Category: Superbikes

1. Zaccone completes Team Trentino Gresini line-up for 2020

   Posted on 12:00pm Wednesday 4th Dec 2019

   Team Trentino Gresini MotoE have now finalised their plans for 2020 with the arrival of Alessandro Zaccone, who will race alongside MotoE’s reigning and defending champion Matteo Ferrari.
   
   The 20-year-old Italian has a history in the Italian Championship of Speed (CIV) in which he became champion of the CBR600RR Cup in 2014 and a present in the CEV, where he was third this year in the Moto2 class (which was dominated by Edgard Pons). He is now joining Gresini in what is a new adventure for him in the all-electric class of MotoGP.
   
   Zaccone’s first shakedown will be on March 10-12 at Jerez de la Frontera – the same track hosting the season debut on the first weekend of May.
   
   ALESSANDRO ZACCONE
   “This is surely going to be an interesting challenge and a completely new one for me. I’m very happy with this opportunity and also to be joining such an institution like Team Gresini – which has been a dream since I was a young buy. I will give my 200% to repay Fausto’s trust in me and I expect a great season.”
   
   FAUSTO GRESINI
   “Alessandro is a young Italian prospect and that’s exactly the type of rider we were looking for. I always said that the MotoE project must be one for the young riders so I’m happy to be giving this opportunity to a rider that we considered mature enough to step up on the world stage – after doing so well in the CEV Moto2 class this year. We would like to confirm ourselves at the top in 2020 and with thisline-up we will try to do even better than 2019.”

2. Ferrari still atop the standings after race1 at Valencia

   Posted on 12:00pm Sunday 17th Nov 2019

   The title race will continue in the final race of the season. The MotoE world Cup will be decided in the last showdown schedule at 15:30 tomorrow at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo Circuit. Matteo Ferrari is still the main contender for the ultimate price courtesy of today’s fourth place, which allows him to enter the final battle with a 12-point margin over Garzo (2nd today) and 21 on Smith (3rd at the flag).
   
   The race start was not ideal for Ferrari (Team Trentino Gresini MotoE) who dropped down to fifth place but then managed to find back some speed and confidence as he battled out first with Garzo and then Simeon – before finishing with 13 important points under his belt ahead of tomorrow.
   
   By repeating today’s result in the last race, Matteo Ferrari would be crowed the first-ever MotoE world champion. Fingers crossed!

3. Ferrari re-signs and look forward to Valencia

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 7th Nov 2019

   Team Trentino Gresini MotoE has confirmed – as the most natural and logical choice – Matteo Ferrari, as the star of the team’s MotoE line-up for the upcoming season. Currently leading the standings with two races left to be contested, the #11 Italian rider showed great adaptation skills to the new bike and – despite the young age – a great amount of experience in the first-ever edition of the MotoE World Cup.
    
   For all these reasons, Team Trentino Gresini MotoE has shown great will to come to an agreement before of the final event of the season at Valencia, in which Ferrari will battle for the first-ever title of this new and surprising category.
    
   It is going to be a thrilling weekend with Matteo Ferrari, who is going to do the utmost to defend himself from the many title rivals. He currently holds a 19-point advantage on his main opponent Garzo, but 12 are the riders still mathematically in contention for the title – with 50 points still to be awarded. MotoE proceedings will get underway on Thursday at 16:00 local time (GMT+1).

4. APRILIA RACING TEAM GRESINI - Malaysia Race

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 4th Nov 2019

   POINTS FOR ALEIX AT THE END OF A TROUBLED RACE

   ANDREA IANNONE CRASHES WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES
   
   The race ridden on the torrid asphalt of Sepang (Malaysia) was not a simple one. Aleix Espargaró, who started from the fourteenth spot on the grid, managed to move his way up the field just outside the top 10 before losing two positions in the battles that took place in the race finale. In spite of a good race pace, the Spaniard's performance was limited by the difficulty overtaking.

   Teammate Andrea Iannone was also riding a decent race, battling for a finish in the points. Unfortunately, too much time spent in the slipstream heated up the front tyre and he ended up having a crash on turn 9, harmless for the Italian, but enough to put him out of the action.
   
   ALEIX ESPARGARÒ
   "I cannot be pleased with this race, especially because I had a decidedly better pace than my finishing position reflects. Unfortunately, our limitations in acceleration make it very difficult to overtake. I lost time today behind Bagnaia and in the battle with Pol. In the end, I limited the damage, even in terms of gap. Now we’ll prepare our best for Valencia and next season."
   
   
   ANDREA IANNONE
   "It was a strange race. I didn't have a bad pace, but I was slow in speed, staying in the slipstream for a long time and things did not improve. The temperatures began to rise, including the front tyre temperature, and I struggled until the crash. We have work to do, but I have peace of mind. I’ll be ready when we are able to make an important step forward."

5. APRILIA RACING TEAM GRESINI - Phillip Island Race

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 28th Oct 2019

   IN AUSTRALIA TWO APRILIAS IN THE TOP TEN WITH ANDREA SIXTH AND ALEIX TENTH

   IT IS THE BEST RESULT EVER FOR APRILIA IN THE HISTORY OF MOTOGP

   ANDREA FINISHES LESS THAN 8 TENTHS FROM THE PODIUM, ALEIX CONSISTENTLY IN THE BATTLE WITH THE LEADERS
   
   With its riders putting in an outstanding performance, Aprilia was one of the protagonists in the Australian GP. Starting very well from the third row – Aprilia had never before had two riders in the top ten on the starting grid – Andrea and Aleix settled in stably with the lead group. In the early stages, they occupied third and fifth place for quite a while with Andrea who, on the third lap, even had the satisfaction of overtaking Márquez and then Crutchlow for first place. Starting with the soft on the rear, they both had to manage the natural wear of the tyre but they never gave up, playing key roles in the leading pack and, after Viñales and Márquez pulled away, in the group battling for the podium.

   In the end, Andrea took home a nice sixth place, finishing just 7.8 tenths from the podium, while Aleix finished tenth as a testament to the overall great performance of the RS-GP on the demanding and beautiful Phillip Island circuit.

   This is Aprilia’s best placement ever in the history of MotoGP, where two bikes from Noale had never been so high in the rankings and so close to the podium. The result comes at the end of a primarily positive weekend where the RS-GP machines had been consistently fast in practice and in qualifying, with Andrea finishing Q1 in second place, going through to Q2, and Aleix second in the morning warm up session.
   
   ALEIX ESPARGARÒ
   "This is a special track for us, different from the other circuits, and I had fun straight away as soon as we got here. We stayed consistently with the best group which was battling for the podium in a fun race with a lot of overtaking. It seemed like a Moto3 race, but with a lot faster and heavier bikes! In order to be even more competitive, I would have needed more grip on the rear, so I was unable to ride exactly as I expected, having to make up a lot of ground in braking."
   
   ANDREA IANNONE
   "It was a positive race for us, but we worked well throughout the weekend. I had a good feeling straight away and I realised from the first practice session that it would be a good opportunity for us. There were obviously many details that helped, beginning with the characteristics of this track, and it’s a pity about some contact in the finale. I lost a winglet and the bike was no longer perfectly balanced. But it was thrilling to ride the Aprilia out front and for that I wish to thank all the guys here and in Noale who are working their hardest and the CEO who supports us in our growth. I hope to be able to bring them more satisfaction. This is only my first season with Aprilia and it was not exactly simple, but we were never lacking in determination and commitment."