A year that was in many was an unforgettable one drew to a close, one which among the most – if not the most – difficult for the MotoGP World Championship. A season that could have even been cancelled due to the global pandemic but that despite all the limitations, reached the finish line with 15 races and a lot of emotions.

Team Gresini, an institution that is present across all the World Championship categories, has completed a challenging season in terms of sporting result, despite the great affort fromall parties involved: a sincere thank you goes to FIM, DORNA SPORTS, IRTA and MSMA from all #GresiniFamily for organising to perfection this racing season despite the countless number of challenges brought by the virus. An incredible organisational work which must be highlighted and plauded.

The wish we would like to send to everybody is for a serene off-season and to see each other again trackside. Together everything is possible.

FAUSTO GRESINI – TEAM MANAGER GRESINI RACING

“It seemed almost impossible last March/April to even begin a MotoGP season, and now we can say we did it. 15 races and in full safety, really incredible. It’s been a huge effort from everybody, so as Gresini family I would like to personally thank the FIM, Dorna Sports, IRTA and MSMA to take to the finish line a championship in an excellent way, with a commendable work of containing the virus which allowed us to do what we like to the most with dedication and passion. It’s been a very difficult 2020 that we were able to go through together and I cannot wait to be back on track, while hoping that we can see grandstands full of fans and the paddock filled with people.”

Schenk Italian Wineries, an extremely important Italian wine institution, is betting again on Team Gresini and in 2021 it will be official sponsor of the team’s Moto2 and Moto3 efforts.

Already a Team Gresini partner since 2017, Schenk Italian Wineries will be present with one of its top-tier brands Bacio della Luna (Prosecco and Spumante wines) and it will further increase its visibility.

In Moto3 it will be visible on the chest area of Gabriel Rodrigo and Jeremy Alcoba’s leathers, as well as on the team uniforms, team trucks, hospitality and pit-box panels.
in Moto2, Schenk will reunite with Fabio Di Giannantonio and its logo will be present on the Kalex machines #21 and #11 (on both sides of the front fairing), on the sleeves of the rider leathers, on the team uniforms, team trucks and pit-box panels.

Wide-ranging research has found that keeping roads well-maintained not only saves money but reduces traffic CO2 emissions reports Paul Boss, Chief Executive of the Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA).

Implementing planned programmes of preventative road maintenance is far more cost effective than repairing potholes. It costs £3 to £5 per m2 to surface dress and maintain a road but costs on average over £50 per m2 to repair potholes. Savings for stretched highways budgets is not the only benefit. A wide pool of research proves that well maintained roads can also help to reduce the carbon emissions of road traffic. With transport now accounting for the majority of UK emissions -26% of all emissions – the contribution that a well-maintained road network can make towards to their reduction should be recognised and pursued.

Research has found that this contribution can be significant. A technical report ‘Analysis of the relationship between road pavement maintenance condition, fuel consumption and vehicle emissions’ published earlier this year by the Brussels-based Smart Transport Alliance found that good road surface conditions result in reductions of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of up to 3.5% for light vehicles and 4% for heavy vehicles. Meanwhile, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association believes that maintaining the European road network with planned programmes of surface dressing could result in a CO2 emission reduction of 5% by 2035.

Similar findings were reported by research led by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rutgers University – New Brunswick. This found that the improved road surface condition resulting from preventative maintenance programmes can save highway authorities spending by 10% to 30%, reduce greenhouse gases by up to 2%, and allow drivers to reduce their fuel consumption by 2% to 5%. Whilst of survey over 5,000 lane-miles of Virginia’s interstate highway system by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Concrete Sustainability Hub (CSHub)  found that the maintenance of just a few lane miles allows for significant performance improvement, along with lowered environmental impact, across the entire network. Maintaining just 1.5 percent of the roadway network would lead to a reduction of 10 percent in greenhouse gas emissions statewide.

The research carried out by a variety of universities emphasises how a road surface maintained in good condition promotes a smoother and more efficient ride and it is this that reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. This should be an important consideration for highway authorities for, in addition to meeting public expectations of improved environmental efficiency, local authorities have a statutory duty under their NI 185 and NI 186 obligations to reduce their carbon emissions. Implementing proactive programmes of road surfacing and road maintenance can help them meet those obligations. 

ESPARGARÓ, SAVADORI AND SMITH WITH APRILIA RACING IN THE 2021 SEASON

Aleix Espargaró, Lorenzo Savadori and Bradley Smith will be the Aprilia Racing riders for the 2021 MotoGP World Championship season.

The forced loss of Andrea Iannone, and above all, the vast amount of time his ordeal took, severely damaged Aprilia Racing, whose only “fault” was remaining loyal to their rider and rightfully trusting in reasonable times for the conclusion of the proceedings.

Over the last few weeks, the names of several riders have been associated with Aprilia Racing, as always happens in the negotiating phase. Some of the possibilities evaluated did not come to fruition independently of Aprilia Racing’s desires, so between the situations that were actually feasible and the possibility of continuing with the three riders who rode the RS-GP this season, the latter was chosen.

Given the clear growth of the RS-GP, which was improved in every area and continued to improve significantly in the final part of the season, this will provide continuity to the project for the upcoming season, which will be crucial in preparing for the subsequent five-year period, during which Aprilia intends to put more bikes on the track and implement a rider search and assessment policy.

MASSIMO RIVOLA - APRILIA RACING CEO
“It’s no secret that we offered three young riders an opportunity because we felt that our project could be very interesting for talented young riders, but they did not yet feel ready for the leap and, at the same time, the teams that have already signed them for the 2021 season preferred to keep them. We respectfully acknowledge their decision. We prefer to continue with our riders, rather than choosing solutions that are still open but about which we are not entirely convinced. Even in the difficult conditions of this season, particularly penalising for a fledgling project, the bike improved greatly and significantly reduced the gaps both in the races and in practice on basically all the circuits. Aleix finished on a high note and, even in the race yesterday, was lapping with the same times as the leaders. Lorenzo has also shown significant progress in just three races and we know that we can count on Bradley’s professionalism and experience. Aleix will obviously be our top rider. The roles of second rider and test rider will be decided at the end of the winter test schedule.”