Category: Superbikes

1. MUGELLO AT LAST!

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 26th May 2022

   APRILIA RACING ARRIVES AT THE ROUND ITALIAN FANS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR AS A PROTAGONIST

   ALEIX IS SECOND IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS FOUR POINTS BEHIND THE LEADER AND MAVERICK IS READY TO BE PUT TO THE TEST ON ONE OF THE MOST SPECTACULAR TRACKS

   APRILIA RACING, FIRST IN THE TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS, ALSO TAKES THE THIRD RS-GP ON THE TRACK WITH WILD CARD LORENZO SAVADORI

   MotoGP 2022’s arrival in Italy coincides with the most exciting time in Aprilia’s history in the World Championship GP Motorcycle Racing premier class. An Aleix in a state of grace, with the outstanding support of the new RS-GP, is headed to Mugello as a great protagonist in the championship where he is lying second, just four points behind the leader, and with the further motivation of what feels like a “home” race.

   The weekend on the extraordinary Tuscan track will be Maverick Viñales’ chance to continue his work getting comfortable on the bike, the results of which are beginning to shine through, as is the potential of the Italian-Spanish duo.

   Completing the trident will be Lorenzo Savadori who, thanks to his third wild-card appearance of the season, will be taking the third RS-GP onto the track. It will be yet another extremely important moment in the growth of Aprilia’s MotoGP project, thanks to the testing in the race of new development solutions. Thanks in part to this work, all three riders will benefit from a range of technical upgrades, a tangible sign of the great effort the Veneto-based racing department continues to bring to the table.

   ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
   "In the next two weeks, I’ll have... the two home races! In fact, Mugello and Barcelona represent my two families and that is why these rounds have a particular flavour to them. We have demonstrated that we are fast and that is no exaggeration, but consistency is also what will make the difference this year. There are a lot of strong riders, bikes that are hard to stay ahead of, and every result is the fruit of practically perfect labour. We need to keep it up."

   MAVERICK VIÑALES
   "With hard work, we are constantly finding the answers we are seeking, even if it isn’t easy. We are all battling at an extraordinary level where the devil is in the details and adapting to a new bike and a new team is no simple thing. But I have faith. The potential of the RS-GP is clear and in some situations I am able to exploit it, whereas we still need to work out a few phases of the weekend to take a definitive step forward."

   LORENZO SAVADORI
   "Racing in Mugello, a magnificent track, with the support of the fans, will be a great thrill. We’ll continue our work on an experimental bike with the goal of helping Aleix and Maverick in this extremely demanding championship. My wild cards are complementary to the tests. Non-stop development is necessary because we are fast but the competition won’t let us relax!"

2. TEAM GRESINI JOINS MOTOGP eSPORTS WITH TATEEGO

   Posted on 12:55pm Tuesday 24th May 2022

   This year, it will not only be about asphalt and rubber for Team Gresini, as the Faenza-based squad officially enters the eSports MotoGP World Championship, an ever-growing ‘reality’ in the last few years. With the goal of further strengthening the already tight bond between the company and the country of Indonesia, the Gresini Racing management has put their faith in Charles Armando Williams Hebingadil, also known as TateeGO, a 23-year-old from Manado City, North Sulawesi.
   
   With the support of a whole nation, TateeGO will tackle five eSports challenges in this year 2022, which starts from Mugello this weekend (Friday 27th). Of five events, two will be on-site including the opening one in Tuscany.
   
   TateeGO begins his world championship journey with an interesting fact. His #46, which will be retired this weekend in the ‘real’ world, will continue to be displayed in the virtual one courtesy of the young Indonesian. The decision on the number has come into place after the agreement with the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism: the 46 is indeed the identification code of this institution.

   CHARLES ARMANDO WILLIAMS HEBINGADIL aka - TATEEGO #46
   “To be honest I was very happy when I was contacted by the team: Because I am a Gresini racing fan and because we all know there are many Indonesian sponsors tied to it. This will be an amazing experience for me of course, I really hope that in the future I will still be here, and I also want to thank the Gresini Racing Team for choosing me to be the team's esports racer”.
    
   SANDIAGA UNO – MINISTER OF TOURISM & CREATIVE ECONOMY OF INDONESIA
   It is a pleasure to see a talented young man from Indonesia named TateeGO (Charles) representing the nation in the 2022 MotoGP™ï¸ eSport Championship. TateeGO hails from Manado, North Sulawesi, one of Indonesia's best tourism destination. Through the slogan “Wonderful Indonesia”, the world will not only know about Indonesia's tourism but also the great potentials of Indonesia's thriving eSports industry. Good luck and best wishes to TateeGO (Charles), do your best and we fully support you in the 2022 MotoGP™ï¸ eSport Championship! Ayo Bikin Bangga Indonesia!
    
   CARLO MERLINI – DIRETTORE COMMERCIALE E MARKETING GRESINI RACING
   “eSports has been an important institution for some years and as Gresini Racing we could not let this opportunity of being present slip away. We are lucky to be able to count on a young Indonesian rider who already impressed during the worldwide slections and we can’t wait to see him in action at Mugello. We’re happy to welcome him in the #GresiniFamily and I would like to take the opportunity to thank Sandi Uno and the whole Indonesian Ministry of Tourism who are supporting us in this journey as well.”

