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UN human rights experts denounce Indonesia’s MotoGP tourism project

UN human rights experts this week denounced Indonesia’s mega tourism project in Mandalika, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), saying that the project, which is closely tied to the world-class MotoGP races, “tramples on human rights.” In a statement, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Olivier de Schutter said that the US$3 billion project on Lombok island has involved aggressive land grabs, forced evictions of Sasak indigenous peoples, along with intimidation and threats against human rights defenders. State-owned Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), which oversees the developments of the Mandalika Priority Tourism Zone, has yet to pay any compensation or settle the land disputes, according to the experts. “Farmers and fisher folks have been expelled from their land and have endured the destruction of their houses, fields, water sources, cultural and religious sites, as the Government of Indonesia and the ITDC groomed Mandalika to become a ‘New Bali’,” Schutter said. This follows concerns raised by Indonesia’s National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) last year, who had urged ITDC to halt the construction of the MotoGP circuit in Mandalika, following reports of land disputes with local residents. Mandalika, the coastal resort area where the MotoGP races are set to take place, is located in NTB’s Central Lombok regency. The government is developing an enormous tourism complex that includes motorcycle circuits, parks, resorts, and hotels. Indonesia signed a deal with Dorna Spots ⁠— the exclusive commercial and television rights holder for MotoGP ⁠— in 2019 to host the world-class motorcycling races for five years. The initial contract has since been extended to 10 years, with the first race initially set to take place this year.

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Rossi and Morbidelli hoping for better fortunes at Doha GP

This weekend will see PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team’s Valentino Rossi and Franco Morbidelli back in action at the Losail International Circuit, where the pair will be hoping to come away from the Grand Prix of Doha with results that match their potential. Although Rossi’s fourth place on the grid went ultimately unrewarded last time out, the Italian will be hoping this qualifying strength pays dividends this weekend in his search for a ninth podium at the Qatari circuit. The last time that Valentino visited the QatarGP rostrum was in 2018 when he finished third, after starting the race from eighth. “We did expect more from the QatarGP but I struggled in the race and we suffered with the rear tyre, Rossi said. “We still have positives to take with us to the next round because P4 in qualifying was a great result, it was my fastest ever lap at the circuit, and I was very happy with this.” “Now, we will comprehensively analyse the data during these days before Free Practice and try to fix the problems that we had, try to improve the feeling and hopefully this weekend we will have a better result,” he added. Team-mate Morbidelli’s QatarGP race was unfortunately marred by a mechanical issue that surfaced whilst on the grid. Franco and his team will be aiming to rectify this for the coming weekend and reverse the bad fortune that he has experienced in recent years at Losail. Morbidelli will be hoping to get back into the championship fight with a good haul of points from Sunday’s race. “It’s going to be a tricky weekend. We saw after the pre-season test and after the race that something is not right with our package. There are moments of the day that it works well; we had good speed in the afternoon, before it got dark,” Morbidelli said. “We need to analyse the data from over the weekend to try to understand why. I hope that we can solve the problem for this weekend, we will see what happens. If not, it is going to be a weekend of damage limitation, where we try to defend as much as possible and take what points we can.”

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Rossi reveals the reason behind Qatar MotoGP struggle was due to overstressing his rear tyre

Petronas SRT rider Valentino Rossi says he “had to struggle” in the MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix having “stressed” his rear tyre too much on his Yamaha. The 42-year-old managed to qualify fourth on his SRT debut, but admitted on Saturday he didn’t feel he was strong enough to fight for a 200th MotoGP podium come the race. Rossi struggled all weekend to get endurance out of the soft rear tyre and quickly faded from fourth to 12th by the chequered flag – 10.7 seconds adrift of race winner Maverick Vinales on the factory team Yamaha. “We expected more for sure,” Rossi said of his race. “Especially after the qualifying, but in the race I was struggling very much. “After some laps I got into trouble with the tyres and unfortunately this also happened on Friday.” “After some laps we had some trouble with the rear tyre.” “For some reason I stressed the rear tyre too much. And the rear tyre lost performance, so after some laps I wasn’t fast enough.” “This also happened during the race. We hoped for less problems because the temperature was better, but the feeling was similar. “After, the race it was difficult, I had to struggle a lot. Everybody was [up] there so I lost a lot of positions. It wasn’t the race we expected.” Tyre endurance is an existing issue on the M1, with Fabio Quartararo also getting into trouble late in the race but managed to salvage fifth on the other works team Yamaha.

