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By Emanuele Venturoli| Posted April 20, 2021 | In MotoGP
ML | Mirco Lazzari Magazine | Issue 4
Mirco Lazzari’s ML MagazineIssue 4 – 2020
Success is the ability to go from one failure to another without losing enthusiasm
– Winston Churchill
ML Magazine is Mirco Lazzari’s new feature of photography, sports, travel and culture. A new amazing point of view on Motorsport and Life, ML is the new adventure of one of MotoGP‘s most respected and well-known photographers. You can read the complete issues of the magazine at the following link.
Read the magazineBayliss ed EdwardsThe story of this great undertaking seems almost trivial: two very strong riders who race for two great manufacturers, challenge each other in the last race to win the title. But banal is the worst adjective that can be associated with the grand finale of the 2002 Superbike world season. In front, divided by a single point, there is the Texan Colin Edwards, 2000 world champion and official Honda rider and Troy Bayliss, Australian, reigning champion and heart and soul of Ducati. Two champions, but above all two real men. Two who came up without too many upward currents, who do not need organi- zed fans to feel appreciated. They are not two angels but they enjoy unlimited trust on the part of managers and people. Troy was caught on the outskirts of motorcycling that matters, but whoever chose him immediately understood that he was a star, perhaps rough but precious. Colin is one of the last flashes of the great American school and is the man on which Honda built the challenge for Ducati: to beat them in Superbike with a twin cylinder. A decidedly sensational challenge.
Bayliss and Ducati live a great first half of the 2002 season, then Honda unleashes its R&D that uses “revolutionary” material for the VTR which has just won the 8 Hours of Suzuka with Edwards and Katoh, the most important race for Japanese manufacturers. Nine wins in a row in 2002 for Colin but Troy is at just one point behind him…
We are in September, in Imola, one of the most beautiful tracks in the world, there are over 100,000 passionate spectators. Because when there is a big show, the problem is to accommodate people, not make them come.
The tension is cut with a knife, it is a duel to the death that the two face with great calmness. As tense as violin strings, but ready to play it on equal terms and without hysterics, as in a duel in the old West. And here we understand that Edwards, as a good Texan lover of weapons, has some advantages. But the Australian does not tremble and has the same strategy in mind: beat the rival and win the title.
It went well for Edwards and Honda, twice first, but people applauded both. In that western there was no bad guy, even if the Bayliss motorcycle factory is less than fifty kilometers (via Emilia) from Imola. It was one of the most beautiful races in the world for content and emotional tension. The two of them, needless to say, led by champions, so much so that the only possible ally of Bayliss, the teammate Ruben Xaus that day only managed to join the two teachers, as a good schoolboy.
On the evening of 29 September 2002, Troy and Colin were no longer two rivals: they had become two people deeply con- nected by having participated in the most beautiful Superbike battle. In a season in which, out of 26 manche, they only let one win the others, the humans …
A few months later their career changes suddenly: both switch to MotoGP. Bayliss with the overpowering Ducati, Edwards with the unmanageable Aprilia RS Cube. They are no longer two tops, but two great riders loved by the public remain and above all two great men. We are in Motegi, it is October 5th and the Pacific GP is taking place. Ready away, the first corner arrives and John Hopkins decides to delay the braking beyond all limits, hitting Carlos Checa. A “bean” is triggered which leaves Bayliss on the way out, reali- zing that his race ended in an amen. But the attentive eye sees Colin’s Aprilia planted in the gravel that cannot get out. “No marshall has come to help me” – declares Edwards – then I felt a vigorous push and I managed to start again. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that it was Troy, thank you very much! “
For the record, Edwards finished in 17th pla-ce one and a half minutes from Biaggi, winner of the race. But he did his utmost effort, also to honor the friend who had helped him. Fair play, please. And you will see, dear young riders, that even after twenty years they will remember you!
Read the magazineJorgeLorenzo
June 27, 2013
Assen’s Circuit, Hoge Heide corner, free practice on Thursday: Jorge Lorenzo falls at 238 km / h breaking his left collarbone. Taken to Barcelona by private flight, he was operated on in the early hours of Friday (with the insertion of a titanium plate and eight screws in the bone) and brought back to Assen in the afternoon of the same day.
After the doctors’ ok, he returned to the track for the warm up and the Saturday race, completing a feat: running after 48 hours from an injury and after 36 hours from undergoing surgery, arriving in fifth position.
Read the magazine
All the photographs and content of this page are property of Mirco Lazzari and are here published with the consent of the author and his associates.
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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