Are you willing to sponsor?
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.
AustralianGP 2016: Marquez, Hayden struggle to find pace in drenched Australian Practice
By Emanuele Venturoli| Posted October 20, 2016 | In MotoGP, Motor Racing, Motorsports
By Emanuele Venturoli| Posted October 20, 2016 | In MotoGP, Motor Racing, Motorsports
AustralianGP 2016: Marquez, Hayden struggle to find pace in drenched Australian Practice
Australian GP Practice. Marc Marquez set the fourth-best lap time at a rainy, windswept Phillip Island Circuit on the opening day of the Australian Grand Prix 2016.
Conditions had been harsh enough during the FP1 session and became even worse in the afternoon, so the FP2 session was delayed to 3:45 p.m. from the original schedule of 3:05.
Just six riders took to the track for the Australian GP FP2 session, and nobody improved upon their best times from the morning.
Less than 15 minutes into the session, it was red-flagged as rain once again started to hit hard. Now everyone just hopes conditions will be better tomorrow, even if the forecasts aren’t too encouraging so far.
Nicky Hayden’s 9th place was very impressive considering both the difficult conditions and the fact that he rode the bike for the first time today after having arrived from Europe only on Wednesday night.
Marc Marquez – 4th
“Today has not been one of the most fun days of the year. We were hoping for a dry day to enjoy ourselves on the bike after the Japanese Grand Prix, but it has not been the case. Although it rained all day, in the morning we put in a few laps, but at the end of the session we had to stop because there was too much water on the track. This afternoon it was also raining, making it dangerous to ride, and that is why the red flag was shown. We decided not to go out because it was an unnecessary risk. Hopefully tomorrow the conditions will improve at least a little, so there will not be as much water on track, and we will continue to work for Sunday.”
Nicky Hayden – 9th
Conditions obviously weren’t ideal today but that sometimes happens. In the morning the bike felt quite good on the wet. I felt pretty confortable and I was just trying to get up to speed when it started to rain harder and there were too much water so I came in. Unfortunately I haven’t get many laps today, in any conditions really, but the bike felt good and also I improved my lap times in my second exit this morning when the track was even worse then at the beginning od the session. So that was pretty positive. So now we just wait and see what kind of conditions we get and we’ll try and get as much as track time as possible to understand the bike and the team more and let’s keep going”.
Australian GP Circuit WIKIPEDIA
Australian GP MAPS
Book your Hospitality with RTR Sports Marketing, leading agency in MotoGP Hospitality
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.
Similar category
The online platform where you can discover the latest trends, strategies and insights from the exciting world of sports marketing.
View our blog
May 6, 2025
F1, MotoGP, and the Green Revolution: How Sustainability Is Transforming Motorsport Sponsorships
In the world of motorsport sponsorship, speed and performance have traditionally reigned supreme. However, a new race is underway, one towards sustainability. Both Formula 1 and MotoGP are st[...]
Read More
March 12, 2025
Moto2 sponsorship agency
As part of the sponsorship in motorsport, Moto2 represents a key piece from a technical point of view, from a communication point of view and as a transition platform to MotoGP. In this artic[...]
Read More
February 3, 2025
Alpine & Yamaha Pramac: Unlocking the Power of Cross-Industry Sponsorships in MotoGP
The recent cross-industry sponsorship agreement between Alpine and the Yamaha Pramac MotoGP team has caught the attention of motorsport insiders and fans, marking a significant shift in[...]
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
Recent posts
The online platform where you can discover the latest trends, strategies and insights from the exciting world of sports marketing.
View our blog
May 20, 2025
FOMO sponsorship: if from sponsorship in F1 you can’t miss it
For the first time in the history of Sports Marketing we are confronted with a massive rush of brands and partners to the same, narrow core of sports properties. We are, of course, talking ab[...]
Read More
May 19, 2025
How Much Should I Pay to Put My Company Logo on a F1 Car?
Formula 1 has long been the pinnacle of motorsport and a glittering global marketing stage. From Fortune 500 giants to ambitious tech startups, companies are drawn to the idea of their [...]
Read More
May 8, 2025
Rally1 Cars in 2025: Specs, Performance & What to Watch
The 2025 World Rally Championship (WRC) season marks a significant shift in rally racing, with the elimination of hybrid power units and the introduction of new technical regulations. This ar[...]
Read More