Category: Superbikes

1. AN ENCOURAGING TEST AT JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA FOR TEAM GRESINI MOTOGP

   Posted on 12:00pm Tuesday 2nd May 2023

   The Andalusian trip draws to a close with an excellent Monday for Team Gresini MotoGP with Fabio Di Giannantonio and Alex Marquez hard at work for the whole day of official testing at Jerez de la Frontera. 
    
   The Italian #49 has done some evaluations in terms of ergonomics and front-end feeling and managed to find some important solutions for the continuation of the season; Alex Marquez kept working on finding the best feeling with his Desmosedici machine #73, while trying some modifications to the setting as well.
    
   Both riders completed plenty of laps with very similar lap times: Diggia was the quicker of the two with the fourth-fastest lap-time of the day, 0.2secs ahead of his teammate who rounded out the top ten. The next event will take place at Le Mans in less than two weeks. 

   4^th - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 (1’36.963s, 63 laps)
   “An excellent day: we had a very dense programme and we managed to complete everything and with excellent results. We now need to see how these solutions perform in different conditions, as during the test the track has a lot of grip. We’re growing and my feeling with the bike improves, especially on the front-end.”
    
   10^th - ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (1’37.189s, 77 laps)
   “We opted to work on the race pace, choosing the medium compound at the rear in order to focus on setup and cornering, which we kind of lacked yesterday on the track. We gathered some good data ahead of Le Mans and I think we’ll get there better prepared and with more options.”

2. CIRCUITO DE JEREZ - SATURDAY

   Posted on 12:00pm Sunday 30th Apr 2023

   AFTER A FANTASTIC POLE POSITION, ALEIX IS UNABLE TO REAP WHAT HE HAD HOPED IN THE SPRINT RACE

   THE MIXED CONDITIONS COMPROMISE MAVERICK’S QUALIFIERS, SEVENTH IN THE RACE

   After their show of strength yesterday, with two Aprilias in the lead, Saturday in Jerez de La Frontera also had the Italian bikes confirming their extremely competitive status. In qualifying, a few drops of rain added to the already high tension, forcing teams and riders to make vastly different strategic choices.

   Aleix, opting to stay out on the track with slicks for the entire session, did a perfect lap right in the finale, earning a well-deserved pole position. It was a different story for Maverick, who boxed to put on new tyres  but was then unable to find a lap consistent with the pace he had demonstrated during practice. 

   Starting from the tenth spot on the grid, Maverick recovered ground all the way to seventh place, also doing the fourth fastest lap time – proof that he did have the speed that would have earned him a better result.

   For pole man Aleix, on the other hand, Saturday ended on a bitter note. After a good start, he stayed in the leading group for quite a while as he prepared his attack, despite the significant difficulty overtaking on the Spanish track. However, a crash during the fifth lap put an end to the Aprilia rider’s hopes. 

   Aleix
   “A shame to have finished Saturday that way after taking pole position. To be honest, I started well in both starts but the KTMs have something more than us in that area. Then the riders who had started with the soft rear had a bit more grip, although the pace wasn’t high at all. But we know that here in Jerez, if you’re up front you are able to defend your position. I was thinking about an attack when I was behind Martin, but I struggled with the front and in the end I crashed. With this new format, we have a chance at redemption tomorrow, where there are important points up for grabs.”

   Maverick
   “I can’t help but to be pleased. The truth is that in the conditions this morning during qualifying, I did not have a good feeling at all and I was unable to achieve one hundred percent. Then, in the race, starting from the rear you have to battle, overtake, you’re under attack – sometimes rather aggressively – and everything is more complicated. The fact of the matter is that when I had open track ahead, I was able to maintain the same pace as the leaders and that’s what is frustrating because I don’t think this position is a proper reflection of our potential.”

    

3. MOTOGP GURU POWERED by GRYFYN ALONGSIDE GRESINI RACING IN 2023

   Posted on 12:00pm Friday 28th Apr 2023

   Already a title sponsor of selected MotoGP events in 2022 and this year of the upcoming round at Jerez de la Frontera (and later Phillip Island), MotoGP Guru powered by Gryfyn will be alongside Gresini Racing MotoGP for the whole 2023 season, with an ambitious and important project.
    
   With the creation of the first official MotoGP “prediction game”, Guru has entered the World Championship paddock from the main door and not only: its presence on the fairings of the Desmosedici machines #49 and #73 has been highlighted a couple of times at the parc fermé already this year, courtesy of Alex Marquez. 
    
   For the #SpanishGP, MotoGP Guru powered by Gryfyn has unveiled the 2023 challenge, with a selection of journalists from the World Championship that will take on the official photographers. It will be a “Fantasy League” open to everybody, in which the prize for the winner will be a Gresini Racing-liveried Ducati machine. 