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Qatar MotoGP FP1: Morbidelli leads as four riders crash

Petronas SRT rider Franco Morbidelli continued his brilliant form of last season as he topped the first free practice session of the 2021 MotoGP season. The session got underway with an initial flurry of fast laps between Jack Miller and Aleix Espargaro as the pair changed places at the front several times. In what were very warm conditions at the Losail International CIrcuit, many of the top riders from testing showed their pace including Maverick Vinales, Fabio Quartararo and Francesco Bagnaia who all briefly led the way too. However, it wasn’t long before Morbidelli took over at the top, a position he held until the closing stages. As the session came to a close, a late surge from Espargaro momentarily put the Spaniard top, but as the checkered flag came out, the Petronas Yamaha rider regained top spot with a 1m 54.921 Perhaps the biggest takeaway from FP1 was Espargaro and Aprilia, who showed that their form in pre-season testing is a true sign of their progression this year. Fastest during the Qatar test was Miller, who recovered from an early crash at turn 4 to take third spot. Fourth was Quartararo on his competitive debut for the factory Yamaha team, while reigning world champion Joan Mir put a fast lap in at the end to take fifth. It was a good start for the Spanish rider who was unanimously called the title favourite during Thursday’s press conference. Sixth was Vinales who was once again seen practising his race starts at every pit exit. While Alex Rins was seventh for Suzuki. Rounding out the top ten were Bagnaia in eighth, Valentino Rossi on his Petronas debut in ninth and Miguel Oliveira in tenth. Along with Miller, Johann Zarco was the first rider to crash which was also at turn 4, while Pol Espargaro and Enea Bastianini were the other fallers. MotoGP riders will be back on track later today at 20:00 local time for FP2.

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Suzuki Ecstar announce partnership with Estrella Galicia 0,0 for 2021

Suzuki Ecstar MotoGP Team has announced that it has reached an agreement with Estrella Galicia 0,0 to start a journey together from 2021 onwards, after signing a contract that will bind both companies for the next seasons in a multi-year agreement. This partnership between the companies, who both have long and illustrious involvements with motorcycle racing, aims to bring a fresh mentality and a shared hunger for success. The announcement comes at a crucial moment for Team Suzuki Ecstar as the team will fight to retain their MotoGP World Championship title, which was achieved in 2020 – the year of Suzuki’s 100 Anniversary – thanks to Mallorcan rider Joan Mir. Estrella Galicia 0,0 is the flagship non-alcoholic beer brand of Hijos de Rivera, a family-owned Spanish production and distribution company with a history spanning over 114 years, which is present in over 60 countries around the world.Estrella Galicia 0,0 has been personally sponsoring Team Suzuki Ecstar’s two riders, Joan Mir and Alex Rins for several years. However, this new deal means they will now also directly sponsor the entire Hamamatsu outfit. The company has grown in recent decades and has a long history of sponsorship within the world of sports – and in the MotoGP World Championship in particular – making them an ideal sponsor for Team Suzuki Ecstar. “We are delighted to join forces with Team Suzuki Ecstar, sponsoring them and becoming their official beer supplier. It’s a brand with which we not only share colours, but also have a similar DNA where centuries-old family tradition and the ambition to compete at the highest level against great competitors define everything we do,” CEO of Hijos de Rivera Corporation, Ignacio Rivera said. “I am sure that both Álex Rins and Joan Mir, Estrella Galicia 0,0 ambassadors and shining examples of our talent philosophy, will share our joy at going one step further in our relationship by becoming sponsors of the current MotoGP World Champion team”.

