Category: MotoGP

MotoGP GP of Qatar – Losail International Circuit

Wind and sand played a starring role on the second day of practice for the Grand Prix of Qatar. Due to the conditions during FP3, it was very difficult for the Reale Avintia Racing riders to improve. But neither Tito Rabat nor Xavier Simeon threw the towel. Instead, they continued to work hard with their crews to be ready for the first race of the season.
The former Moto2 World Champion will rely on his race pace that should be strong enough to fight for the top ten in the first Grand Prix of the year. He has his mind set about the bike set-up and tyre choice and looks forward to his race debut with the Reale Avintia Racing and his Ducati GP17.
For ‘rookie’ Simeon the day went better than yesterday. He finished at the back of the grid again, but was very close to the riders in front of him. He also has the pace to be put up a fight and recover some places in the 22 lap-race tomorrow, his first ever race in the premier class.

“Today has been a difficult day for us, but were able to get really good conclusions for tomorrow’s race. After crashing during FP3, I lost my concentration a bit, but afterwards we managed to work well. In qualifying, we should have been some tenths of a second faster to achieve the position we hoped for. But we have found a good set-up for the bike and now it’s time to be focused for the race. The key to the race will be a good start, which would give me the chance to fight and maybe to start the season with a top ten result”.

“Qualifying was much better than free practice yesterday. With the changes we made on the bike, my feeling has definitely improved. But I’m frustrated, because I expected to go faster than in the test and in the end I didn’t. In real race weekend conditions, with very limited time and only a few laps, you have to find your pace very quickly and you can’t waste any time. I have to work hard to get ready for a good lap time and to get the best out of what we have. Anyway, with used tyres, I found a good rhythm in FP4. I hope that this will enable me to ride a good race tomorrow”.

MotoGP GP of Qatar – Losail International Circuit

The 2018 MotoGP World Championship started today under the floodlights of the Losail International Circuit. Spanish Reale Avintia Racing rider Tito Rabat, found a very strong rhythm immediately and finished the first session of 45 in the top 10. But in FP2, he couldn’t maintain his position, even though he improved his best lap time by more than seven tenths of a second. Tomorrow he hopes to take another step in FP3 and go straight to Q2.
His teammate Xavier Simeon took too much time to find the pace during the free practice sessions. But he is not worried, because he is conscious about the fact that this is only his first weekend in MotoGP. He still has a lot to learn and today was a valuable lesson.

“I felt very good today and I was immediately faster. We made several changes to the set-up of the bike that I liked a lot and I think that considering it was just the first day, we can’t ask for more. We missed Q2 by just a few tenths, but tomorrow we’ll have another chance and we’ll push hard to use it. To be honest, I think that we are doing a good job and I’m confident about tomorrow. The team is helping me a lot and I have a great feeling with the bike”.

“Today I didn’t have the same feelings that I had during the test, but this doesn’t worry me too much sine we know what we have to do next. It was the first day in real Grand Prix conditions and we could see that with just two 45-minute sessions, I have to be on the pace much faster and that’s what cost me the most today. We need to improve braking and the point where lean the bike into the corner, but above all I have to concentrate on going out and go fast from the start. That’s what we will try tomorrow”.

Team presentation – Reale Seguros (Madrid)

Reale Avintia Racing team presented its ambitious project today at the headquarters of Reale Seguros in Madrid. Reale Avintia project, has its edge in MotoGP with Tito Rabat, Xavi Simeon and Ducati, but this great project with the European Talent Cup, going through the Moto3 and Moto2 World Junior Cup FIM CEV and culminates in the premier class, MotoGP. Reale Avintia Racing will be present in all classes, from the base to the top, of road racing motorcycling.
The famous Spanish presenter Ainhoa Arbizu conducted the event, surrounded by the riders of all classes. Along with Tito Rabat and Xavi Simeon, the Belgian Livio Loi, who will compete in the Moto3 World Championship with KTM, the FIM CEV boys with Vicente Pérez, Andreas Pérez and the Italian Andrea Cavaliere, in addition to the of the European Talent Cup with Carlos Tatay, Adrían Huertas and Iker García Abella. Xavi Cardelus, who was not ale to attend as he was testing will defend the colours of the team in the FIM CEV Moto2 and will do in several Moto2 wild card entries during the season. Also Barry Baltus, who will be racing the in the Moto3 FIM CEV, wasn’t able to come because he had to go to school… Raúl Romero, the team owner, and Reale Seguros and the Avintia Grupo CEO’s, Ignacio Mariscal and Antonio Martín, were also on stage unveiling the new bike liveries for 2018.

