| | Biker News - Regularly updated
Category: Superbikes
-
Under the watchful eye of an ecstatic Keanu Reeves, the German GP sprint race got underway with Alex and Marc Marquez starting the encounter from 5th and 13th position, respectively. The former had a challenging qualifying session as he crashed out in the final moments and suffered a big blow to his neck; Marc’s qualifying performance was even more unfortunate as he was held back by another rider found in the middle of the racing line during his last quick-lap attempt, which prevented him from making it through Q1.
The race, however, smiled to the #93, who did well in finishing sixth after a comeback and a final overtake on Viñales that was sealed only at the photo finish. The Spanish rider is not on top form due to the big blow to the rib cage suffered yesterday, but he had a strong race up to the finish line; Alex’s encounter was a lot more difficult, with a not-too-good start and a good battle with KTM riders for the last point available.
6th - MARC MARQUEZ #93
“To be starting from 13th place here is a problem, because as much as you may like this track, there are only two spots where you can overtake… It’s been an unfavourable weekend from yesterday afternoon onwards. We’ll try to put another good performance tomorrow, but today’s sixth place finish is a good sign. I must thank the fact that there are mostly left-hand corners at this track for my physical condition, otherwise I would have likely not raced at all.”
9th - ALEX MARQUEZ #73
“After the crash in qualifying I believe this is a positive result. I got a big blow to my neck, and this is where I had fractured my second vertebrae a few years back, so there was a little bit of worry. Fortunately, nothing is broken but today we struggled a bit in the race due to the lack of rest time between qualifying and race. The pace was good and tomorrow we’ll have another chance to got on holiday with a sweet taste in our mouths.”
-
Bad news first: on one side, Marc Marquez crashes out of the encounter at turn two after having completed only one lap of the sprint race, on the other Alex Marquez finishes eighth following a three-second penalty due to exceeding track limits (and not carrying out the long-lap penalty).
Now, the good news: Marc is uninjured after what was after all a high-speed crash, while Alex spent most of the encounter in the top 5 while showing excellent pace. His fourth place on the grid and his brother’s seventh position still bode well for a much more encouraging Sunday.
8th - ALEX MARQUEZ #73
“With two laps less, it could have been a whole different result. Joking aside, we struggled a bit towards the end with the rear tyre, but on the other hand we gathered some useful information on the front hard tyre which are important ahead of the full race. Now we need to do some fine tuning and tomorrow we’ll be capable of battling for the top five.”
DNF – MARC MARQUEZ #93
“It’s never good to make a mistake and crash. The positive note is that I could have hurt myself and that didn’t happen – and I mean especially this morning at turn seven. Too bad for the race because the feeling with the bike was excellent and now we need to get it back during warm up.”
-
Prominent MotoGP team Gresini Racing, in partnership with MotoGP Guru and Animoca Brands’ subsidiary SPORTPASS, today launched the first-ever fan powered sponsorship program. The program will enable MotoGP fans to purchase and own an exclusive personal team sponsorship package — all for as little as €125.
“This is a world-first in sports; we have worked with Gresini Racing to bring the fans even closer to the team and the riders they support, and do so using the latest technology to provide the security of ownership and value,” said SPORTPASS CEO Jordan Fogerty. “We hope that the SPORTPASS platform and the value it provides to fans will prove to be a turning point in the way teams and riders connect with fans as well as the brand partners, which are pivotal to enhancing fan experiences.”
The new program offers fans a number of exclusive benefits money can’t buy, such as VIP Paddock Experiences at the Grands Prix of 2024, name placement on the bikes, and being invited to exclusive events, zoom calls with the team members, special custom merchandise, and a chance to win Ducati Panigale V4S, a highly customized official test bike used by the Gresini Racing’s riders Marc and Alex Marquez. Fan sponsors will also get to own exclusive digital passes, collectibles, invitations, and credentials, as well as access to other exclusive sponsor-only content.
Gresini Racing has recently risen to international fame after the team signed eighth-time world champion Marc Marquez, who joined his brother Alex to compete in the 2024 MotoGP World Championship on the Ducati Desmosedici GP23. The anticipation of the satellite teams’ performance and Marc’s early season podium success, along with his massive following, have shone a spotlight on Gresini Racing, and they have wasted no time bringing a world-first initiative to MotoGP aficionados.