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Marc Marquez to miss the first two Qatar races of the 2021 MotoGP Season

Marc Marquez announces he will miss both 2021 MotoGP season openers at the Losail International Circuit on March 28 and April 4. With the first race of the 2021 MotoGP season only six days away, Marc Marquez has taken the decision to miss the opening round at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar on the advice of his medical team from the Hospital Ruber Internacional. Marquez had intensified his hopes of returning for the season opener, after two track days in Barcelona and Portimao onboard an RC213V-S last week, however doctors ‘consider it prudent and necessary not to accelerate Márquez’s return to the track’. In a review carried out on the six-time premier class world champion, several doctors have found a good clinical response following the intensification of his training, 15 weeks after surgery was conducted for an infected pseudoarthrosis of the right humerus. Marquez confirmed the decision, saying: “After the last review with the medical team, the doctors have advised me that the most prudent thing was not to take part in the Qatar Grand Prix and to continue with the recovery plan that we have followed in recent weeks. “I would have loved to be able to participate in the opening race of the World Championship, but we will have to continue working to be able to recover the optimal conditions that allow us to return to competition.” That’s not all, as Marquez has shared the news on social media and says he will also miss the second round in Qatar too as he hopes to return as quickly as possible.

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Avintia rookie Marini says Ducati’s Miller has a ‘strange’ riding style

MotoGP rookie Luca Marini says he is finding it difficult to imitate the “strange” style with which pre-season pace-setter Jack Miller rides the Ducati. The five days of official testing in Qatar represented the first time that all seven Ducati riders, including test pilot Michele Pirro, were on track together on Desmosedicis. The sextet of grand prix regulars is split equally between non-rookies and rookies, the former group being Miller, Francesco Bagnaia, and Johann Zarco, and the latter comprised of Marini, Enea Bastianini, and Jorge Martin. While Marini looked at how all of his Ducati counterparts fared at Losail, he naturally concentrated on the more experienced trio. The protégé, and half-brother, of Valentino Rossi observed that Miller seems to be able to make his bike turn in a way not considered normal for a Desmosedici. “I think everybody rides in a similar way [on the Ducati],” said the 23-year-old Avintia rider. “You can see that the bike needs some specific [style] – the rider has to do something to make the bike turn and stop better. But every rider has his own way to do this. “So it’s interesting for me to look at the three top guys, the riders with more experience on the Ducati. Also, I look at the data of Martin and Enea, but for sure to learn faster it is more important to check with Miller, Zarco and Pecco. “Jack is very strange how he uses the bike, also the set-up, so it is not easy to copy. But you can see with Jack the bike has a very big potential; he can make the bike turn in the corners like a Yamaha. He has very good corner speed. “So I also want to improve the corner speed and make the bike like he does because it’s very important for the lap time. “I think every Ducati rider brakes very late, deep and hard to make the lap time, but also Jack is impressive how he can turn the bike in the middle of the corner. “Pecco looks like the most similar to me maybe, so it’s easier to compare the data with him. “Meanwhile Zarco rides in a very singular [unique] way so it’s not very easy to compare with him, but he was in Avintia last year so also my crew chief knows him very well and you can check also with him interesting things.” Zarco was promoted from Avintia Racing to Pramac Racing when both Miller and Bagnaia got the call-up to the factory Ducati Lenovo Team. According to Marini, the Frenchman is also somewhat unique in how he uses the rear brake. “It’s not easy to explain,” said the 2020 Moto2 runner-up of Zarco’s style. “There is something in common with all the Ducati riders, because to be fast you have to do some things, but you can also see how every Ducati rider rides the bike in a slightly different way. “Zarco is one that is struggling in some areas that are not areas where I’m losing more. So, for now, it’s not easy for me to compare the data with him, also because he uses different electronic settings and uses the rear brake in a very different way. “With this bike, the influence of the rear brake is very important. You have to use it a lot during all of the lap. “For now, I’m not using enough the rear brake, so it’s not easy to compare with him because he is using a lot of rear brake, as are Pecco and Miller. “I don’t know how to explain well. [Zarco] is a little bit different. Nothing big; just maybe he doesn’t brake as hard then he lets the bike enter fast into the corner, but he can manage the middle of the corner to turn the bike and then he tries to be smooth in the exit of the corners. “It’s not very precise in the first touch of the gas, in my opinion, but he can adjust this with the electronics and at the end if you check the speed also in the exit of the corner, he is quite strong.” Miller unofficially broke Losail’s All Time Lap Record in testing, while Bagnaia ended up fifth-fastest after the five days. Zarco unofficially broke a speed record in hitting 357.69km/h on the penultimate day of action although his fastest lap, good enough for ninth on combined times, came a day earlier. Martin, also on a GP21, wound up 14th, with Bastianini 15th, Marini 21st, and Pirro 28th. The Moto2 and Moto3 Official Test starts tonight at Losail, and the first grand prix of the season, at the same circuit, a week later.