“The presentation has gone well and the new livery of the bike is amazing. We are ready to start the World Championship in Qatar next week and I can’t wait to start the first free practice sessions. In this team I’m at home and from the first moment I really had good feelings riding my Ducati GP17. Now we just have to wait for the red light to go out in Qatar”.

“The preseason has gone very well and I have been able to learn many things about MotoGP thanks to the team. The new bike is beautiful and the team launch has been great. In a few days we will be in Qatar under the floodlights and then the serious part will begin. The important thing is that we are ready to start and give a lot of gas”.

“I’m very happy with how the winter testing has gone. The weather has not accompanied us as much as we would liked but, I think we arrived ready to Qatar. The team is very professional and I have adapted quite quickly to the KTM. In a few days we will really see where we are and how far we can go”.

MotoGP Thai Test – Chang International Circuit

Reale Avintia Racing team riders Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon finished the three-day test at the Chang International Circuit with very positive feelings. The Spaniard all but solved his lack of confidence with the front end of his bike and in the next test in Qatar he hopes to have new parts from Ducati that should help him to make another step forward.
The former Moto2 World Champion enjoyed riding the bike at Buriram and he finished again very close to the fastest riders. His smile at the end of the test was the best proof that everything is going well and that he can be fighting for good results with Reale Avintia in 2018.
For Xavi Simeón it was not so easy, but after the issues from the second day, he was able to improvement today. The Belgian rider has a lot to learn in the premier class and he also has to continue to work on his riding style, to deepen his understanding of the bike and the tyres.
Rabat and Simeon now have a couple of weeks to prepare for the final winter test of 2018, which takes place in Qatar from March 1 to 3.

“I’m very happy because all three days have been very positive and we managed to be more competitive. From the first test last year, we had a problem with the front end of the bike that didn’t let me push to the maximum and I was crashing in the fast turns losing the front, but little by little we have found a way to improve and now at least I don’t crash like that any more. Nevertheless, we have to keep working to be more confident in the fast corners and, with the help of Ducati, in Qatar I hope to take another step in this way to continue gaining confidence. The team has done an incredible job once again and helped me a lot to improve. Now it’s time to charge the batteries for the last test of the pre-season”.

“The last day was better, not much better, but enough for me. Overall I’ve improved a lot with used tyres and it’s clear that we still need to work to understand the tyres, because I’m struggling in that area. It was a bit frustrating because every time I went out with new tyres, I didn’t make the jump we expected. But with a 25-lap tyre I was doing my best lap times. That’s why I have to understand how the Michelins tyres work. Due to the layout of this track, it is important not to force the tyre too much in some turns and the opposite goes for some other turns. I still don’t have enough confidence with the bike to ride at the maximum on this track, but overall the test has been positive and we got very good conclusions. Not having improved as much as I expected also has its positive side, because it makes me see that MotoGP is a very difficult class”.

MotoGP Test Qatar – Losail International Circuit

The last test of the preseason finished today at the Losail International Circuit and Reale Avintia Racing team riders, Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon, are ready to start the new championship in two weeks.
Apart from that, Rabat and Simeon declared themselves satisfied with the work done during these days and both are already looking forward to return to Losail to start the first race weekend of the year. Homework is done and in two weeks the good starts.
The Spaniard improved again his race pace and, although he also improved his fastest lap, his rivals have also went faster on the last day and he finished the test 19th overall and 1.4 seconds of the frontrunners. He must continue working on the fast lap, but Rabat is confident that with its pace, the race in 15 days will be very different.
His teammate Xavi Simeon also took a big step with the pace and his fast lap today, it was a shame that, when he had more confidence and was pushing with soft Michelin tyres he crashed out in turn 15. Even so the MotoGP ‘rookie’ is happy and willing to debut on this same circuit in two weeks.
Today, the riders finished with an unprecedented test in Qatar and, the 24 of the MotoGP rode in wet conditions in the last 30 minutes of the session and under the flloodlights of the Losail International Circuit. The feelings of the riders have been positive.

