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By Riccardo Tafà| Posted October 11, 2016 | In MotoGP, MotoGP
Grand Prix of Japan Yamaha jets to Japan for Motegi round
Grand Prix of Japan Highlights
Having secured a solid double podium in Aragón a little less than three weeks ago, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo shape up for the triple-header overseas, starting at the home of Yamaha with the Grand Prix of Japan.
Rossi thoroughly enjoyed the close racing in Aragón and expects to continue his podium streak at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit as one of the key protagonists. The Italian has been successful at this track numerous times before. In the premier class he has been victorious in 2001 and 2008, scored second place in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2015, and secured third place in 2010 and 2014. This weekend he has made it his mission to fight with the front-runners again to bridge the 52-point gap to the championship leader.
After closing the Aragón weekend strongly, teammate Lorenzo is also eager to get back into action at the Japanese track and he will aim for another top result this weekend. Over the last seven years, the Spaniard has climbed the Motegi podium seven times, winning the Japanese Grand Prix in 2009, 2013 and 2014, finishing in second place in 2011 and 2012, and securing third place in 2006 and 2015. This year he hopes to add another win to his tally and close the 14–point gap to his teammate.
Grand Prix Of Japan|Twin Ring Motegi Circuit
The Twin Ring Motegi circuit was built in 1997 and two years later it was first visited by the MotoGP championship for the first time. The 4.8 km-long circuit instantly became one of the most exciting events on the calendar for motorsports fans thanks to thrilling racing action made possible by its stop-start character, tight hairpins and slight elevation changes over six left and eight right corners. Motegi was added to the MotoGP calendar in 2000 as the Pacific Grand Prix until it replaced the Suzuka Circuit as the host of the Japanese Grand Prix in 2004.
Motegi Japan Map
CIRCUIT Motegi
LOCATION Motegi, Japan
LENGTH (M) 4801
WIDTH (M) 15
POLE POSITION left
TURNS 14
TURNS RIGHT 8
TURNS LEFT 6
RECORD LAP
TIME 1’45.350
RIDER J. Lorenzo
BIKE Yamaha
YEAR 2014
2015 RESULTS
D. Pedrosa (Honda) 46’50.767
V. Rossi (Yamaha) +8.573
J. Lorenzo (Yamaha +12.127
JapanGP Highlights
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
“We are now starting the last part of the season with the first of the three races overseas before the final round in Valencia. The team is looking forward to visit Motegi, it‘s a very special Grand Prix as it is Yamaha‘s home race. Motegi is a fast track with a stop-start nature. Vale and Jorge have both done very well here in the past, so we expect to be fighting for the victory again this weekend. As always we aim to fully prepare the set-up of the YZR-M1 on Friday so we will be ready for the battle on Sunday. The three fly-away races are always challenging for the team, we will be pushing non-stop these upcoming three weeks and we can‘t wait to get started”
VALENTINO ROSSI
MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP RIDER
“I love the three overseas races, these circuits are fantastic. On paper we are strong with the Yamaha, so I hope to fight for the victory. I‘m especially happy to go to Japan because it is the home of Yamaha and I will do my best to make it a good Grand Prix. I like the track and the atmosphere. I‘m in good shape and I’m ready for the three races in a row!”
JORGE LORENZO
MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP RIDER
“We now kick off the most different part of the season and maybe the most exciting because we face three races in a row and they are all overseas, so physically and mentally it asks a lot from you. On the other hand it is a nice adventure every time we go there. First on the list is Motegi and this track gives me great memories. I love Japan and I like a lot this circuit because of the people and for Yamaha and the other Japanese manufacturers this Grand Prix is so important. This is the real home race! The end of the championship is still quite far away so we need to continue to ride in the best way possible, be competitive and try to win again. It would be fantastic to do that at Yamaha‘s home Grand Prix”
MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP PRESS RELEASE
Riccardo Tafà
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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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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