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MotoGP: Smith, Esparagrò ready for Silverstone fight
By Emanuele Venturoli| Posted August 24, 2015 | In MotoGP, Motor Racing, Motorsports
By Emanuele Venturoli| Posted August 24, 2015 | In MotoGP, Motor Racing, Motorsports
MotoGP: Smith, Esparagrò ready for Silverstone fight
The British Grand Prix challenge is up next for the confident Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team pairing of Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro as they will aim to storm to two notable results aboard their Yamaha YZR-M1 MotoGP bikes. The 12th round of the season will commence this weekend at the world famous 5.9 kilometre Silverstone track and both riders will be seeking to add strong finishes to their impressive scorings so far this year in the 20 lap race on Sunday. The renowned circuit is situated in the heart of England and is one of the fastest tracks on the MotoGP calendar, plus it has been the setting for many iconic motorsport battles over the last years.
Bradley Smith will contest his home Grand Prix at Silverstone and he fully intends to rocket to a fantastic result in front of his passionate fans. The 24 year old, who was born a short distance from the track, in Oxford, hopes to increase his confident and inspired run this year, which has seen him superbly finish no lower than 8th in every race in 2015. Meanwhile, Pol Espargaro has firmly set his sights on a top six position as he aims to continue his climb up the championship standings. The Spaniard holds fond memories of the Northamptonshire track having won the 2012 Moto2 race and he is fully optimistic of adding another solid performance to his Silverstone collection.
Bradley Smith
“This weekend will be one of the highlights of the year for me as I will be riding in front of my fantastic fans at my home Grand Prix at Silverstone. I am hugely excited for the race on Sunday and of course I will be giving nothing less than 110% as I aim to clinch a super result aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1. So far this season has been very positive with some really strong finishes and is definitely a testament of how hard and closely the team and I have been working. Therefore, I will be pushing again this weekend as I intend to be fighting in the top six or maybe even higher on Sunday. My best result at Silverstone was 2nd in the wet race in the Moto2 class during the 2011 season after qualifying in 28th. Of course, this is a very happy memory, but it motivates me more than ever for this weekend. We don’t know what to expect with the weather, but I am ready and I will do my best to get my fans cheering and their support really spurs me on, so I hope to hear them all around the track!”
Pol Espargarò
“Next up for us is the British Grand Prix which is an event that I thoroughly enjoy and I can’t wait to get out on track and do my best again. Overall, the result in the Czech republic was positive as I completed the race in 8th, yet it is not where I want to be finishing as I know our potential is much higher than this position. We struggled a bit all weekend at Brno, but we have done our homework and we are sure that we can hit the ground running at Silverstone. I have some good memories of the British track, such as winning in 2012 in the Moto2 and also scoring a 2nd place finish in 2010 in the 125 class. Silverstone is fast, there’s no doubt about that and we will be hoping to take advantage of the rapid corners, which should suit the Yamaha’s nature. Therefore, I feel confident and I know the team will do a great job which will allow me to battle with my teammate for a top result at this race”
Emanuele Venturoli
A graduate in Public, Social and Political Communication from the University of Bologna, he has always been passionate about marketing, design and sport.
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Read MoreWhy choose RTR Sports Marketing
In an era where it is possible to get anywhere with a click, there is a strong temptation to approach teams and properties directly for sponsorship projects.
By doing so, we are convinced that we are shortening the value chain, saving time and money. However, these DYI methods are anything but risk-free and what initially appears to be a competitive advantage soon turns into a problem that is difficult to resolve. That’s why there are agencies. And this is why you should rely on us for your sponsorships.
Save time and money
When first approaching a sponsorship or sports marketing project, it is difficult to know immediately which stakeholders are correct, what the decision flow is, and what the right timelines are for each process. Sports is a very specialized field of action, and fitting effectively into its paths can take a lot of time and therefore money. We, on the other hand, know referents and spheres of action and know who to talk to, when and how. So you are also more effective.