“We have always had an incredibly loyal fan base not only of the team but the many riders who have achieved success in our championship projects. We could not be happier to be the first team to ever allow actual fans to become sponsors and make this available globally,”.added Carlo Merlini, Commercial & Marketing Director of Gresini Racing. “We look forward to innovating and engaging in new and exciting ways.”
These sponsorship experiences were brought to life by SPORTPASS and MotoGP Guru, which also produces and publishes the official MotoGP Prediction Game and the officially licensed mobile racing game MotoGP Guru Racing ‘24. MotoGP Guru is also part of another Animoca subsidiary, The Motorverse—an interoperable ecosystem of motorsport-centric games boasting pioneering IP collaborations and championing digital ownership.
-
Prominent MotoGP team Gresini Racing, in partnership with MotoGP Guru and Animoca Brands’ subsidiary SPORTPASS, today launched the first-ever fan powered sponsorship program. The program will enable MotoGP fans to purchase and own an exclusive personal team sponsorship package — all for as little as €125.
“This is a world-first in sports; we have worked with Gresini Racing to bring the fans even closer to the team and the riders they support, and do so using the latest technology to provide the security of ownership and value,” said SPORTPASS CEO Jordan Fogerty. “We hope that the SPORTPASS platform and the value it provides to fans will prove to be a turning point in the way teams and riders connect with fans as well as the brand partners, which are pivotal to enhancing fan experiences.”
The new program offers fans a number of exclusive benefits money can’t buy, such as VIP Paddock Experiences at the Grands Prix of 2024, name placement on the bikes, and being invited to exclusive events, zoom calls with the team members, special custom merchandise, and a chance to win Ducati Panigale V4S, a highly customized official test bike used by the Gresini Racing’s riders Marc and Alex Marquez. Fan sponsors will also get to own exclusive digital passes, collectibles, invitations, and credentials, as well as access to other exclusive sponsor-only content.
Gresini Racing has recently risen to international fame after the team signed eighth-time world champion Marc Marquez, who joined his brother Alex to compete in the 2024 MotoGP World Championship on the Ducati Desmosedici GP23. The anticipation of the satellite teams’ performance and Marc’s early season podium success, along with his massive following, have shone a spotlight on Gresini Racing, and they have wasted no time bringing a world-first initiative to MotoGP aficionados.
“We have always had an incredibly loyal fan base not only of the team but the many riders who have achieved success in our championship projects. We could not be happier to be the first team to ever allow actual fans to become sponsors and make this available globally,”.added Carlo Merlini, Commercial & Marketing Director of Gresini Racing. “We look forward to innovating and engaging in new and exciting ways.”
These sponsorship experiences were brought to life by SPORTPASS and MotoGP Guru, which also produces and publishes the official MotoGP Prediction Game and the officially licensed mobile racing game MotoGP Guru Racing ‘24. MotoGP Guru is also part of another Animoca subsidiary, The Motorverse—an interoperable ecosystem of motorsport-centric games boasting pioneering IP collaborations and championing digital ownership.
-
It was surely a positive weekend for Team Gresini MotoGP, who places both their riders in the higher part of the race classification and leaves Mugello with a total of 31 points scored in what was the first of two home events for the Faenza-based squad.
Marc Marquez bagged 22 of those points courtesy of yesterday’s second-place finish and today’s fourth position at the line. It was a challenging race in which the GP24 machines of Bagnaia, Bastianini and Martin had something more. The overtake on Enea and a few points taken from Martin in the standings are for the record books. The championship lead is now 36 points away, six less than two days ago.
Alex Marquez has found again some consistency and two top-ten finishes at a venue that has never been too kind to him. He put up a great fight with his former teammate Di Giannantonio, with a good feeling to take home ahead of the three-week break.
The on-track action does not stop here, however, as it is time for official testing, taking place at Mugello tomorrow – if weather allows.
4th - MARC MARQUEZ #93
“We missed out on the podium, but we did a positive race. I couldn’t overtake bastianini and when he passed me with two laps ago, it seemed as though he was on fresh tyres. Both Pecco and him were really strong. We’re leaving with a few more points in the standings and we’re very positive ahead of the next two back-to-back races. We’ll keep working during the test day in order to further improve our feeling.”
9th - ALEX MARQUEZ #73
“It was a very similar race to Austin for how demanding it was. We started well and we were in a fast group of riders, even though I lost one position at the end. We were 12 seconds quicker than in last year’s race, but obviously we want more. We’ll try to find something in the test with regards to better balance and more speed.”
|
