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MotoGP: Miller makes MotoGP return at Motegi
By Emanuele Venturoli| Posted October 13, 2016 | In MotoGP, Motor Racing, Motorsports
By Emanuele Venturoli| Posted October 13, 2016 | In MotoGP, Motor Racing, Motorsports
MotoGP: Miller makes MotoGP return at Motegi
Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Jack Miller made a welcome return to MotoGP action on the opening day of practice for the Japanese round at the Twin Ring Motegi today.
This morning’s FP1 session was the first time the Australian had ridden his Honda RC213V machine since he appeared in Q1 during the recent Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli encounter in San Marino.
Despite his recent injury enforced absence, Miller was able to set the 16th fastest time this morning and more importantly he passed a stern examination of his physical condition with flying colours.
A 15-lap stint in FP1 gave Miller the perfect chance to gauge the recovery of his recent right hand injury and he was happy with the strength in the brutally hard braking zones around the stop-and-go Twin Ring Motegi track.
Miller was able to improve by half-a-second in this afternoon’s session and he was determined to improve on a best lap of 1’47.244 when he was uninjured in a late fall at turn three.
Rear grip under acceleration out of the Twin Ring Motegi’s low gear hairpins proved particularly problematic for Miller on his return today. And it was a similar story for teammate Tito Rabat, who finished the day one place behind Miller on the combined timesheets.
The Spaniard was also able to knock half-a-second off his lap time in the second 45-minute session and his focus for tomorrow’s final practice and qualifying action will be on gaining better rear grip from Michelin’s two rear tyre options available for round 15 of the MotoGP World Championship.
Jack Miller: 18th – 1’47.244
“It hasn’t been the easiest return to the bike today and I was struggling with the set-up. Hopefully we can find something to improve the bike and make me ride a little better tomorrow but today was difficult. I’ll try and clear my head for tomorrow and see what I can do. It will be a long night poring over data to see where we can improve and it won’t be easy, but hopefully we can find something to make me more confident. I’m struggling with a bit too much spinning from the rear tyre and I need to get better handling from the front-end too.”
Tito Rabat: 19th – 1’47.972
“I like this track a lot and it is an important race for Honda in Japan. I was happy with how the weekend started this morning and I’m pleased I’ve been able to improve my times and do all my laps on my own. I think I could have gone quicker at the end of the second session but Laverty had a very big crash in front of me at turn 6 and I couldn’t complete the lap. I have to admit though it is hard to see how big the gap is to the fastest time. I have to stay calm and focused and hope we can find improvements with the bike tomorrow.”
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“It hasn’t been the start we had hoped for to an important weekend here in Japan and for both Jack and Tito we have not been able to find the optimum set-up that permits them to be faster and more competitive. It is never easy in a situation like Jack’s when you have been off the bike for a period of time and we need to find a clearer direction to help him improve. I hope also with Tito’s comments today that he can improve. We have some ideas to make the bike work better and I am looking forward to FP3 to see if the changes we plan have a positive impact.
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 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.
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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 beating heart
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.
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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.
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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.
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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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