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Marc Marquez set to travel to Qatar for COVID-19 vaccine

Marc Marquez will travel to Qatar this week to receive the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine being offered to the MotoGP paddock. On Thursday, MotoGP announced it had come to an agreement with the Qatari authorities for the entire paddock present in the country to be offered the COVID-19 vaccine, following the region’s successful rollout amongst its population. The jab on offer is the Pfizer vaccine, which requires its two doses to be split by 19 days. Marquez will therefore travel to Qatar to have the first jab before returning home to continue his training ahead of his MotoGP return, Motorsport.com has learned. Most of the MotoGP paddock was given the first dose of the vaccine on Friday, though it is understood Takaaki Nakagami declined the offer. Most Moto2 and Moto3 teams have altered their plans to stay in Qatar as so they can be given both doses of the vaccine. “This is a fantastic opportunity that the Qatari government offers the MotoGP community, and the Repsol Honda team is very grateful,” Honda team boss Alberto Puig said. “We understand that Qatar wants to protect all the people of the world championship and also its people. “Regarding Marc, he will have to be vaccinated because this has been created to combat this virus.” Marquez was cleared by doctors to begin riding motorcycles again as the right arm he broke in last year’s Spanish Grand Prix has finally shown significant signs of healing following a third operation in December. Honda has listed Marquez on the provisional entry list for the Qatar GP on 28 March, and the Spaniard hasn’t ruled out the possibility of making the race despite missing pre-season testing. However, there is still some doubt about whether he will be ready to ride when the season starts just 13 days from now. Should Marquez be unable to race in the opening round, HRC test rider Stefan Bradl will likely step in to take his place just as he did from the Czech GP onwards last year.

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Qatar MotoGP test 2 Friday lap time was only set by Danilo Petrucci

KTM Tech 3’s Danilo Petrucci is the only rider to have set a lap time during the opening two hours of the last day of MotoGP pre-season testing at Losail in Qatar. The fifth and final day of 2021 Official MotoGP pre-season testing is underway at Losail in Qatar. After the March 5 Shakedown (led by Stefan Bradl) and then opening Official Test from March 6-7 (which saw new Monster Yamaha signing Fabio Quartararo fastest), Jack Miller beat the official lap record en route to putting Ducati on top at the start of the second test. Maverick Vinales fought back for Yamaha on day two, but Miller’s 1m 53.183s remains the best of the test heading into Friday’s final day, when LCR Honda’s Alex Marquez will need to brave the pain of a small fracture in his foot. The MotoGP regulars are again joined by Factory test riders Bradl (Honda) – also substituting for the injured Marc Marquez – new Yamaha signing Cal Crutchlow, Dani Pedrosa (KTM), Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki) and Michele Pirro (Ducati). Crutchlow is again sharing M1s with Yamaha’s Japanese test riders Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Kohta Nozane. The three bikes, which appear to include 2019 (A-Spec) plus 2020 and 2021 Factory-spec machines, are labelled ‘#T1’, ‘#T2’ and ‘#T3’. Official timing only lists the bike, not the rider, although one of Crutchlow’s (Factory-spec) bikes is in a special 60th anniversary Yamaha livery for the final test Testing takes place from 2pm to 9pm each day, followed by ten minutes reserved for practice starts. However, windy conditions mean no riders set a lap time during the opening hour and only Danilo Petrucci has completed a timed lap by the close of the second hour.