“It was a very good test, especially the race pace. I think we are very good in that sense, but honestly, in the fast lap we still have a few tenths to find out to get closer to the top ten. There are just three or four tenths but working more during the race weekend I’m sure that we will make it happen. We worked very well; we completed a good test and now we have to concentrate for the race. I really want to start the season. We haven’t race for a long time now and we want this to start the season and to do it good”.

“Today I’m very happy with the feeling, we improved my confidence with the bike and now I can feel better the bike. I’m very satisfied with my rhythm; at the end when we went out with a new tyre, I was not able to improve my lap because I crashed. Anyway compared with the rest of the riders, I still need to improve a lot in this sense, but very happy with the race pace. Now I ride in 56 lows, even with used tyres, and this is a very good sign. Today I really have fun on the bike. Now I start to understand more everything, to ride more naturally. In two weeks time the serious stuff starts. I don’t want to put more pressure than usual. I’ll try to follow the line of progression. If I can follow the same dynamic as in this test we can make a good weekend in the first GP”.

MotoGP Test Qatar – Losail International Circuit

The second day of testing at the Losail International Circuit has been quite good for Reale Avintia Racing riders, Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon. The action has been delayed after some drops of rain started falling across the circuit. But although the track was not wet, this prevented the riders to get on track. But the sun shined again and Rabat and Simeon were been able to continue with their work program in Qatar.
The Spaniard improved his fast lap of the first day in almost half a second. He also managed to be faster in race settings showing a strong pace. But Tito is never satisfied and in the final hour he went out again, but this time without winglets and he crashed out like yesterday in turn 6.
Xavi Simeon did a big step today. The Belgian ‘rookie’ was a second faster than yesterday, but the most important thing is that he was able to improve a lot his riding style, and now he can get more corner speed and take better advantage of the power of his Ducati Desmosedici engine. Simeon also did a small race simulation and the rhythm has been more than acceptable. He also improved with soft tyres, but it is still the area where he loses more compared to his rivals.

“I’m happy because today once again we improved our race pace and every time I have better feeling with the bike. In the end perhaps we went in the wrong direction, because we decided to try the bike without winglets and I crashed again. But overall the day was good and in with race settings we are quite fast and the tyre life is quite good. For tomorrow the goal is to improve the fastest lap a bit, if we manage to do that I’ll be happy. We have some ideas of where we can improve and we’ll see how it goes. Tomorrow will be an important day because it will be the last test day before the season finally starts here in Qatar”.

“Today was much more positive and I’ve been able to improve my lap times quite a lot. I found myself much better and more confident with the front tyre. To be honest the tyres never gave me bad feelings, but I have to understand well where I can push more. I improved a lot in braking and also the entry into the corner, which allowed me to be more consistent and have better pace, because with that I gained a corner and I can lift the bike before to get stronger. I’ve also done a race simulation and the pace has not been bad. It is clear that we have much to improve, but I am happy to be the first. Tomorrow we must continue on the same line”.

MotoGP Test Qatar – Losail International Circuit

The last test of the MotoGP 2018 preseason has started today under the floodlights at the Losail International Circuit and the Reale Avintia Racing team riders, Tito Rabat and Xavi Simeon, declared themseves satisfied with the work done during the first day of testing.
Tito Rabat was early on track, but although the surface was not as dirty as in previous years, the lack of rubber has limited the level of grip and he decided to stop until there was a little more grip. The Spaniard came out very strong but suffered a small crash in turn 6.

