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.
By Emanuele Venturoli| Posted May 12, 2015 | In MotoGP, MotoGP
With Jorge Lorenzo‘s spectacular victory in Jerez a fortnight ago still fresh in mind, the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team is ready to continue challenging at the top during the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France staged at the Le Mans Bugatti Grand Prix race circuit this Sunday.
Having claimed his 200th career podium finish in Jerez, Valentino Rossi is excited to start the fifth round of the championship. He has topped the standing since the opening round in Qatar and is hoping to further extend his 15 points lead by adding another good result to his already extensive list of podium finishes at the French circuit. The Doctor has claimed three premier class victories at Le Mans in 2002, 2005 and 2008, four second places in 2003, 2010, 2012 and 2014 and three third places in 2000, 2001 and 2011.
Teammate Lorenzo has also had numerous successes at the Bugatti Grand Prix track and is eager to repeat his marvelous victory at the previous round this weekend. Having topped the time sheets of the Jerez test a little more than a week ago, he looks forward to being even more competitive aboard his beloved YZR-M1. He is confident he can add another top score to his impressive resume of three premier class wins in 2009, 2010 and 2012 and a second place in 2008. The Spaniard currently holds third place in the championship, just 20 points behind his teammate.
Built in 1965, the Le Mans Bugatti Grand Prix race circuit forms part of the famous 24-Hour track, just 5km south of the city of Le Mans. The venue has hosted Grand Prix since the late sixties, but was taken off the MotoGP calendar from 1996 until 2000 after a serious accident in 1995 involving Spanish rider Alberto Puig. The safety of the tight track has since been improved and can now comfortably accommodate 100,000 spectators.
Dominated by first gear corners, the circuit places the emphasis on late braking, hard acceleration and rear end traction and has been the scene of a lot of racing drama in the past.
I‘m happy to go to Le Mans, it is a nice track, but every year it‘s different. Usually it‘s a good race for us, Yamaha and me, but last year our competitors were very strong. I imagine that Marc will also be strong this year, but I like this circuit, I like to ride here and our bike seems to go very well, especially on Sunday afternoon! This is a good thing, because we have to fight for the Championship. In Jerez we didn‘t have a perfect weekend. Third place was positive, but we can do better. Jorge did a great race, so the YZR-M1 is doing really well. At Le Mans we have to work well and fix the bike better. I’m confident. See you in Le Mans
I feel happy after my win in Jerez. Now I look forward to racing at Le Mans, a different track compared to Jerez. Usually we are affected by the weather, but it‘s a circuit I like and where Yamaha got some good results in the past, so I‘m very confident of doing a good job there. The bike is good right now and after my first podium and win I feel good. I‘m not thinking about the championship, I just take it day by day, corner by corner and try to ride the best I can and enjoy every session. If we can find a good set up I think we will be fighting for the podium again. Hopefully the weather is good but in France you never know what is going to happen! Anyway I‘ll do my best whatever the weather will be!
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 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.
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 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.
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 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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