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By Emanuele Venturoli| Posted October 23, 2014 | In MotoGP, MotoGP
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi got their first laps in around the Sepang International Circuit under very mixed conditions today as they prepare for this weekend’s Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix.
Lorenzo successfully kicked off the third and last overseas Grand Prix weekend during the sunny morning session. The Majorcan rider spent his first stint finding a good dry set up before posting a best lap of 2’01.416 in his second stint, just 0.037 seconds off the fastest pace.
Teammate Rossi also was quick to find a solid pace around the Malaysian track over the first practice session. The nine-time World Champion made the most of the dry 45 minutes session and put in a total of 18 laps to find the perfect race set-up. The Italian rode a best lap of 2’01.842, just 0.463 seconds off the front.
The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP teammates had to be patient for the second practice session to get underway as it was red flagged due to a sudden monsoon. Standing water created concerns about the track’s conditions. When the track started to dry out the afternoon free practice session was restarted at 14:30 local time.
Lorenzo and Rossi used the session with caution as they got to know the wet weather tyres and tried to find a matching set-up. Lorenzo led most of the session and found a good wet set up whilst Rossi struggled with a lack of grip on his YZR-M1. The slower wet times meant both riders were unable to improve on their morning time, causing Lorenzo to complete the first day third in combined sessions times and Rossi in sixth.
Jorge Lorenzo:
“The race will be held at 4 o’clock this weekend but it would be better if the race was at 2 o’clock because at 4 o’clock it usually starts to rain here. We hope to either have a completely wet race or a completely dry race, but not something in between because that would be difficult for everyone. In the wet I was really satisfied and happy. Midway through the practice I was pushing really hard and was feeling very good. My lap time was two seconds quicker than anyone else! Finally Marc and Dani improved at the end of the practice, but at that moment I was really fast. Valentino was having some problems, so this means our setting was working very well and I was feeling great on the bike. On the dry in the morning I also felt good from the beginning. I finished in third, which is like a second place because Aleix put on the extra soft tyre. Dani seems to be strong here on the dry, like always, but I think we can fight for the win.”
Valentino Rossi:
“I’m not very happy. This morning, with the dry conditions, it went not so bad. My rhythm was already quite good, but it wasn’t enough. I was not fast enough or strong enough to stay at the front, also because I wasn’t able to ride the bike in a good way, so we need to work. Especially, because in the wet this afternoon the situation was a lot worse. It was a very difficult practice and I wasn’t able to make the right speed to ride the bike in a good way, so the target is work, work, work. For Sunday we have to be ready for both conditions, because the weather here is very unstable and it could be either dry or wet. My bike had some chatter and we had to save the tyre, but I wasn’t able to get enough corner speed. I need more balance going through the corners to go faster.”
1. |
Dani Pedrosa (SPA) |
Repsol Honda Team |
2’01.379 |
||
2. |
Aleix Espargaro (SPA) |
NGM Forward Racing |
2’01.393 |
||
3. |
Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) |
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP |
2’01.416 |
||
4. |
Marc Marquez (SPA) |
Repsol Honda Team |
2’01.670 |
||
5. |
Stefan Bradl (GER) |
LCR Honda MotoGP |
2’01.716 |
||
6. |
Valentino Rossi (ITA) |
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP |
2’01.842 |
||
7. |
Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) |
Ducati Team |
2’01.971 |
||
8. |
Cal Crutchlow (GBR) |
Ducati Team |
2’02.171 |
||
9. |
Yonny Hernandez (COL) |
Energy T.I. Pramac Racing |
2’02.209 |
||
10. |
Pol Espargarò (SPA) |
Monster Yamaha Tech3 |
2’02.248 |
||
11. |
Andrea Iannone (ITA) |
Pramac Racing |
2’02.597 |
||
12. |
Bradley Smith (GBR) |
Monster Yamaha Tech3 |
2’02.627 |
||
13. |
Alvaro Bautista (SPA) |
Go&Fun Honda Gresini |
2’02.722 |
||
14. |
Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) |
Drive M7 Aspar |
2’02.847 |
||
15. |
Scott Redding (GBR) |
Go&Fun Honda Gresini |
2’02.898 |
||
16. |
Karel Abraham (CZE) |
Cardion AB Motoracing |
2’02.935 |
||
17. |
Hector Barbera (SPA) |
Avintia Racing |
2’03.220 |
||
18. |
Nicky Hayden (USA) |
Drive M7 Aspar |
2’03.787 |
||
19. |
Alex De Angelis (RSM) |
NGM Forward Racing |
2’04.454 |
||
20. |
Michael Laverty (GBR) |
Paul Bird Motorsport |
2’04.553 |
||
21. |
Danilo Petrucci (ITA) |
Octo IodaRacing Team |
2’04.658 |
||
22. |
Mike Di Meglio (FRA) |
Avintia Racing |
2’05.007 |
||
23. |
Brok Parkes (AUS) |
Paul Bird Motorsport |
2’06.195 |
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.
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 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.
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