Category: Superbikes

1. The Meteoric Rise of Fabio Quartararo

   Posted on 3:00pm Tuesday 11th May 2021

   MotoGP is the pinnacle of motorcycle racing. Every biker worth their salt dreams of getting aboard one of the amazing bikes and racing at breakneck speed around some of the most demanding and exhilarating tracks around the world. Fabio Quartararo is one young man realising his MotoGP dreams.

   The 22-year-old Frenchman is a MotoGP superstar in the making. He started his professional career during the 2015 season where he raced for Team Estrella Galicia in Moto3. Quartararo finished 10th in his debut season before switching to the KTM of Leopard Racing for 2016. A 13th place finish followed before Quartararo stepped up to Moto2 with the Kalex of Pons HP40. Another 13th place in the rider’s championship was followed by a 10th place in 2018 before Quartararo got his MotoGP break in time for the 2019 season.

   "Fabio Quartara" by motorsports.com is licensed under CC BY 3.0

   Yamaha Takes A Gamble That Pays Off

   Petronas Yamaha SRT gave Quartararo a shot at the big time. Yamaha initially planned to give Quartararo a 2018-spec bike but gave him a factory-spec Yamaha instead. It turned out to be a masterstroke from the Japanese racing giant because Quartararo was incredible. He went from having a reputation as a talented rookie to being one of the race favourites almost overnight. 

   Quartararo qualified for the Spanish Grand Prix in pole position and became the youngest-ever polesitter in MotoGP history. Disaster struck, however, on Lap 20, and Quartararo retired with a gearbox problem, but he had shown the world what he was capable of.

   The young Frenchman’s first podium finish came three races later at the Catalan Grand Prix. Quartararo started in pole position again before finishing second to the fantastic Marc Marquez. Two third-place finishes and a further four runner-up finishes, including at the season finale in Valencia, resulted in Quartararo finishing fifth in the championship race with an impressive 192 points.

   "Fabio Quartara on the track" by PETRONAS is licensed under CC BY 3.0

   First MotoGP Victories

   Quartararo started the 2020 campaign in style with his first and second MotoGP victories in back-to-back races. After yet another pole position, he won the Spanish Grand Prix before taking the chequered flag at the Andalusian Grand Prix, again from a pole position start.

   His 2020 campaign was helped by a severe arm injury to championship favourite Marques. The Spaniard was involved in an accident in Spain and hardly races again during the COVID-19 hit season. Quartararo ultimately finished eighth with 127 points from 14 races.

   Quartararo’s 2021 campaign has started well. He followed up a fifth-place finish at the Qatar Grand Prix, which is Yamaha teammate Maverick Vinales won, with victories in Doha and Portugal. Quartararo qualified for the Doha Grand Prix fifth on the grid but rode an epic race to finish on top of the podium. The talented Frenchman led for 17 of 25 laps during his second win of the season in Portimao.

   His Portuguese Grand Prix victory placed him first in the overall standings, but Quartararo failed to build on his lead after a disappointing showing in Spain. Quartararo languished down in 13th place, some 19 seconds behind Ducati’s Jack Miller and despite setting a new course record for the fastest lap.

   MotoGP experts have already drawn comparisons between Quartararo and the great Marques. Six-time world champion Marques is a motorcycle racing legend with 56 wins, 95 podium finishes, 62 poles, and 57 fastest laps from 130 starts. If Quartararo manages to enjoy even half the success of his Spanish rival, he will have enjoyed a glistening career.

    

    

    

    

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2. EFLY CHOOSES GRESINI ALSO FOR 2021

   Posted on 12:00pm Friday 7th May 2021

   EFLY Srl will be hospitality partner of Gresini Racing for the third consecutive year. With the goal to create synergies to inevitably increase the value of an institution based on work and professionalism, Efly will be alongside Team Gresini with its commercial brand T-MODU, which will be visible within Gresini Racing’s hospitality.
   
   EFLY has chosen once again Team Gresini in what will surely be a different season compared to the best – one more reason to be closer to Fausto’s team and family.