The right information, the right choice
Sports is an immense passion, and for our heart colors we would be willing to do anything. But business is a different business, and it is important to make the best possible strategic decisions based on independent research, statistics and reliable data. A sports marketing and sports sponsorship agency like RTR has an objective, 360-degree picture of the scenario and can tell you what is really best for you: which sport, which athlete, which team. This is because we possess a great deal of data and information on ratings, segmentation and attitudes. Because the numbers don’t lie. Never.
Activations are the beating heart
Activations are the real heart of sports sponsorship. Without them, there remains only a blank sticker on a motorcycle, car or uniform and no contact with the public, no emotional connection, no impact on the bottom line. Then how do you do it? It certainly won’t be the teams or the athletes who will help you leverage sponsorship and enjoy the many marketing rights you have paid for. To bring out the best in a sports marketing project you need an agency that knows how to use sponsorship to engage the fanbase on the Web, to reach out to Shopping Centers, to organize hospitality, to develop B2B and B2C opportunities, and to get “your” athletes in front of millions of potential consumers.
Objective measurements for a certain return
Would you ever go to the dealer who sold you the car and ask if the competitor’s car is better? No, of course. So, how do you expect to get firm measurements of the effectiveness of your sponsorship if you do not rely on someone super partes? At RTR, we have always worked with independent third-party agencies that allow us to know the return on any exposure of your brand on TV and in the media. In addition, we believe in calculating ROI as the ultimate measure of your success-so we can tell you for every penny you spend how much you are making.
Sit back, relax, we’ll take care of it
We have been involved in sports sponsorship and sports marketing for more than 15 years. We are consultants in the sense that our goal is to maximize your investment, but we are also an agency that manages the project from start to finish. We have been doing this since 1995 with passion and professionalism, following three principles that have become cornerstones of our business: independence, verticality and transparency.
I would like to highlight the fact that one of the qualities of RTR is its great ability to approach the sponsorship scenario strategically, together with its passionate attitude, its amazing enthusiasm for solving problems, and its high level of professionalism.
Gianluca Degliesposti
Executive Director Server&Storage EMEA
Eurosport is truly delighted with its business relationship with Riccardo Tafà, who has become extremely popular, thanks to his detailed knowledge of the sports marketing sector and his highly diligent attitude to work.
Francois Ribeiro
Commercial Director
Passion and Expertise are the features that I have found in RTR since the very beginning. Serious and reliable professionals but also very helpful, nice and open-mind people, willing to listen and compare different ideas. All the values in which RTR believes make this agency a partner, not just a supplier, a partner with whom we have had the opportunity to achieve significant commercial results in term of success and image.
Luca Pacitto
Head of Communication
We have been working with RTR Sports Marketing for over 10 years. The objectives and the programmes of collaboration continue to be renewed and to grow with mutual satisfaction. I believe RTR is a team of great professionals led by Riccardo Tafà, who I consider a manager of exceptional skills and with a great passion for his work.
Lucio Cecchinello
Team Principal
I have known and worked with Riccardo Tafà since 1995 when we collaborated for the first time on a project for the Williams Formula 1 team. Several clients followed. After leaving Williams to work for Gerhard Berger then owner of the Toro Rosso F1 Team, I turned again to Riccardo to seek his help in finding a tool supplier for the team and Riccardo duly obliged with an introduction to USAG, a partnership with Toro Rosso which endured for five years. I recently started a new role as Group Commercial Director for the renowned Andretti Autosport organisation and I find myself working with Riccardo once again on a number of interesting projects. Why has this relationship with Riccardo endured ? He’s smart, knows the commercial side of sport inside out and back to front and he’s honest and trustworthy. Riccardo Tafà is a “doer” not a “talker”: in over 20 years I have never had a dispute either with him or with a company that he has introduced and each partnership introduced by Riccardo has delivered quantifiable ROI to rights holder and sponsor alike. I can think of no better testimonial of Riccardo’s diligence, knowledge, contact base and hard work than that.
Jim Wright
Group Commercial Director
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