After that, he took his second bike to continue improving the pace and his feelings with the Ducati Desmosedici GP17 at Losail track.
For Xavi Simeon today has been another day of learning and overall he finished satisfied. He didn’t try to set a fast lap and he focused on getting more confidence with the circuit riding a bike more than double horsepower than the Moto2 he has riding in the past years. Today his coach, Rubén Xaus, was with him at the garage, but he also got some advices from his compatriot and former 500cc rider, Didier de Radigues. He has just two more days of testing before the start of the season and all help is welcome for Simeon.

“At the end of the day I think it was a very positive first day. When we started the track it was very dirty and everything was horrible, that’s why we decided to stop for a while. But then we went out in track and working with my team we improved the feelings and we finished the day with a really fast rhythm. I’m very happy about that, but not so much with my fastest lap time, because although it’s not bad I sure that I’m able to do it better. For tomorrow the goal will be to faster in one lap and the also to improve the pace. The only negative from today was a small crash when I was braking with the bike straight, but we know why it happened.”

“Today I’ve started more calmly than the first day in Thailand. I didn’t go as well as I wanted to, especially because in the first laps it took me a lot of time to find enough confidence with the front tyre. The track was dirty, but less than the previous years here, so in that sense this was quite good. But I have the same problem as in Thailand; with used tyres I can make pretty decent times, but when I put new tyres I can’t take the best of them. The other riders take much more advantage so it’s clear that I have to work a lot in this area take bigger steps, because looking at the rhythm I’m not so far.”

MotoGP Thai Test – Chang International Circuit

The second day of testing at the Chang International Circuit was very intense for the MotoGP riders, with temperatures that almost reached 50 degrees of the asphalt and 37 of the air. The sweltering heat didn’t stop Reale Avintia Racing rider Tito Rabat from completing 69 laps on his Ducati Desmosedici GP17 to finish twelfth in the standings, with a gap of just half a second to the ‘top 5’. Better still, Rabat’s ongoing lack of confidence for the front, a problem that haunted him since the last test in Malaysia, seems to be solved and now he can push even with the harder tyre compound of Michelin.
His teammate Xavi Simeon started the day very well, as he immediately improved his pace from yesterday. Afterwards he didn’t manage to make progress with the set-up of his bike and ended up a bit disappointed. But the Belgian is far from panicking, since the tests are there to try different things and, after many seasons in Moto2, also to learn everything about MotoGP, a much more demanding category in every aspect.
Despite being only a test, Thai fans have flocked to Buriram crowding the stands of the main straigh and more than 30,000 spectators are expected for tomorrow.

“I’m very happy because today we were able to work a lot on the bike. I’m even more happy because I’ve built a lot of confidence with the front. Until today, this was the negative point with my bike, because whenever I pushed a little more I crashed and this wasn’t good. But today I didn’t crash, and we were able to try the hardest Michelin front for the first time with positive results. In the final minutes I grabbed a new set of tyres and I did a good lap time, but the most important thing for me is that we have been fast and consistent with old tyres. Tonight I have to rest well to start full throttle tomorrow”.

“It was a strange day. We started well in the morning and on the first exit I was faster than yesterday straight away and since the lap time came easily, the expectations were quite high. A little later I had a small crash entering the last corner, which didn’t make me lose confidence because I was going really slow. But then as the day went on, we were not able to improve and I think we lost a bit the way with the set-up. I was hitting a wall with my pace and I couldn’t lap in 1’31. But this is testing. Sometimes you take the wrong the direction with the bike, which I’m sure will help me to learn more about MotoGP. I said yesterday that the track seemed easy, but it’s not that easy after all, which we confirmed today”.

MotoGP Thai Test – Chang International Circuit

Reale Avintia Racing Team riders Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon had their first contact with the Chang International Circuit today. The layout of the Thai track, that has been added to the MotoGP calendar for the 2018 season, looks easy on paper, with few turns and many straights, but Rabat and Simeon agreed that the circuit is much more tricky than it seems at first sight.
Tito Rabat started quite well but at mid-morning, he lost the front in turn seven and crashed, a very similar incident to the two falls he had a couple of weeks ago in Malaysia. After repairing the bike he went back on the track and, after changing the set-up of his Ducati in search of a better feeling with the front, he focused on finding his own pace with very good results.
His teammate Xavi Simeon continued with his learning process and found himself quite comfortable around the 4.554km circuit. The 28-year-old Belgian rider also crashed in turn ten, which forced him to sit and wait in the garage until his bike was ready to go again. After going back on track again, he quickly matched his best lap times from the morning.