   EMIL PIZZOCRI, CEO EFLY – brand T MODU 
   “Efly and its commercial brand TMODU is at the starting blocks of a new season, with a partnership spirit that has reinforced our presence within the hospitality thanks to an all-round collaboration. Efly Srl is one of the biggest Italian producers of fully compostable, TÜV-certified bioplastic cutlery. With its brand Tmodu it researches, selects and produces disposable and durable tools for eating and it does so with the right approach: this is why we aim at the lowest possible impact on the environment, with an eye to sustainability and ecology. For us, quality is synonymous with eco-compatibility, so the concept of disposable has transformed and now everything must be recycled. My best wishes go to the riders and the team… under the light of a new bright star… good work!”

   CARLO MERLINI – GRESINI RACING COMMERCIAL AND MARKETING DIRECTOR
   “We’re at our third year together for a partnership that has proven to be a winning one already in 2019 and 2020. It’s a pleasure to be able to continue together also this year, with a partner that is more strategic than ever and one that fully matches our profile.”
   
   #CiaoFausto❤️

3. Aprilia RS 660 dominates the debut race in MotoAmerica

   Posted on 12:00pm Sunday 2nd May 2021

   THE ADVENTURE OF THE NEW RS 660 STARTS WITH A HAT-TRICK IN THE AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP

   DE KEYREL, BARRY AND SCHULTZ TAKE THREE APRILIAS ON THE PODIUM IN THE OPENING RACE OF THE TWINS CATEGORY IN ATLANTA
   A perfect start for the debutant Aprilia RS 660 in the Twins category of the MotoAmerica Championship. On the Road Atlanta circuit, three Italian motorcycles conquered the first three positions in a fierce grid of 23 contenders.

   An extraordinary demonstration of strength that exalted the dynamic and engine qualities of the new RS 660. Especially considering that the teams had very little time to prepare the season and carry out tests with the brand new twin-cylinder from Noale, homologated in America just in time for the start of the championship. It is a dazzling start, in some ways unexpected, that places the RS 660 among the favorites for the final victory in the prestigious US championship.

   Winner Kaleb De Keyrel, who started from the second position on the grid, gave the Robem Engineering team its first satisfaction, ahead of Jody Barry (Righteous Racing) and teammate Hayden Schultz.

   "It was super fun - says the winner - really a good battle. To come here with virtually no riding on the new bike and already be so fast shows that I did my homework well. The Aprilia came out so close to the championship that we didn't have much time. I wouldn't be here without Matt Spicer and Gene Burcham and all of Robem Engineering who put so many hours into the Aprilia RS 660 and worked on everything to get it ready for the race. Obviously, I was involved in the championship fight last year but didn't win, so now I'm hungry to prove that I can stay out front and win races."

   Aprilia RS 660, launched last October is revolutionizing the concept of sportiness, it is so light and effective between the curves that, while designed to be usable daily on the road, is capable of transforming itself with a few changes into an extremely fast and fun bike between the curbs. The dynamic qualities, the rigour of the frame, the reduced weight and the exciting performance of the new 100 HP twin-cylinder engine enhance the driving pleasure of a motorcycle that, after being one of the most eagerly awaited novelties, has proved to be fun and enjoyable, able to give emotions in every situation of use.

    

    

    

4. APRILIA RACING TEAM GRESINI - Jerez Qualifying

   Posted on 6:00pm Saturday 1st May 2021

   ALEIX ESPARGARÓ GOES STRAIGHT THROUGH TO Q2 FOR THE FOURTH TIME IN A ROW

   HE’LL START FROM THE THIRD ROW IN THE SPANISH GP IN JEREZ

   LORENZO SAVADORI IMPROVES HIS PACE BUT STILL PAYS THE PRICE FOR INEXPERIENCE IN QUALIFYING
   
   The RS-GP improves and Aleix Espargaró confirms, once again in Jerez, that he is at ease in the top spots of the MotoGP standings. For the fourth consecutive time in as many race weekends, he goes straight through to Q2, thanks to the fifth-place time earned in the morning FP3 session with a fantastic time of 1’37.049.

