the feeling. It is also a bike that needs to be riden in a very special way, in 40 laps I to adapt my style, but it was not easy. I want to thank Raul Romero and the entire Reale Avintia Racing team for this opportunity and I hope to repeat it in the future”.

MotoGP GP of Spain – Circuito Angel Nieto

After a difficult weekend, Reale Avintia Racing riders Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon leave Jerez without the results they were expecting at the Spanish Grand Prix. With higher temperatures and different conditions from last year’s test on this track, Tito Rabat was not able to find the feeling he had in November. Furthermore, his start from sixth row of the grid was not the best and he lost several positions, that he struggled to recover during the race. The only positive point for Rabat at the Spanish Grand Prix was that with 14^th place, he is still inside the top ten on the championship standings after four races.

Xavier Simeon came to Jerez determined to score some championship points. The Belgian rider made some steps in the right direction in the free practice sessions, but he never really found the perfect set-up to be more comfortable riding his bike, which was obvious during the race. At least, Simeon finished the race and got more experience in MotoGP.

Both Reale Avintia Racing riders will stay in Jerez for a one-day-test tomorrow where they hope to find solutions ahead of the French GP, that will take place in Le Mans in just two weeks.

“It was a really difficult weekend. I thought I would be able to go faster in the race, but it was not possible. The start was not good and then I never got a good feeling with the bike. It was strange, so I decided to settle down and keep my pace until the end. It was impossible to go faster, and it’s a shame that this happened in my first home race. Tomorrow we will have a test where we will analyse what happened this weekend. I’m looking forward to this test, but I’m even keener to forget this weekend and to get to Le Mans.”

“The race today was very difficult, because we went worse and worse every lap. I didn’t have the pace we expected. We changed many things to solve the rear grip issue from yesterday, but at the end we just made things more difficult. I wasn’t able to push and ride the bike with confidence and I didn’t enjoy the race today. The only positive thing is that I kept a constant pace and got some more experience.”

MotoGP GP of Spain – Circuito Angel Nieto

Both riders of Reale Avintia Racing team improved their lap times and the feeling with their Ducati Desmosedici bikes on the second day of practice for the Spanish Grand Prix and were satisfied with their progress. But nevertheless, Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon expected to finish the crucial qualifying session with a better result.

Rabat has a very good race pace, which he showed it in FP4 where he finished seventh fastest and with a lot of confidence for the race.
For Simeon, the FP4 session was also very positive, as he felt very good on the bike. But just like his teammate, he has was not happy with his grid position.
The warm-up session on Sunday morning will be crucial to refine the set-up of the bikes and to be completely ready for the 25-lap-race, in which both are riders are determined to put up a fight, show their strong race pace and achieve a good result.

“It’s been a difficult weekend so far, but we’ve found a method to go faster and that’s why I’m happy. We had a very good pace in FP4, where I was able to see many things riding behind Dani Pedrosa. We are refining setting issues so we can finish the race in a good position. In qualifying, I was pushing harder and I crashed, which was a pity for the team and for me as well. Tomorrow I hope to make a good start and to recover positions step by step. We are only 17^th on the grid, but I am still happy with the work we’ve done and the progress we made.”

“This morning we made an important step and it gave me a lot of satisfaction, so I had high expectations for qualifying. My goal for this race is to get closer to the top 15 and we have shown that we can do this. But in qualifying, with the highest temperatures of the day, we had problems with tyre grip and it was very difficult to ride. I expected to do much better. I had a hard time repeating my best time of the morning. We need to solve this grip problem if we want to make a good race”.

MotoGP GP of Spain – Circuito Angel Nieto

Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon started their preparation for the Spanish Grand Prix at the renamed Angel Nieto Circuit of Jerez today, with the first two free practice sessions in the MotoGP category. The Jerez weekend is the first home Grand Prix for Reale Avintia Racing, and the first European round of the Championship.

After his great start of the season, Tito Rabat arrived at Jerez highly motivated. Even though it didn’t reflect in the time sheets, he had a positive first day, working very efficiently towards the race on Sunday. He already knows which tyre combination to use and he is also sure about the set-up of his Ducati, so he can concentrate now on improving his lap times in qualifying and battling for a good position on the starting grid.

Teammate Xavi Simeon also had a good day. The MotoGP rookie had very good feelings with the bike from his first exit and his race pace was strong. He was not able to get the maximum from the soft rear Michelin tyre, but he is still confident for Saturday and hopes to improve his grid position for the race.

“It was a difficult day, but a positive one nevertheless. We tried all the tyre options available and also different settings on the bike. It was clear that the track conditions were completely different in comparison to when we tested here at the end of last year, so knew in advance that it was going to be difficult, but we are not too far away. Let’s see if I can improve my lap times in FP3 and then make another step in qualifying, so I can start the race in a good position. I’m quite confident for the race as we know which tyre to use. The feeling with the bike is very different from the test in November, but it’s the same for everybody.”

“Today the feeling was much better than in Austin. We had a good pace from the beginning. I finished last, but not so far from the riders in the top ten, which shows that we did improve. At the end I was not able to get the maximum out of the soft tyre, it felt as if I had too much grip and I was not able to get the bike to slide. I didn’t get the best out of the tyre, but the fact that my feeling with the bike was good is more important. I feel better and I can push harder. Tomorrow we will try to do a good FP3 and get close to the top 15 in qualifying.”

MotoGP GP of Spain – Circuito de Jerez

Reale Avintia Racing team riders, Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon, head Jerez for the fourth round of the 2018 MotoGP World Championship this weekend. The Spanish Grand Prix will be the first European race of the season after three overseas races in Qatar, Argentina and America.

Tito Rabat heads his home race confident, Reale Avintia Racing rider is ninth on the standings thank to his great performance in the first three races. He is really comfortable with his new bike and his crew and, in Jerez, a track he knows very well and where he has been testing with his Ducati GP17 during the winter, Tito expects to be fighting at the front.

The track will be also familiar for the MotoGP rookie Xavier Simeon, as the Belgian rider completed a positive test at the Spanish circuit back in November and he is looking forward to start working from Friday to get close to the points positions. It wont be easy, because the level in MotoGP this season is very high, but Simeon is getting closer and he wants to step forward in Jerez.

“We did a great start of the season so far and I’m very happy with my performance in the first three races. Now we arrive in Europe and we will find smaller and more technical circuits, so we will see how we go there. I head Jerez al 100% and looking forward for a good result, we did a good test back in November and we will start with base set up. Racing at home is always special and the fans give you extra motivation, so we need to give our best to give them something to celebrate.”

“If I look back to my three first races in MotoGP I think that overall result has to be positive. We learned many things, like set up the bike fast and get the best of the 45 minutes available in each free practice session, we learned to get decisions with the tyres, sometimes right, sometimes wrong, and we did improve the bike and my riding style. Now we go to Jerez, a track where I have some experience with the MotoGP bike and I want to improve further to get a good result on Sunday.”