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By Riccardo Tafà| Posted April 18, 2016 | In MotoGP, Motor Racing, Sport News
The Monster Yamaha Tech3 team pairing of Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith are ready for the Gran Premio Red Bull of Espana 2016. Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith confidently eye up the forthcoming opening European round at the Circuit de Jerez, where they will resume their battles to finish as the top independent riders.
Pol Espargaro aims to continue his bright start to the season and carry on his form in his home country as he currently sits fourth in the MotoGP World Championship standings. As a result, the 25-year-old has his sights set on clinching a strong finish once again in Sunday’s 27 lap sprint. Whilst Bradley Smith seeks to bounce back from a difficult race in Austin and fight as close as possible to the factory MotoGP riders. The British star was unfortunate to lose his consecutive point-scoring record in America after suffering bad luck but fully intends to make amends this weekend and finish well inside the top eight.
Pol Espargaro
Championship- 4th Points Points: 28
“After what has been a tough opening to the racing year, I am looking forward to competing in my home country, plus I’m determined about continuing this good wave of form. Of course, the season so far has gone better than the opening to 2015 but we have to remain consistent, which will be key to success in this campaign. Therefore, we need to push non stop this weekend and seize another top finish which I feel is certainly achievable. The team is doing a great job and I know that it’s down to me to get the result, but I am confident. I always enjoy the Circuito de Jerez and have won a few races there in the past. Last year I qualified fourth and finished one place back, so I am optimistic about having a good run again and winning the top independent battle. I’m excited about seeing my fans and I will try my hardest to give them something to cheer about!”
Bradley Smith
Championship- 13thPoints Points: 16
“The start of the season has not gone as well as I have hoped for, but I am ready to rectify this at Jerez and get back to where I should be. It goes without saying that this year is different for a number of reasons, and I fell we’ve had a few teething problems with the tyres. Yet, I feel we are making good progress now and we could have ended well in Austin, had I not crashed. Nevertheless, that was then and this is now and my focus is on Jerez, a track I always look forward to. I won my first GP there in the 125 cc class and have finished all the races over the years. However, I need to get into the top eight and close the gap to my teammate in the standings. The Tech3 team is working really well and did a fantastic job in Austin, so I have the upmost confidence in them and I will give it everything I’ve got. I am keen for another close fight in the race, and going all out for that top independent position.”
Hervé Poncharal – Team manager :
“Next up for the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team is the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez which is an event that we always get excited about. This is due to the passionate fans, the guarantee of great racing and also the beautiful scenery. I’m sure both of our riders are looking forward to it as much as everyone else. Pol has had a really strong start to the year, which we are happy to see after the up and down season in 2015. He has worked hard with his team and is getting the results that he needs, even though I’m sure he is aiming higher. Jerez has been good to him in the past, and we are confident that he can have a positive race on Sunday just like last time. Brad has had a bit of a challenging season so far, however, he is as determined as ever. I truly believe that he will pick himself up and get right back to where he needs to be in Jerez. Our expectations remain the same and we hope that both guys can finish inside the top eight and win the top independent rider position. It will be an interesting weekend for sure and we can’t wait to get going.”
GRAN PREMIO RED BULL DE ESPAÑA 24 APRIL 2016
TRACK DATA
Pole position : Left
Length : 4.423 m
Width : 11 m
Corners : 13 (8 right, 5 left)
Longest Straight 607 m
Constructed 1986
Modified 2002
CIRCUIT LOCATION
Elroy, Texas, 12 miles (19 km) south of Austin, Texas
HISTORY
The circuit opened on 8 December 1985. During 1986 the circuit hosted the first international motorcycle event in Spain in March and the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix in April. The circuit’s relatively remote location hindered significant spectator turnout, although up to 125,000 can be accommodated. Because of this, F1 moved to Barcelona following the 1991 race.
Due to the hosting of the European Grand Prix in 1994, the circuit instituted safety changes from the 1990 configuration, including a new chicane (the Senna curve) at the corner where Martin Donnelly had an appalling accident during qualifying for the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix. Jerez also hosted the 1997 European Grand Prix, which was the championship decider between Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve, who collided during the race.
During the podium celebrations of the 1997 race, Jerez’s Mayor Pedro Pacheco disrupted the podium celebrations by presenting a trophy that was supposed to be presented by a dignitary from Daimler-Benz. This incident resulted in the track being temporarily banned from hosting a Grand Prix. It has never hosted another Grand Prix, but remains one of the most popular venues for winter testing.
During 2005, the track was resurfaced. It was expected that the Champ Car World Series would race there in 2008 until the series was cancelled early in the year after merging with the IndyCar Series.
The circuit currently holds pre-season Formula One testing shared with the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
On 2 May 2013, it was announced that the final corner would be renamed after Spanish MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo.
MONSTER YAMAHA TECH3 PRESS RELEASEGran Premio de España 4-5 May 2019| BOOK NOW!
Are you ready to explore the transformative power of athlete sponsorship for your brand? Click here to learn more about how sponsorship can help brands grow and thrive in the exciting world of motorsports.
Managing Director for RTR Sports, Riccardo graduated in law at the University of Bologna. He began his career in London in PR, then started working in two and four-wheelers. A brief move to Monaco followed before returning to Italy. There he founded RTR, first a consulting firm and then a sports marketing company which, eventually, he moved back to London.
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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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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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