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.”