“I like the circuit and I had a lot fun. It has several parts that reminded me of Qatar, others of Texas… it has some long straights and the asphalt is okay, although at the beginning of the day it was a little bit dirty. But the first impression was very good. The only negative thing to report is my crash and, as in Malaysia, we do not know why. Despite this setback, it seems that we are finding the right way, which is important because we need to know our limit in order to finish the races. We focused on improving the feeling with the front and with some changes to the set-up, I had a better feeling. The team worked very well and everything is very tight with 20 riders within just one second. Now we need to improve further. We always finish 0.7s behind, so it would be great if we could leave Thailand with a gap of only half a second”.

“The first day here in Thailand went very well until I crashed at turn 10 when I lost the front. The crash was a little strange, I just made a small mistake… but afterwards we lost a lot of time because the bike was quite damaged. In the end I went out again and I could do five laps to try to improve my lap times. Even though I was not able to improve, I was able to match my previous lap times quite easy, which was positive. Tomorrow, we’ll start from where we finished today and we’ll try to improve more. We are not far away, but we have to avoid these little mistakes. The standings are very tight and you have to make the most of the time on the track”.

30/01/18 Sepang MotoGP Test – Sepang International Circuit

The Reale Avintia Racing Team leaves Malaysia with good feelings after three days of testing at the Sepang International Circuit, with Tito Rabat and Xavi Simeon constantly progressing.

The Spanish rider completed several laps under two minutes and was inside the ‘top 6’ for a while to remain in ninth place with two hours to go. On the last afternoon, the plan was to complete a full race simulation, but his run was interrupted when he crashed on the ninth of 20 laps. Despite his incident, Rabat left the circuit very satisfied after finishing the test with the twelfth fastest lap, only 0.717s behind Jorge Lorenzo, who was flying aboard his factory Ducati in Sepang today. Rabat is now looking forward to getting back on his bike in two weeks in Thailand, where the second official three-day test of the MotoGP caregory will be held at the new Buriram International Circuit.
Rabat’s teammate in Reale Avintia Racing, Xavier Simeon, continued with his work plan, which once again was focused on progressing on the bike and adapting his riding style to the demands of the MotoGP class. The Belgian did 30 laps today and lapped in 2’00, which was one of the goals that the team had set before arriving in Malaysia. In addition, his times were similar to the other riders who moved up from Moto2, including the current champion and runner-up. Therefore also for Simeon the Sepang test has been very positive.

“It has been a very positive test because I’ve managed to go fast with a very good pace while riding alone. Every time I’m more comfortable with the bike and the team has been doing a great job during the three days. In the afternoon we did a race simulation, but I crashed and so we couldn’t finish it. The positive thing is that we know why it happened, it was the same as the first day and in the same turn, running the medium front tyre. This tyre does not warn you before the limit as we already know, but now we have things clear for the next test. I’m very happy with the result of these tests, with the team, with the bike and with my physical condition. Now it’s time to train hard at home to get ready for Thailand”.

“To be honest I’m very happy because we’ve been working step by step and every day I’ve improved the lap times and, what is more important, I’ve improved my feeling with the bike. For the first time I was able to make changes on the set-up, understand the bike better and how it needs to be ridden. That also allowed me to concentrate on my riding and on such a difficult track like this, we managed to lap in 2’00 which is not bad for my first time at Sepang with a MotoGP bike. I am working very well with the team and they have given me very good indications. Also Rubén (Xaus) has helped me a lot and with his experience I have been able to advance faster and in the end we were with the other ‘rookies’. Now we need to continue working at home to start over in Thailand form where we have left off here”.