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Rossi reveals he felt like a real rider after Qatar test 2

Nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi completes the opening day of the second and final MotoGP pre season test in P13, but says ‘Today I feel like a real rider’. It was a difficult opening test with his new team Petronas Yamaha last weekend, but Rossi enjoyed a more consistent performance on his third outing for the Malaysian based team. While Rossi remains over a second away from the likes of Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Vinales from the factory team, the Italian was closer to his team-mate Franco Morbidelli, after improving his lap time by over a second from Sunday. “Today is a lot better day for me. At the end I’m p13, so it’s nothing great for sure, but I improved my lap time by more than 1 second. Also I improved my pace and my feeling with the bike,” said Rossi. “We worked a lot with all the team, so I am happy about the work because my pace is – I’m not at the level of the top, but I am a lot closer. “We have to say that especially the first two, but also Viñales, they make an impressive time attack. I think that’s the record of the circuit maybe.” “But today I feel like a real rider, I ride quite well and we improve very much. We tried new stuff and continued to compare the new chassis, but today was more positive. Everybody is very strong and I miss something but it’s just the first day. So it’s a good start.” Rossi has been one of the busiest Yamaha riders when it comes to testing the new chassis so far. And while it’s not quite the same as the 19 chassis, which all four Yamaha riders preferred, there are signs of it not being far away. The chassis was not the only component of the bike Rossi worked on today, as he also tested some new aero parts. Rossi added: “The new chassis is better, because we have better turning. Unfortunately with the 2020 chassis we lose some turning. And this one is better from this point of view. “It’s not the same as the 2019 chassis, but anyway it’s more close and also has some other good points. Today I tried some different things for the aerodynamics, like the new fairing, and it’s beautiful. “We improved a lot the top speed. This is positive, even if Ducati are still like 10 km/h faster, but also we improve a lot.” Tyre grip was a problem area for Yamaha in 2020, and it was again an issue that resurfaced on Sunday during the opening test for Rossi, but there seems to have been a step forward in this regard. “For me the second day of the test [Sunday] I had a lot of problems with the tyres because I don’t have very good grip, I suffer very, very much. Today looks like the tyres were better. “The chassis is good and helped me improve the pace. And I also improved the riding style, because I have also some corners where I was not strong enough, especially in entry. “So it’s all togethera positive day. When you try good stuff, the better stuff, it is also better for the motivation. Because finding the right motivation and the right concentration in a long day in the test is not easy. And also physically I feel better after the first test.”

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Jack miller tops the first day of the second Qatar MotoGP test after setting a record lap

