By Emanuele Venturoli| Posted January 29, 2017 | In MotoGP, Motor Racing, Motorsports
By Emanuele Venturoli| Posted January 29, 2017 | In MotoGP, Motor Racing, Motorsports
Seventy-four days after the Repsol Honda Team ended their successful 2016 campaign in Valencia, reigning MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez and teammate Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team Riders are ready to return to action for the first of three days of testing, starting 30 January at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit ( discover more about 2017 MotoGP Season)
The Malaysian stint will be the first of the three official MotoGP Tests that will also bring the Repsol Honda men to Australia (Phillip Island – 15-17 February) and Qatar (Losail – 10-12 March) before the 2017 MotoGP World Championship gets underway in Qatar on 26 March ( read more about 2017 MotoGP Team and Riders)
Following important rule changes introduced in the series last year, the 2017 season won’t see major updates to technical regulations, with the exception of those regarding aerodynamics—the most conspicuous being the banning of winglets—and the dropping of Michelin’s intermediate tyres ( 5 things to watch about 2017 motogp season)
A noteworthy adjustment to pit-lane rules regards bike swaps in case of flag-to-flag races; a maximum of four team staff will be allowed to assist ahttps://rtrsports.co.uk5-things-to-watch-in-the-upcoming-2017-motogp-season/ rider, and they will be required to wear helmets, a policy that the Repsol Honda Team already voluntarily adopted last year on the occasion of the Australian GP.
“The last couple of weeks before the start of this new season seemed almost too long to me! Finally tomorrow we’ll be back on track and we’ll be able to start working for the next championship. We’re coming from a winning season, but every year is very different and our opponents are always very strong. There have been some changes among the top teams, and everyone will be very motivated and ready to fight. We must stay focused at 100% and try to make everything work together smoothly, including the bike, the team, the factory and of course myself. Last year we learned how important it is to make the best of every situation, and starting tomorrow we’ll try and work to make the best preparations for our season in order to be able to fight for the title again.”
“After the holiday season, I’m looking forward to getting back into action on my bike in the coming Sepang test. These past months have been good for recharging the batteries and enjoying some time off with my family and friends. It has also been important for getting back in shape after my injury at the end of 2016 and for training and preparing for the coming season. Last year was challenging, but together with my team and the HRC Engineers, we remained focused on the job in hand and definitely made some steps forward during the season. Now we’ll try and build on the experience we gained in order to start this new year on the right foot.”
Experience the power and put your brand in front of millions with motorsport sponsorship. Whether it's Formula 1, MotoGP, NASCAR, IndyCar, or WEC, RTR Sports give your brand the opportunity to appear on television at the most prestigious race tracks in the world.
Sponsor a motorsport team today
A graduate in Public, Social and Political Communication from the University of Bologna, he has always been passionate about marketing, design and sport.
The online platform where you can discover the latest trends, strategies and insights from the exciting world of sports marketing.
View our blog
July 28, 2025
Red Bull Racing’s sponsors: A winning system With an extraordinary sequence of successes in recent seasons, Oracle Red Bull Racing has also established itself as one of the benchmark te[...]
Read More
July 25, 2025
The 2026 MotoGP calendar is preparing to make history: for the first time in more than two decades, the Circus will return to race in Goiânia, Brazil, with a possible South American exp[...]
Read More
June 17, 2025
Starting in 2027, MotoGP is preparing for a momentous change that will redefine the face of motorcycling’s premier class. The new technical rules, announced by the Grand Prix Commission[...]
Read MoreIn 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.
When first approaching a motorsport sponsorship 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. Motorsport 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.
Motorsport 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 motorsport sponsorship agency like RTR has an objective, 360-degree picture of the scenario and can tell you what is really best for you: which racing series, 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 motorsport 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 motorsport marketing project, you need an agency that knows how to use sponsorship to engage the fanbase online, 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 motorsport 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
The online platform where you can discover the latest trends, strategies and insights from the exciting world of sports marketing.
View our blog
October 20, 2025
Apple TV+ is set to become the exclusive broadcaster of Formula 1 in the United States starting in 2026, under a five-year contract worth an estimated $750 million. This agreement represents [...]
Read More
October 8, 2025
The equation that is changing sports marketing Imagine you are sitting in your company’s boardroom. On the table, the sports sponsorship budget for 2026. The question you are asking &nd[...]
Read More
October 1, 2025
Formula 1 as a marketing platform for car manufacturers Since its very inception, Formula 1 has been more than just a sporting contest. For car manufacturers, it has long served as a high-sta[...]
Read More