Calendar & Results
GP 7 : Cataluña
Simón ninth, and a scare for Rabat
MÁRQUEZ KEEPS ON AMAZING
MÁRQUEZ KEEPS ON AMAZING
Marc Márquez has participated in five GGPP in this World Championship, and has managed to finish in a race amongst the first ten. At home, in the Circuit of Catalunya, and in front of more than 100,000 spectators, Márquez left everyone amazed with his ease on the track. Meanwhile, it was a complicated weekend for Julito Simón, who however takes with himself the positive result of having found an evolution in his KTM for the first time and that has given him good vibes. It was also a weekend in which Tito Rabat gave the World Championship a big scare. On Friday, during the qualifying practice, he suffered an unfortunate crash and got a hard blow on his head. They had to take him to the a hospital in Barcelona, making him say good-bye to a weekend full of races.
New Chassis, new perspectives
KTM keeps on working and the Haulotte riders are still the first ones to try out the Austrian brand’s evolutions. The last time in Le Mans it was Rabat who tried out a new chassis for his 125, but this time it was Julito Simon’s turn. A technical novelty that has improved the toledan rider’s feelings when riding. “On Friday we focused our work on the chassis, that has a great potential and that I like more than the old one. The team worked very hard all day, since it was the first time that I was using this chassis on this circuit, and I found some difficulties that I didn’t expect. I noticed a certain improvement, but we also realised that we needed to keep on improving with respect to the engine, because our competitors were still ahead of us in that area”. Julito finished thirteenth in the first qualifying practice. On Saturday he improved his performance, although he still had some deficiencies as far as his top speed was concerned, making him have to push hard at some points of the track. Because of this he made small mistakes that wouldn’t let him bring Friday’s time down as much as he expected. “The bike improved pretty much from one day to another. Even so, I knew I was going to have to make a big effort at the beginning of the race so that the riders that were in front of me wouldn’t get away. I was very optimistic and I felt much better than at Mugello”. Tenth at the grid, Simón had a good start on Sunday’s race, although his rival’s superior top speed again complicated things. “The start wasn’t bad, but already in the first straight some riders started to pass ahead of me. During the first lap I fought to move up some positions, but I wasn’t able to do it and I was stuck in the second group until the middle of the race, trying to follow Kallio, Pasini and other’s streamline. The truth is that it was hard to keep up with that pace. In the end the tyres were performing poorly and I was finding it hard to follow them. Maybe I needed a little more from my engine in order to hold out a little longer in the group. I’ll save the thought that my mechanics and myself worked to our maximum all weekend; ninth isn’t what I deserved, but we couldn’t really do much more”.
Márquez keeps on growing
The Montmeló race was special for Marc Márquez, one of the riders that transmits the image of the Circuit of Catalunya worldwide. And he didn’t disappoint anyone. On Friday, as always, it was time to get all the information possible about the tack, with an inconvenience: the track was a little wet during the first practice.“It was a complicated day. During the morning the track was wet, although as we began riding it started to dry. Many of us riders didn’t have time to change the settings from wet to dry, so we had to watch out so that we didn’t crash. In the afternoon I noticed that I wasn’t comfortable, and we weren’t able to find the right set up for the suspension that would allow me to ride at ease”. Márquez finished 25th, a position that he would greatly improve during the qualifying practice on Saturday. After Rabat’s accident, they set up the new KTM chassis that Tito had already tried out, for the youngest rider of the World Championship. This gave very good results. Márquez stared off fourteen at the starting grid. “They set up the new KTM chassis so that I could try it out, and the bike did much better. We made a few adjustments and during the practice I think we found the correct tuning. This allowed me to have a good time and good perspectives for the race”. And those expectations were fulfilled. With another great start, the Haulotte rider settled in seventh and in the leading group. Even if this group broke up, Márquez was able to hold out in the second group of riders with whom he fought throughout the whole race. A race in which he was able to finish tenth, his best result so far in the World Championship. “It was very hard. At first the head of the race didn’t have too much pace so I could keep up with them, although afterwards I lost their pace a little. During the race I was pretty comfortable in the group that I was in, but three laps away from the end two riders crashed in front of me, touch me slightly, and so I definitely lost the reference. But what is important is that I did well and that I enjoyed myself. I have learned a lot and I have to congratulate the team because they have done a good job this weekend”.
A scare that finally wasn’t serious
On the sports side, Tito Rabat practically didn’t achieve anything. After hitting himself on the head when he crashed on Friday, Rabat was taken to the General Hospital of Catalonia, where he was subject to a couple of tests that all turned out negative. Although, after suffering a blackout, the Haulotte rider had to be sedated. Rabat was kept like that all night, and his family and team were comforted that new tests were done, again with negative results. Saturday morning he gained consciousness, so they were able to remove the artificial breathing. And the first thing that Rabat asked the doctors was when he could get back to the circuit. Tito remained in the hospital all weekend. On Sunday he was able to watch the races, and in the afternoon he received a visit from his friend Marc Márquez. On Monday they let him go home and now he is going to have to rest in order to recuperate completely.