Ducati’s Jack Miller headed the timesheets on the first day of the final MotoGP pre-season test in Qatar, the Aussie heading Fabio Quartararo by just 0.080. Quartararo fired in the fastest time of the test so far- a 1:53.263s- as Wednesday running headed into its final hour, a gambit three-tenths quicker than Maverick Vinales’ pole time at the Losail International Circuit the last time the venue hosted a grand prix two years ago. Miller led the way prior to Quartararo’s stunning tour, though not content with second he posted a time just 0.080 up on the Frenchman in the final 15 minutes-an effort enough to keep him atop the timing pylon as the clock ticked down to zero. Maverick Vinales backed up his team-mates speed on the second factory M1 in third position 0.327 down on Miller, while Johann Zarco wheeled his Pramac-run Ducati to the fourth quickest time. Pol Espargaro continued his encouraging form as he learns the Honda RC213-V ahead of his competitive debut on the machine in the Qatar GP in two weeks time with fifth on the timesheets, his best effort exactly the same as Zarco’s own time. Aleix Espargaro made sure Aprilia was part of the conversation towards the head of the times in a solid sixth overall, the Spaniard heading countryman and reigning MotoGP world champion Joan Mir on the first of Suzuki’s GSX-RR’s. Mir’s team-mate Alex Rins slotted in closely behind in eighth position, while Francesco Bagnaia and Takaaki Nakagami completed the top ten at the end of Wednesday. Nakagami’s day wasn’t without calamity though, the LCR racer suffering a minor spill at Turn 1 earlier in the day, while Honda stable-mate Stefan Bradl also suffered a crash. The German went down fairly heavily at Turn 2 before the lunch break, a get-off that would ultimately end his day as he left the track early in order to be in the best form for the final couple days of testing-a decision that would leave him 16th by the end of the session. KTM continued to evade the top ten times as the Austrian manufacturer did last week, new factory recruit Miguel Oliveira its highest classified runner in 12th 1.343s off the pace, with fellow RC16 pilots Danilo Petrucci, Brad Binder and Iker Lecuona all languishing outside the top 15. Enea Bastianini continued to lead the way as far as rookies go, the Avintia man eclipsing Pramac’s Jorge Martin for the accolade by three-tenths in 14th versus the ’18 Moto3 world champion’s 19th overall. Valentino Rossi once again cast a quiet shadow down in 13th, Petronas SRT team-mate Franco Morbidelli two places clear of the veteran in 11th.

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BMW presents new safety car fleet for 2021 MotoGP

BMW has provided the official MotoGP Safety Car fleet since 1999, and the German manufacturer has now shown its latest additions that will join the start of the 2021 MotoGP World Championship season which begins March 28 in Losail for the Grand Prix of Qatar. The new fleet is comprised of the G80 M3, G82 M4 and the F90 M5 CS, as well as the BMW Motorrad M 1000 RR Safety Bike. These will be joined by the BMW M8 Competition Coupe Safety Car, the F93 M8 Competition Gran Coupe Safety Car, an F95 X5 M Medical Car and an additional M 1000 RR Safety Bike at the first European round of the season, which takes place April 18 in Portimao, Portugal. The Safety Car fleet gets a new approach to colours this year, superseding the M livery that has become tradition for the fleet. This time around, each car will wear exclusive colours for their respective models, and as such, the M3 Competition Safety Car gets Frozen Grey Dark Metallic, the M4 Competition Coupe Safety Car gets Sao Paolo Yellow and the M5 CS Safety Car gets Frozen Deep Green Metallic. Just a few modifications were required in order to allow their use as MotoGP safety cars, said BMW, and these included the addition of light bars, flashing front lights, motorsport quick-release bonnet latches and emergency power shut-off switches for overseas transport when the MotoGP calendar travels between race weekends. In the M4 Competition Safety Car, its rear seats have been removed and replaced with a roll bar and four-point safety harness setup. Both the M3 and M4 Safety Cars have modified exhaust systems. In road trim, the M3 and M4 Competition produce 510 PS and 650 Nm of torque from a 3.0 litre biturbo inline-six, driving the rear wheels via an eight-speed M Steptronic automatic transmission. AWD is now available as an option. Meanwhile, the M5 CS gets an uprated version of the ‘regular’ 4.4 litre biturbo V8 to get 635 hp and 750 Nm of torque, sent to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. BMW M has chosen to go with a “classic, purist safety car look”, with emphasis on the basic colours of each vehicle, says BMW. Meanwhile, the M 1000 RR Safety Bike continues to wear the signature M livery, which is the same as that applied to the production bike, with the addition of MotoGP and “Official Safety Bike” decals.

