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Mixed feelings for Marquez and Pedrosa at final 2018 Qatar test
By Emanuele Venturoli| Posted March 4, 2018 | In MotoGP, Motorsports
By Emanuele Venturoli| Posted March 4, 2018 | In MotoGP, Motorsports
Mixed feelings for Marquez and Pedrosa at final 2018 Qatar test
Marquez and Pedrosa at the Qatar Test
The final day of the last test of the pre-season dawned sunny and dry but quite windy in Qatar. Marc Marquez headed out on the track soon after 3 pm. followed shortly by teammate Dani Pedrosa.
Both riders used these three days to finalize their preparation for the start of the 2018 season and to work on the race setup of their RC213V. For the first time, today they also had the chance to ride in the wet at the Losail Circuit, as race direction organized a special test for the final hour, artificially soaking the track.
Marc completed a 10-lap mini long run and a total of 75 laps, with a best time of 1’54.591” on lap 70 to finish sixth fastest for the day. Dani ended in 11th place with a best time of 1’54.774” on lap 29 of 44.
The team will now fly back to Europe for two weeks but will return on track at Losail on Friday, 16 March, for the first practice of the Qatar GP (2.45 – 3.30 p.m., local time).
Marc Marquez – 6TH (7TH IN THE COMBINED STANDINGS) 1’54.591
“I’m satisfied with how our pre-season went in general. We’ve worked a lot on our race pace, which is the most important thing in the end. It’s true that we’ve struggled a bit here in Qatar, but we’re happy anyway, as today in particular we took a step forward and I was able to lap consistently enough in the low-to-medium 1’55” range. Today we also tried the carbon swing arm in just one run, and I managed to ride quite fast, though we need to work more on that. For sure the championship will be very competitive starting at the first race, but I hope to enjoy it. Regarding the test in the wet, well, with the reflection of the light it’s a bit more difficult than usual to see the kerbs and the white line, and the track is a bit slippery, but for me it should be possible to do the race if it rains.”
Dani Pedrosa 11TH (12TH IN THE COMBINED STANDINGS) 1’54.774
“I’m quite happy with the pre-season overall, with the work we’ve done, and with our pace. We’ve been competitive in different conditions, which is positive. Unfortunately, the crash on the first day made things a bit difficult for us here, and the track itself is also a bit demanding for us, but we made some progress and improved our pace a little anyway. We’re not the fastest here at the moment, but we worked well and understood a lot about the conditions and how the track changes between having grip and not having it. We learned a lot about these things. Now we have to focus on ourselves, not looking at the others, and I think we can take another step for the race. I look forward to starting the championship! Regarding the wet test, I think that in case of rain for the race, we’ll have to speak and decide all together.”
Qatar Test Results: Day 3
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ZARCO Johann | 5 | FRA | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | 1’54.029 |
| 2 | ROSSI Valentino | 46 | ITA | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | 0.247 |
| 3 | DOVIZIOSO Andrea | 4 | ITA | Ducati Team | 0.302 |
| 4 | CRUTCHLOW Cal | 35 | GBR | LCR Honda | 0.428 |
| 5 | VINALES Maverick | 25 | SPA | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | 0.442 |
| 6 | MARQUEZ Marc | 93 | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | 0.562 |
| 7 | RINS Alex | 42 | SPA | Team Suzuki Ecstar | 0.621 |
| 8 | PETRUCCI Danilo | 9 | ITA | Alma Pramac Racing | 0.630 |
| 9 | LORENZO Jorge | 99 | SPA | Ducati Team | 0.663 |
| 10 | MILLER Jack | 43 | AUS | Alma Pramac Racing | 0.720 |
| 11 | PEDROSA Dani | 26 | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | 0.745 |
| 12 | MORBIDELLI Franco | 21 | ITA | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | 1.103 |
| 13 | SMITH Bradley | 38 | GBR | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 1.150 |
| 14 | ESPARGARO Aleix | 41 | SPA | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | 1.203 |
| 15 | SYAHRIN Hafizh | 55 | MAL | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | 1.244 |
| 16 | ABRAHAM Karel | 17 | CZE | Angel Nieto Team | 1.271 |
| 17 | BAUTISTA Alvaro | 19 | SPA | Angel Nieto Team | 1.318 |
| 18 | RABAT Tito | 53 | SPA | Reale Avintia Racing | 1.436 |
| 19 | ESPARGARO Pol | 44 | SPA | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 1.460 |
| 20 | REDDING Scott | 45 | GBR | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | 1.566 |
| 21 | NAKAGAMI Takaaki | 30 | JPN | LCR Honda | 1.734 |
| 22 | SIMEON Xavier | 10 | BEL | Reale Avintia Racing | 1.914 |
| 23 | LUTHI Tom | 12 | SWI | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | 2.093 |
| 24 | IANNONE Andrea | 29 | ITA | Team Suzuki Ecstar | / |
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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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
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