   GRAEME WARRING – MOTOGP GURU powered by GRYFYN CEO
   “We decided to augment our title sponsorships and circuit activation with a race team partnership. In 2022 at Phillip Island and Valencia we spoke to a few teams and Gresini Racing responded with a very focused plan to compliment what we were committed to doing with Dorna. It was clear that they really embraced the project, and we really embraced the team, especially the legacy of Fausto and the family atmosphere that feels warm and welcoming."
    
   CARLO MERLINI – COMMERCIAL & MARKETING DIRECTOR GRESINI RACING
   “Extremely delighted to announce MotoGP Guru powered by Gryfyn as new Gresini Racing MotoGP Team sponsor. Last year Gryfyn strongly bursted into MotoGP environment as title sponsor of a few races and I’m happy that for 2023 they chose Gresini Racing MotoGP as partner to develop and implement the activation program for Guru, the new (and exciting!) official result prediction game of the MotoGP World Championship. Besides the massive branding, GryFyn will benefit of a large range of services and experience to offer as prize to the lucky Guru winners. Welcome MotoGP Guru powered by GryFyn in the #gresinifamily”.

4. RACE AT PORTIMAO

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 27th Mar 2023

   THE FIRST 2023 MOTOGP WEEKEND ENDS WITH ONE CERTAINTY: APRILIA WILL BE A KEY PLAYER

   BRILLIANT SECOND PLACE FOR A BATTLING VIÑALES, IN THE MIX FOR THE WIN DOWN TO THE FINAL LAP 
    
   ALEIX BATTLES, ENDURES CONTACT, AND FINISHES NINTH. BUT HE IS THE FASTEST ON TRACK

   There was no lack of thrills on the first weekend of the 2023 MotoGP season, held in Portimão. After the frenzied Sprint Race yesterday, the 25 laps today were no less exciting and they provided solid confirmation: Aprilia is and will be a key player in this championship season.

   Maverick got off to a decisive start, immediately earning positions on the early turns. Armed with a pace that allowed him to catch up the leader, he engaged him in a long battle with the gap narrowed to just tenths of a second. His second-place finish is a proper conclusion to a weekend where both he and the entire team worked almost perfectly together. Knowing that there is a good starting base, now they’ll need to continue growing.

   There were two sides of the coin for Aleix’s race. The race fast lap shows just what the Spaniard’s pace is, such that he had the potential to battle for the podium. However, starting from the fourth row worked against him in the early stages of the race, once again hindered by contact with Binder that forced him to ride a demanding comeback after losing 5 positions. His ninth-place finish does not do justice to what he demonstrated on the track, but Aleix himself cannot help but evaluate his first weekend of 2023 as more than positive.

   We would be remiss not to mention hometown hero Miguel Oliveira, an absolute protagonist in the race, battling for the win until a rash move by Márquez brought his race to an early end. Initial checks seem to rule out any serious consequences, and this is the most important news. 

   Aleix
   "Overall, I’m pleased both with our weekend and with the speed we demonstrated. Unfortunately, once again today, our starting position overshadowed my pace a bit, which was decidedly good. On the early turns, I had contact with Binder, costing me a lot of positions, and then, when I had free track ahead of me, I managed to be fast, but I struggled a bit in overtaking. This was partly because I didn’t want to risk any pointless contact – I had already seen quite enough of that this weekend and I think that we riders should be the first to think reasonably and arrive in Argentina with less stress. In any case, the RS-GP proved to be fast and I couldn’t have asked for more. One thing is certain – we’ll need to be more incisive in qualifying."

   Maverick
   "This is a great result and I’m extremely proud of the work Aprilia is doing. Our bike is truly complete and competitive. But our goal is to stay out front, so we need to keep working this way, with a lot of grit, to improve even further. In the race, I tried to stay consistently close to Pecco, even when I dropped back to let my tyres cool and then close the gap again. I tried to keep the pressure on him all the way to the end and we finished really close, but he was good at not making any mistakes and not giving me any real openings to overtake. Now we’ll head to Argentina with lots of confidence."

5. STANDING OVATION WORTH DEBUT FOR MARQUEZ AT PORTIMAO

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 27th Mar 2023

   The result was there on paper, but then it is all about making it happen, especially when starting from 12^thplace on the grid. Alex Marquez did not disappoint, as he made it back to the top five for the first time since over a year (he was fourth in 2021 at Portimao).
    
   After a good start, the Spanish rider managed to quickly get up to speed and made the most of the opportunities given – also due to a few crashes ahead of him. The #73 battled for third with Bezzecchi for most of the race, then towards the end, he had more to defend his position from the determined KTM riders trailing him – with only Zarco able to pip him almost at the line. Still, the valuable points scored today give him plenty of confidence to pack for Termas.
    
   On the other side of the garage, it was a weekend to forget for Fabio Di Giannantonio. After starting from last place on the grid, the Rome-born rider had to deal first with a coming together with Morbidelli, and then with a forearm problem that forced him to retire.