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Marc Marquez name appears on Qatar provisional list of riders

Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez has been included on the Entry List for the 2021 Barwa Grand Prix of Qatar, as the eight-time World Champion edges ever closer to being fit enough to ride his RC213V again. In an interview with his Repsol Honda Team, published on Monday, the number 93 confirmed that he is feeling “better every day” and hopes that he can be in Doha for the opening round of the season. Marc Marquez has been forced to miss pre-season testing at the Losail International Circuit, but both rider, the team and millions of fans around the world will hope he can be passed fit for Round 1. Full Provisional Entry List for the Barwa Grand Prix of Qatar:5 – Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing)9 – Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing)10 – Luca Marini (SKY VR46 Avintia)12 – Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP)20 – Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP)21 – Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamahaa SRT)23 – Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama Racing)27 – Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing)30 – Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu)32 – Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini)33 – Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)36 – Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar)41 – Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini)42 – Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar)43 – Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team)44 – Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team)46 – Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT)63 – Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team)73 – Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol)88 – Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)89 – Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing)93 – Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team)

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Aprilia reveals their 2021 MotoGP contender with Savadori and Espargaro

Aprilia Team Gresini on Thursday showed off the livery for its 2021 RS-GP machine, the Italian manufacturer also announcing Lorenzo Savadori as Aleix Espargaro’s team-mate for the upcoming campaign. The upgraded RS-GP sports a minimally revised livery for the new season, with the general design remaining markedly similar to the ’20 paint scheme, with a reduction in the amount of green the main change. The ’21 MotoGP campaign marks the final year of Gresini Racing running Aprilia’s factory programme after seven years, the Noale-based marque taking sole control of its premier class operation from ’22 onwards while Gresini moves back to running as an independent entity, though the machinery it will use is yet to be determined. It may elect to remain tied to Aprilia as its main satellite team, though a return to long-time bike supplier Honda could also be in the offing. Espargaro will start his fifth season in Aprilia colours having ended ’20 with a pair of strong runs into the top ten at Valencia and Portimao, the Spaniard keen to capture the manufacturer’s first premier class rostrum since the 2000 British Grand Prix at Donington Park. “The bike is very good. I’m happy with it and the set-up. I can stop the bike, have good corner speed and the traction is quite OK. But there is no engine at all,” Espargaro said at Misano last September. “It’s the slowest engine in the grid in terms of acceleration.” Espargaro has scored a best result of sixth in three occasions with the RS-GP over his four years with the team, a best riders championship finish of 14th coming in ’19 after collecting a total of 63 points. Some 2020 engine performance had been lost due to reliability concerns, but Espargaro – who took a best race finish of eighth – made clear; “even if we use this engine at its maximum level it’s not enough.” Unsurprisingly, engine modifications are among the main developments for the 2021 RS-GP alongside new aerodyanmics, chassis and carbon-fibre swingarm. “The new bike is based on the 2020 but with many substantial changes,” confirmed Aprilia technical director Romano Albesiano. Savadori joins Aprilia full-time after competing in the final three encounters of ’20 in place of fellow test rider Bradley Smith, the Italian getting the nod for the second seat having spent the last few seasons as a tester for the squad himself. “I’m really happy and want to say thank you to Aprilia for this opportunity. I’ve been training hard and one of my goals for the year is to make the maximum for Fausto,” said Savadori. The ’21 season will be Gresini’s first campaign without the guidance of team owner Fausto Gresini, who sadly passed away following a long battle with Covid-19 last week, with a short tribute aired to the two-time 125cc world champion prior to the new RS-GP’s unveiling. “Our desire is to make him proud,” said Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola. 2021 will be the final year of the Aprilia-Gresini partnership, Gresini Racing seeking a return to satellite status with another MotoGP manufacturer for 2022 when Aprilia is expected to have its own grid entries.

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Petronas SRT reveal performance clause in Rossi’s contract

