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Category: Moto GP
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Leading Italian company in the salary and pension-backed loan sector IBL Banca will support the all-Italian team Gresini for the five events of MotoE, the new all-electric category of the FIM MotoGP World Championship.
The logo of IBL Banca will be present in the paddock as well as on the bikes and leathers of Team Gresini, one of the top Italian institutions of the motorcycle racing world - that was founded back in 1997 by two-time world champion Fausto Gresini.
The rider line-up will see the youngster Matteo Ferrari – born in 1997 – joined by 25-year-old Lorenzo Savadori, who has a wealth of experience across many classes and championship. Savadori showed great potential during Valencia test this week and both riders will be ready as soon as MotoE action will finally start in Sachsenring.
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It’s been a disruptive week on the Isle of Man for the 2019 TT races, with just two qualifying sessions going ahead in seven days. The Honda Racing team with Ian Hutchinson and David Johnson have been patiently waiting for the sun to shine and today there was action again around the Mountain course, where Johnson set the third fastest time in the Superbike class, aboard the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2.
Since last Saturday (25 May) only three sessions have been held, one of them being the Supersport/Lightweight/Newcomer last Sunday. In Tuesday’s first scheduled session Johnson impressed with his pace and was amongst the quickest in the Superbike and Superstock class – a feat the Australian was able to repeat today with a third place in the Superbike qualifying, posting a time of 17:39.206 mins (128.236 mph). Johnson also was quick on the Honda CBR600RR, posting the ninth fastest time in the Supersport class.
Teammate Hutchinson suffered a crash in Tuesday’s practice session at the 11th Milestone – the 16-time TT winner was left uninjured after the fall. This afternoon ‘Hutchy’ went straight out on the Fireblade in the Superbike class, and ended the qualifying session aboard the CBR600RR strong; setting the sixth fastest time.
Tomorrow (Monday 3 June) will be the first race day of the 2019 TT races with the RST Superbike Race (4 laps) scheduled to go at 10:45, the Monster Energy Supersport TT Race (4 laps) will follow and is scheduled to go ahead at 18:30 (all times local).
Click here for Monday’s full schedule.
To keep up-to-date with all the latest team news follow @HondaRacingCBR on Twitter and Honda Pro Racing on Facebook and Instagram.
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ALEIX AND APRILIA IN THE POINTS AGAIN AT THE LE MANS GP
ANDREA’S SUNDAY ENDS WITH A DNF DUE TO PAIN FROM HIS CRASH IN JEREZ
His twelfth-place finish at Le Mans gives Aleix Espargaró important points, despite the disappointment of not finishing in the top ten. In the race, the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini rider had to deal with grip that was not enough to keep the pace of the leaders on a track like the stop-and-go French circuit. The low temperatures also kept him from being incisive, particularly in the second half of the race, and Aleix had to contain the damage, bringing home four championship points in spite of a penalty levied against him for cutting a chicane.
Andrea gave it a go. Declared fit to race on Thursday, Iannone went out on the track in pain, but hoping to put the Jerez crash behind him, along with the pain in his left ankle that had forced him to miss the Andalusian race. Instead, the pain worsened gradually, session after session, and it seemed clear as early as the warm up session that he would likely not be able to finish the race. In common accord with his team, the decision was made not to risk compromising the much-awaited Mugello race. Andrea lined up on the grid – even moving up several positions – but had to throw in the towel on the ninth lap.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"Taking points home is always positive, but I cannot be satisfied. I was unable to follow the leaders, especially because of the lack of grip that is so important on a track with these characteristics. There was really only one possible tyre choice with these low temperatures. In fact, we were all in the same conditions. Now we need to work hard to make progress. Our rivals have improved and it is getting harder and harder to finish in the top ten."
ANDREA IANNONE
"Unfortunately, I was unable to finish the race today. The pain in my ankle just got to be too much. The situation got worse day by day and, also thinking of the next race in Mugello, we decided to contain the damage. We will continue working on recovery now, trying to rest the ankle and changing the training programme in order to still stay fit. I have always achieved good results at Mugello in my career, so I want to be at 100% when we get there."
