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Category: Superbikes
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ANDREA IANNONE VICTIM OF A BAD CRASH
BRADLEY SMITH ON THE SEVENTH ROW
A tenth of a second kept Aleix Espargaró from gaining direct access in FP3 to the second qualifying session today, a tiny gap that bears witness once again to how competitive the MotoGP starting grid is on the Jerez de la Frontera circuit. The Spanish rider then went through Q1 boldly, finishing with a time of 1'37.625 that earns him the first spot on the sixth row.
His garage mate, Andrea Iannone, had a bad crash on turn 11 in the early stages of FP4. Although X-rays showed that there were no fractures, the rider was declared unfit to race due to severe pain to his left foot. The situation will be assessed and updated with a check-up tomorrow morning.
Bradley Smith will start from the seventh row tomorrow, doing his best time ever on the Jerez track while continuing his usual development work on the Aprilia RS-GP again today.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"This morning, we worked hard with the goal of going through to Q2, missing it by just one tenth of a second, after which I gave it my all in Q1 as well, but finishing in the top 12 just wasn’t in the cards. We cannot be satisfied with our starting position, but in compensation, during FP4 we found some good solutions for the race, both in terms of setup and in terms of tyres. Tomorrow I will try to start well and maintain a good pace all the way to the finish with the goal of getting into the top ten. We expect higher temperatures tomorrow, so I will probably put on the harder compound tyres which I feel better with."
BRADLEY SMITH
"Yesterday evening we did everything we could to relieve the pain and it was good to get back on the back feeling almost none. Having said that, we did not want to take too many risks today. In any case, my time in qualifying is the best I've ever done here at Jerez, so I am pleased even if I would have liked to have gotten below 1’38”, and we had the potential to do it. In the warm up session tomorrow we’ll try to use a mix of two different configurations we tested today in order to keep improving for the race, where we’ll be able to battle for points."
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The Aprilia Racing Team Gresini has a new, important partner for the 2019 MotoGP campaign: Zoccarato Industrial Painting is in fact the new technical sponsor of the Italian team – who have recently completed the 2019 season opener in Qatar (March 10th).
With over 60 years of presence on the Italian territory and now leader in the industrial painting sector, Zoccarato Industrial Painting joins the Gresini family and their logo will be visible on the mudguards of the two Aprilia RS-GP machines of Aleix Espargaro and Andrea Iannone, as well as in the pit-box and on the MotoGP team trucks.
ZOCCARATO ALESSIO, Zoccarato Industrial Painting AD. “It’s an honour for us to become Technical Partners of the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini. Romeo Zoccarato – the company founder – began this activity in 1962, after a working experience as employee in the painting department of Aprilia. After 50 years of experience, passion and care for details have led us here. We wanted to be present within this team, a team that shows the same passion for their mission as we have for ours. I wish all the best to the Gresini Racing Team! The journey into 2019 has just started!”
FAUSTO GRESINI – Team Manager “Romeo’s story is really wonderful: going from being an employee of the painting department in Aprilia to become sponsor of the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini. It’s with real pleasure that we welcome the Zoccarato family, owners of a great Italian company with an incredible tradition like ours. There is clear synergy between our two institutions and I hope this new partnership will bring immediate and positive results.”
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APRILIA IGNITES MUGELLO WITH PASSION
MORE THAN TEN THOUSAND AT APRILIA ALL STARS, THE CELEBRATION OF THE BRAND FROM NOALE
WITH IANNONE AND SMITH, THE MOTOGP TEAM PRESENTED THE NEW RSV4 1100 FACTORY AND THE SPECIAL 225 HP X VERSION THAT CELEBRATES THE RSV4’S TENTH BIRTHDAY
LIVING IT UP ON THE TRACK WERE MAX BIAGGI, LORIS CAPIROSSI, MANUEL POGGIALI, ALEX GRAMIGNI AND ROBERTO LOCATELLI
It was a huge celebration of enthusiasts who responded en masse to the call from Aprilia, a young and Italian brand that lives and breathes passion for motorcycles and racing, more alive than ever with a fantastic fan base and with the capacity to thrill and excite as it always has throughout its history.
More than ten thousand people descended on Mugello for the first edition of Aprilia All Stars, the day on which Aprilia celebrated its past and future, introducing the new 217 HP RSV4 1100 Factory to the public along with the MotoGP team. This new bike is a concentration of technology and racing know-how expressed to an even further extreme in the X version which, created for the tenth birthday of the RSV4 project, reaches 225 HP and a weight of 165 Kg.
These are two bikes that bear witness to the extraordinary bond between the Aprilia product and its Racing department which, backed by 54 world titles won, including seven in WSBK and 294 GP wins, is a true technological banner for the Piaggio Group and for the entire Italian motorcycling movement.