Valentino Rossi will have to meet performance targets if he is to secure yet another deal with Yamaha beyond the upcoming MotoGP season, according to SRT. The seven-time premier class world champion switches from Monster Energy Yamaha to Petronas Yamaha SRT this year, but on a contract with the factory. That deal is for just the one season, a term which is a function, at least in part, of the impending end of the current MotoGP participation cycle. According to SRT team principal Razlan Razali, Rossi has certain hurdles which he must clear in order to be offered another contract. “We will have to look at it race by race with Valentino,” said Razali of continuing with the Italian next year, upon the Malaysian-owned squad’s season launch. “And of course, like any other rider, I think the first six to seven races are crucial to see where he’s at. “And Valentino being such an experienced rider, he will have a self-evaluation of his performance in the first six or seven races before he decides what to do. “We are aware that in his contract with Yamaha there are certain targets he needs to achieve before any talks about continuation next year.” It was Rossi’s need for self-evaluation which meant he would not sign a contract to race with Yamaha’s factory team beyond 2020 before that 2020 season had begun. The legendary rider had just come off a shocking 2019 campaign and the Japanese marque would choose to replace him with Fabio Quartararo at its works squad. Quartararo, on the other hand, had surprised in how well he had performed in what was a rookie MotoGP campaign that year, with an SRT operation which was also undertaking its maiden premier class season. Last year it was another youngster in Franco Morbidelli, on the other SRT entry, who ended up being Yamaha’s best performer by finishing runner-up in the championship, despite running on an older-spec bike. Morbidelli was renewed midway through last year but Rossi’s arrival represents a deviation from the youth policy at the team. Aside from his status as one of the greats of motorcycle racing, the 42-year-old is also a stable option which suits the times, says Razali. “The proposition of having Vale in the team got much more viable and feasible because of the pandemic,” he explained. “Because if it was a normal year, we would have looked at Valentino and other riders as well. “But because of what happened last year, the option of Valentino became more attractive rather than selecting a rookie rider amidst this pandemic. “We want to continue our performance on the track, we know we have a good rider in Franco, a young rider, but we also believe Valentino can bring stability and performance. “When he is relaxed and happy with the bike, he can deliver that performance. “So, it was more for the stability of the team and we make that great exception this year only with Valentino.” Having apparently let out a teaser in a sponsorship announcement in January, SRT has now formally unveiled its 2021 livery. Its YZR-M1s will continue to run with a black base and Petronas teal, while Rossi’s signature #46 retains the same typeface and yellow. MotoGP’s 2021 Shakedown Test takes place at Losail on March 5 (local time), while the first Official Test follows at the Qatar Grand Prix venue on the next two days.

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motogp

Petronas SRT launches their 2021 MotoGP bikes with Rossi and Morbidelli

Petronas SRT has become the latest MotoGP team to unveil the livery its 2021 challengers will race in the new season with revised line-up Franco Morbidelli and Valentino Rossi. The 2021 season will be SRT’s third in the premier class, the Yamaha satellite team in its short tenure already a six-time race winner. Last year, Morbidelli won three times on his way to runner-up spot in the championship, and ended up just 13 points behind title winner Joan Mir. For 2021, SRT welcomes nine-time grand prix world champion Rossi to its ranks, after the Italian legend elected to extend his MotoGP career by another year at least. This is the first Rossi has been a Yamaha rider that he won’t race in its factory colours, but will remain a factory-contracted rider with full works support in 2021. The 2021 season will be Rossi’s 26th in grand prix racing and his 16th in MotoGP as a Yamaha rider. Despite his best efforts, Rossi hasn’t been able to bring his entire crew from the factory Yamaha team to SRT, with the Italian only able to keep crew chief David Munoz, data engineer Matteo Flamigni and rider coach Idalio Gavira. Rossi protégé Morbidelli won’t have machine parity with the factory riders again in 2021 despite finishing last season as Yamaha’s best rider. Instead, Yamaha has decided to keep him on the ‘A-spec’ M1 he rode in 2020 – which is effectively a 2019 bike. At its own launch event last month, Yamaha explained that it wasn’t possible to guarantee factory machinery for Morbidelli for this season when it made its decision but conceded he deserved it. Only two teams have still to unveil their 2021 liveries, but will do so this week, with Aprilia set to reveal its new RS-GP’s colours on 4 March and Suzuki on 6 March. Pre-season testing will begin on 6 March, with the shakedown outing in Qatar for test riders taking place the day before. As well as its MotoGP colours, SRT also unveiled those of its Moto3 riders John McPhee and Darryn Binder, and Moto2 line-up Jake Dixon and Xavi Vierge.

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