3. GRESINI RACING MOTOGP WELCOMING MS GLOW FOR MEN AS NEW PARTNER

   Posted on 12:00pm Friday 20th May 2022

   The Gresini Racing MotoGP Team, a new ally joining the Faenza-based squad from the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello onwards, welcoming MS GLOW For MEN as a new partner. 
    
   MS GLOW For MEN is a leading skincare products in Indonesia cater to men from all walks of life who care about their skin. With millions of customers on its side, MS GLOW For MEN enters a wide and solid group of Indonesian partners for the team founded by Fausto Gresini.
    
   MS GLOW For MEN will enjoy prominent branding on Enea Bastianini and Fabio Di Giannantonio’s Ducati MotoGP machines, as well as inside the team’s pit-boxes and on the Gresini Racing trucks.

   GILANG WIDYA PRAMANA – CHAIRMAN OF MS GLOW FOR MEN
   “We are very excited to join the Gresini Racing MotoGP Team as new partner. Riding is not just a passion but also a lifestyle. This partnership will amplify the character of MS GLOW For MEN as a lifestyle product in the form of skincare for real men. We can’t wait to explore this partnership, elevate the brand of MS GLOW For MEN and promote the name of Indonesia.”
   
   CARLO MERLINI – GRESINI RACING COMMERCIAL AND MARKETING DIRECTOR
   “I’m delighted to announce MS GLOW for MEN as Official Sponsor of the Gresini Racing MotoGP Team. When we met during the GP in Mandalika we immediately decided to build a partnership and I’m glad to have them onboard starting from the next coming Italian GP. As we all know the popularity of MotoGP in Indonesia makes it a powerful marketing tool and, besides that, I believe that our strong performances will further boost the activation program that MS GLOW for MEN will building around the sponsorship program”.

    

4. FRANCE GP - FRIDAY

   Posted on 7:00pm Friday 13th May 2022

   ALEIX ESPARGARÓ IS FAST ONCE AGAIN IN LE MANS AND FINISHES THE FIRST DAY OF PRACTICE IN SECOND PLACE

   MAVERICK VIÑALES IS CONSISTENTLY AMONG THE LEADERS BUT NOT QUITE IN THE PROVISIONAL TOP TEN AT THE END OF THE SECOND SESSION

   Aleix Espargaró is once again among the season protagonists and on the French Le Mans track, traditionally not very friendly to the RS-GP, he finished the day with an outstanding second place that also confirms the solid progress of the Aprilia MotoGP project. Concrete and confident, Aleix was in the top spots from the first session, which he finished in fifth place before doing a brilliant flying lap at the end of FP2. His time of 1’31.350 provisionally puts him straight through to Q2, depending on what happens in tomorrow’s sessions.

   Maverick Maverick missed the top ten after being with the leaders in the morning session, eighth when the chequered flag came out, and consistently staying in the top spots of the standings. He finished twelfth just 137 thousandths from tenth place and a provisional spot in Q2, since he didn’t take advantage of the last run to try and improve his time. If the weather permits, always an unpredictable factor in Northeast France, he’ll have FP3 on Saturday morning to make up positions.

   ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
   "First of all, I have to say that riding here in Le Mans with this perfect weather and the grandstands full of fans is fantastic. I’m pleased with the day today. I knew I had a much-improved Aprilia but this is historically not a friendly track for me. But things went well and in the time attack on the soft tyre the feeling was maybe even better than in Jerez".

   MAVERICK VIÑALES
   "Today I managed to be fast straight away, but when I tried to take the next step, I couldn’t find the right confidence to push. We’re working on that and it’s important because if we can find the benefits in the time attack on the soft tyre, our pace will also benefit. It will be important tomorrow to do well in FP3 to go through and compete with the top ten. I’ll have to stay focused and give it my all."

5. LAP RECORD FOR BASTIANINI AT LE MANS

   Posted on 5:00pm Friday 13th May 2022

   #FrenchGP free practice. The start to the third European event of the season has been an excellent one with Enea Bastianini the fastest rider in today’s combined Free Practice time. IT was far from an easy Friday for the rider #23, who crashed twice (once per session), but was still able to put together the quickest-ever lap for a MotoGP bike at the Bugatti circuit.
   
   The Italian star was indeed able to find a positive feeling with his Ducati machine, as especially in the first sector he proved to be extremely competitive. His 1’31.148secs lap-time was two and three tenths of a second faster than the ones set by Quartararo and Rins, respectively.
   
   It was a good opening day for Fabio Di Giannantonio as well: the series rookie started with the base set-up found with the team during the Jerez test – and built on it. His 1’32.275secs tresulted in a provisional 15thplace.

   1st - ENEA BASTIANINI #23 (1’31.148s)
   “Too bad for the two crashes, especially the second one. I would have loved to finish the day a few seconds earlier. It’s been a very positive day nonetheless: we were very quick and comfortable in T1 from the get-go and it’s honestly the area where we have to work the least on. Things have changed compared to yesterday, where maybe we did not fully understand what happened… It happens sometimes. We are quick again and we have the right feeling.”
   
   15th - FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO #49 (1’32.275s)
   “This is maybe the first real positive day of the year. We surely made an important step forward feeling-wise on the bike and I was kind of expecting it after the test we had in Jerez. We’re starting to break hard, and we only need to find a bit more grip: there’s plenty on the track, to be honest, but we still have a bit too much spin and it’ll be important to fix this issue also with regards to qualifying.”