It was the FMI president, Giovanni Copioli, who acknowledged this role, awarding Piaggio Group CEO and MD Roberto Colannino on the track during the MotoGP team presentation.
The Aprilia Racing Team Gresini were on track with the 2019 RS-GP machines which made their début two weeks ago in Qatar, ridden by Andrea Iannone and Bradley Smith, who were the same riders to unveil the new Aprilia RSV4 versions which were then taken out on track by an extraordinary crew of Champions in the Aprilia World: Max Biaggi, Loris Capirossi, Manuel Poggiali, Alex Gramigni and Roberto Locatelli.
Biaggi’s parade lap astride his 1995 world championship RS 250, the sensational race with all the riders astride Aprilia SR 150 scooters, won in the final stretch by Manuel Poggiali and the display in pit lane of the bikes that have written Aprilia racing history filled an extraordinary day on which the public of Aprilia fans were protagonists. Participants ranged from those who are simply fans of the Italian brand, filling the grandstands and paddock that was livened up by music and games to the hundreds of fans in the Bearacer community who were able to meet the riders and share in a day of celebration with the entire team. And at the end, there was a spectacular parade of Aprilia bikes that invaded the circuit, the same track where the bikes from Noale, the most victorious bikes on the Tuscan hillside, have triumphed no less than 23 times in World GP races.
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The 2019 Moto3 season will see Sag Tubi alongside Gresini Racing for the ninth consecutive year. The internationally recognised Italian Company will once again be among the official sponsors of the quarter-litre class effort, as well as technical sponsor for the MotoGP part of the outfit.
This is going to be a very important season for Gresini Racing and for Sag Tubi, as the brand is celebrating their 50th year of existence by supporting Gabri Rodrigo and Riccardo Rossi in Moto3 and the standard bearers of Aprilia Racing: Andrea Iannone and Aleix Espargaró.
Sag Tubi – a leading European manufacturer of tubes and other related components - will have their logo displayed on Aleix and Andrea’s leathers as well as on the team uniforms of the newly-born Team Kömmerling Gresini Moto3.
Walter Zini - CEO Sag Tubi SpA
“We are happy and obviously proud to extend our support to Team Gresini in the MotoGP and Moto3 classes for another season. 2018 was a year full of success, which gave Team Del Conca Gresini Moto3 the world title; we really wish to thank again all the team for those unforgettable moments. There are many new things coming in 2019 with new riders joining the Gresini family, but I’m sure that, under the experienced direction of Fausto and his excellent staff, we will enjoy some more success. We are proud to associate our brand Sag Tubi to Gresini Racing for the ninth consecutive year and ready to live another exciting season. We will be among the most loyal fans of Aprilia Racing Team and Team Kömmerling Gresini Moto3.”
Fausto Gresini – Team Manager
“What can I say? Nine years together say a lot about this partnership, so I can only thank Walter for his faith in us, and the passion he gives. Last year we did amazing things together in Moto3 and we would like to do the same this season. While we know there’s a lot of work to do in MotoGP, we are also aware that a big improvement is possible, especially with the support of such a prestigious company as Sag Tubi.”
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Motorex is celebrating another successful year of competition on the world stage, taking its tally of world titles to 118 after adding another eight to its collection in 2018, in a year that also saw the brand take its maiden MotoGP podium.
The Swiss oil giant picked up a fourth consecutive FIM Supercross World Championship early in the year, with Jason Anderson adding to Ryan Dungey’s three-in-a-row from 2015-2017. There were also back-to-back MXGP and World MX2 titles, as Jeffrey Herlings and Jorge Prado respectively added to Antonio Cairoli and Pauls Jonass’ wins from 2017.
2018 also saw Motorex power five more riders to world championship glory, with Toby Price winning the Cross-Country Rallies title, while in the world of enduro Cody Webb was crowned Super Enduro World Champion. Brad Freeman, Matteo Cavallo, and Ruy Barbosa were all Enduro World Champions in the E1, Junior, and Youth classes.
This year’s success means Motorex boasts 118 world titles since it entered world championship racing with Mick Bollhalder and Charlie Büsser, helping them claim the FIM Sidecar Cross World Championship. Since then they have helped teams and riders win world championships in motocross, enduro, supermoto, rally, supersport, Moto3, and Moto2.
The culmination of this year’s MotoGP season also saw Motorex make history with its first podium in the premier road-racing championship, as Pol Espargaro – a former Moto2 champion with Motorex – finished third at Valencia.
Motorex offers a wide selection of engine and gearbox oils to suit a range of machinery, as well as suspension oils, coolant, chain lube, and other maintenance, care, and cleaning products.
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