   In fact, two crashes in the FP4 session just a few minutes before qualifying forced him to change bikes for the decisive session. Aleix reacted extremely well, lapping only a few thousandths of a second off his time in the practice sessions and, with a time of 1’37.085, he took the centre spot on the third row of a starting grid characterised – as it usually is these days – by extremely narrow gaps between the top riders.

   Lorenzo Savadori made clear progress in terms of pace, but had to pay the price of being a rookie in MotoGP during qualifiers. He finished with a time of 1’38.325 (but in FP3 he had lapped at 1’37.814) which places him on the eighth row of the starting grid for tomorrow.
   
   ALEIX ESPARGARO'
   "I don’t think the result in qualifying is entirely indicative. Today we once again demonstrated great competitiveness. In race configuration with used tyres, I think that only a few other riders have a pace better than ours. Unfortunately, we may still be missing a bit of power in qualifying to take full advantage of the soft tyre’s grip, but if we look at the gaps, we're really only talking about thousandths of a second. For the race, it will be essential to get a good start, which will allow us to gain a few positions in the early stages. After that, everything will play out based on tyre wear in the final laps. I'm not obsessed by the result. The thing that comforts me most is that we have been among the favourites for an important position every race weekend so far. This means that we’ve taken a clear step forward and that we are working in the right direction."
   
   LORENZO SAVADORI
   "Things went rather well overall today. In terms of pace, we were able to improve my feeling. On the other hand, I still need time to work on riding at the limit, for example in qualifying, where things get more complicated for me. It seems repetitive, but these bikes are extremely stiff and, compared to the factory derivative bikes, movements are far less accentuated. This doesn’t help me when I'm trying to find the limit and, given the high competitiveness of the championship, you always have to ride at 100%. The increased wind in the afternoon also didn’t help, as my crash in FP4 demonstrates."

5. APRILIA RACING TEAM GRESINI - Jerez Friday

   Posted on 5:00pm Friday 30th Apr 2021

   THE SPANISH RIDER IS THIRD AND HAS A GOOD PACE AT THE END OF THE FIRST DAY IN JEREZ

   LORENZO SAVADORI IS ALSO LOOKING GOOD AS HE IMPROVES IN THE SADDLE OF HIS RS-GP
   
   
   The good trend for Aleix Espargaró and his Aprilia RS-GP, already among the protagonists in the early races of the season, found confirmation on the first day of practice in Jerez.

   Aleix finished the first two sessions comforted by his time, finishing third (1’37.646) and staying consistently in the top positions.

   But he especially demonstrated an extremely consistent pace: Aleix was the only rider on the track to lap below 1’38 five times. His second run was spectacular with 1’37.9, 1’37.8 and 1’37.9, all in a row. He then finished his third run with a 1’37.6 and a 1’37.7.

   In short, it was a good start that places him among the candidates to go straight through to the Q2 session tomorrow, decisive in defining the grid for the Spanish GP on Sunday.

   Lorenzo Savadori closed out his Friday with the 19th best time (1,38.594), seven tenths of a second from the top ten. With such close standings, a sign of the great balance in the MotoGP championship, any progress at all is important and Lorenzo continues improving.
   
   ALEIX ESPARGARO'
   "It’s only Friday, but being fast right from the first lap is important. Especially looking at the pace in race configuration, I think I was one of the more competitive riders. Tomorrow I expect the track conditions to change and that could shake things up for everyone. In any case, there is no doubt as to our speed, even if I was unable to improve a lot in the time attack on the soft tyre. On a track like this one, overtaking is no simple thing, so our goal for tomorrow will have to be the first three rows at the very least."
   
   LORENZO SAVADORI
   "Today was a good day, despite the fact that I wasn’t able to make a difference on the soft tyre. These are things that are part of my growing process in this category. The positive thing is that we figured out where we need to make changes to improve more, so we’ll try already tomorrow."