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NICE QUALIFIERS FOR ALEIX WHO TAKES A SPOT ON THE THIRD ROW OF THE STARTING GRID TOMORROW AT LE MANS
ANDREA, WHO HAD NEVER RIDDEN THE RS-GP IN THE WET, IS HINDERED BY HIS PHYSICAL CONDITIONS FOLLOWING THE JEREZ CRASH
Aleix Espargaró had lain the groundwork for his outstanding undertaking yesterday when, in perfect conditions on a dry track, he had finished in the top ten to go straight through to Q2, the second qualifying session that decides the top end order on the starting grid. Today, in entirely different conditions that were difficult to interpret, with light rain that left everyone in doubt as to which tyres to use, he repeated the performance, doing the ninth best time which earned him a spot on the third row of the starting grid. Going out on track with rain tyres, Aleix did his fast lap on the second of the eight he turned, before the rain began to fall harder. For Aprilia, this is one of the best MotoGP qualifiers and confirmation of how much the RS-GP has grown in these early stages of the season.
Andrea Iannone was unable to get over the Q1 hurdle. Still dealing with difficult physical conditions, partly due to persistent pain in his left ankle after his crash in Jerez, Andrea battled hard, even taking a gamble on slicks when it seemed like the track might have conceded a small window of improved conditions. Making the day even more difficult was the fact that this was Andrea’s first time ever riding the Aprilia in the wet. The gamble did not pay of – it happens – and Andrea had to settle for 22nd place.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"The conditions today were extremely complicated. It was like riding on ice. When it rains lightly, there is less grip compared to heavy rainfall, plus the asphalt temperature was only 15°C. The third row is not bad at all. It will certainly make my life easier in the race. With a dry track, I am rather certain that I can still battle for a top-ten finish, but in the wet, I don’t have the best feeling. In qualifying, I didn’t feel much support from the rear tyre in acceleration. I took a few risks on my flying lap, but it would be difficult to do that for the entire race distance."
ANDREA IANNONE
"Having to tackle conditions like today for the first time with a new bike is certainly not easy. In Q1, a lot of riders started on slicks, managing to do a flying lap in the few moments of dry track, whereas when I went out, it started raining again. My time with rain tyres wasn’t bad. In Q2 I would have been in seventh place, but unfortunately things went differently. In addition to the pain in my ankle, today I also had some stomach problems, but we are not giving up. We’ll keep giving it our best all the time."
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SECOND EUROPEAN ROUND OF THE 2019 MOTOGP SEASON
APRILIA ON THE HISTORIC ASPHALT OF THE LE MANS TRACK
The second European round of the 2019 MotoGP season is set to be held on the Le Mans Bugatti track. It is history-charged asphalt, shared in part with the much longer Circuit de la Sarthe, the setting of the famous 24-Hour car race.
It is a very particular track, with hard braking followed by low speed acceleration sections, always with the unknown of unpredictable weather than can have a heavy impact on the way the weekend goes. In the Aprilia camp, the search for the best setup in Le Mans began immediately after the last GP in Jerez on the day of tests that the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini conducted on the Andalusian track after the race.
Aleix Espargaró’s objective remains a top-ten spot, an achievement that slipped through his fingers in the finale of the Spanish race and which has clearly been within the number 41 rider’s reach in all the races held so far in this promising early part of the season. With three times as many points as last season at this point, Aleix is headed to Le Mans confident in the RS-GP’s excellent braking capabilities and hoping for some stable and fair weather.
Andrea Iannone will be back in the saddle after the injury he suffered on the Saturday of the Jerez weekend. The Italian rider’s fitness will be assessed on Thursday by circuit medical staff, but it seems like there will be nothing to worry about. Precisely on the run when he crashed, Andrea was testing a promising change to the setup on his Aprilia RS-GP with good results. From this base and the outstanding Friday he had in Spain, his growth path will resume.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"Le Mans is a track that I like and on which I think the Aprilia RS-GP can do well. Braking is one of our strong points. The bike stays stable in hard braking and that could help us. I am also hoping for a dry weekend. It rains almost every year in France and that makes everything more difficult. As always, our goal remains the top 10".
ANDREA IANNONE
"I have positive feelings as I head to Le Mans. In Jerez, we were able to figure out a few important things. It is a small step forward that will also help us in France. We still need to see how much my foot will bother me. In any case, I have been working hard to be as fit as I possibly can."
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