The riders now have a weekend to rest and regain some energy. They’ve got two races in row up ahead waiting for them. The first, the British Grand Prix, that will be held in Donington Park the 20th of June onwards.
New Chassis, new perspectives
KTM keeps on working and the Haulotte riders are still the first ones to try out the Austrian brand’s evolutions. The last time in Le Mans it was Rabat who tried out a new chassis for his 125, but this time it was Julito Simon’s turn. A technical novelty that has improved the toledan rider’s feelings when riding. “On Friday we focused our work on the chassis, that has a great potential and that I like more than the old one. The team worked very hard all day, since it was the first time that I was using this chassis on this circuit, and I found some difficulties that I didn’t expect. I noticed a certain improvement, but we also realised that we needed to keep on improving with respect to the engine, because our competitors were still ahead of us in that area”. Julito finished thirteenth in the first qualifying practice. On Saturday he improved his performance, although he still had some deficiencies as far as his top speed was concerned, making him have to push hard at some points of the track. Because of this he made small mistakes that wouldn’t let him bring Friday’s time down as much as he expected. “The bike improved pretty much from one day to another. Even so, I knew I was going to have to make a big effort at the beginning of the race so that the riders that were in front of me wouldn’t get away. I was very optimistic and I felt much better than at Mugello”. Tenth at the grid, Simón had a good start on Sunday’s race, although his rival’s superior top speed again complicated things. “The start wasn’t bad, but already in the first straight some riders started to pass ahead of me. During the first lap I fought to move up some positions, but I wasn’t able to do it and I was stuck in the second group until the middle of the race, trying to follow Kallio, Pasini and other’s streamline. The truth is that it was hard to keep up with that pace. In the end the tyres were performing poorly and I was finding it hard to follow them. Maybe I needed a little more from my engine in order to hold out a little longer in the group. I’ll save the thought that my mechanics and myself worked to our maximum all weekend; ninth isn’t what I deserved, but we couldn’t really do much more”.
Márquez keeps on growing
The Montmeló race was special for Marc Márquez, one of the riders that transmits the image of the Circuit of Catalunya worldwide. And he didn’t disappoint anyone. On Friday, as always, it was time to get all the information possible about the tack, with an inconvenience: the track was a little wet during the first practice.“It was a complicated day. During the morning the track was wet, although as we began riding it started to dry. Many of us riders didn’t have time to change the settings from wet to dry, so we had to watch out so that we didn’t crash. In the afternoon I noticed that I wasn’t comfortable, and we weren’t able to find the right set up for the suspension that would allow me to ride at ease”. Márquez finished 25th, a position that he would greatly improve during the qualifying practice on Saturday. After Rabat’s accident, they set up the new KTM chassis that Tito had already tried out, for the youngest rider of the World Championship. This gave very good results. Márquez stared off fourteen at the starting grid. “They set up the new KTM chassis so that I could try it out, and the bike did much better. We made a few adjustments and during the practice I think we found the correct tuning. This allowed me to have a good time and good perspectives for the race”. And those expectations were fulfilled. With another great start, the Haulotte rider settled in seventh and in the leading group. Even if this group broke up, Márquez was able to hold out in the second group of riders with whom he fought throughout the whole race. A race in which he was able to finish tenth, his best result so far in the World Championship. “It was very hard. At first the head of the race didn’t have too much pace so I could keep up with them, although afterwards I lost their pace a little. During the race I was pretty comfortable in the group that I was in, but three laps away from the end two riders crashed in front of me, touch me slightly, and so I definitely lost the reference. But what is important is that I did well and that I enjoyed myself. I have learned a lot and I have to congratulate the team because they have done a good job this weekend”.
A scare that finally wasn’t serious
On the sports side, Tito Rabat practically didn’t achieve anything. After hitting himself on the head when he crashed on Friday, Rabat was taken to the General Hospital of Catalonia, where he was subject to a couple of tests that all turned out negative. Although, after suffering a blackout, the Haulotte rider had to be sedated. Rabat was kept like that all night, and his family and team were comforted that new tests were done, again with negative results. Saturday morning he gained consciousness, so they were able to remove the artificial breathing. And the first thing that Rabat asked the doctors was when he could get back to the circuit. Tito remained in the hospital all weekend. On Sunday he was able to watch the races, and in the afternoon he received a visit from his friend Marc Márquez. On Monday they let him go home and now he is going to have to rest in order to recuperate completely.
The riders now have a weekend to rest and regain some energy. They’ve got two races in row up ahead waiting for them. The first, the British Grand Prix, that will be held in Donington Park the 20th of June onwards.
