Calendar & Results
GP 1 : Qatar
Simón 11th and Rabat 24th
QATAR: A COMPLICATED START
QATAR: A COMPLICATED START
The World Championship started this past weekend in the Losail Circuit, with the spectacular Qatar Grand Prix.
Spectacular because there was a novelty, for the first time in history, one of the Championship’s races was disputed at night. The Haulotte Group riders, that are part of the Repsol KTM team in 250cc and 125cc, came back home yesterday after spending more than ten days in Doha, as just before the Grand Prix they were able to put themselves to the test during the qualifying practice that lasted three days. They took advantage of these days to get used to riding at night and to try to find the best tuning for their bikes. By the way, the three Haulotte riders weren’t able to be together for this opening race. The very young Marc Marquez, (the youngest in the championship) had to stay in Spain as he is recovering from a fractured ulna and radius in his right arm, which occurred while training in Jerez. So Márquez was not able to join Julito Simón (250 cc) and Tito Rabat (125) in Qatar.
Too much difficulties
Simon, who’s from Villacañas, had a weekend that ended up being more difficult what he expected. All of the KTM had many problems with the extreme conditions in Losail, especially the radical changes in temperature and the changes in humidity. This especially affected the motor and affected Simón more than anyone else. He was riding professionallyfor the first time on a KTM 250 in the Qatar track. This, and the pains that he has been dragging along for a couple of weeks in his left forearm, has marked this Spanish rider’s debut weekend. “We have a great bike, although we haven’t been able to enjoy it on this track. This is only the beginning of the season, and although I realise that we haven’t started out very well, I believe that we will all together change this situation, and in Jerez we will fight to be at the front. As in the year before, I have pains in my forearm. I was operated on after Valencia, but I’ve had a difficult race. I think the result in itself has made me especially nervous and has made it more difficult for me to confront the situation”.
During the official tests, Julito ended up in fourth row at the starting grid, with the 14th best time. Already in the race, after a good start, he was able to get rid of up to three rivals, amongst them Hiroshi Aoyama, another of the KTM riders. In the end, and after a heated and complicated fight, Simón was able to take 11th place, as the second best KTM rider, adding his first five points to the championship classification. It was a result far from what he expected during the championship, but also something positive compared to how things had turned out during the Grand Prix. “The weekend hasn’t been too good. Things haven’t turned out well, it’s a shame and all we have left to hope for is Jerez. I feel terrible for the team, as I have done all I can but, evidently, the result isn’t what we deserved”. Simón will have the chance get rid of the bad taste left in his mouth by Qatar in a couple of weeks, from the 28th of March onwards, when the Spanish GP, that will be held in Jerez, starts.
Rabat crashed out
As Marc Márquez was absent due to his injury, the whole weight of the Haulotte representation in 125cc fell on Tito Rabat’s shoulder. As in 250 cc, the 125 KTM also carried many problems in Qatar. But even so, and with the perseverance that characterises him, Rabat pushed himself to his maximum to try and solve all the unexpected and make the most of his bike’s performance during the tests, looking for a good place in the starting grid. “There weren’t problems only during the Grand Prix weekend, they were also there during the test the week before. Although I realise that I felt paralysed by all of this. I tried to do it the best I could during the qualifying practice, and it didn’t turn out too badly. The bike is very competitive but this time I failed slightly”. Although his aim was to be in the first two rows, he made it to the third row, with the eleventh best time.
Sunday’s race was too short for Tito. After starring in an incredible start that placed him fourth, the Italian rider Raffaele de Rosa knocked him down while trying to get ahead, leaving the Spanish rider on the floor. Inconsolable, and in pain as the injury in his shoulder was affected, Rabat tried to pull himself together and make a positive conclusion for this complicated Grand Prix. “I feel enraged. De Rosa went into the second left corner like a madman. I fell and the race was over for me. I got up, and even with the pain and everything I was able to finish, although very far from where I could have gotten to. The positive side is that I was able to improve in each test. Seeing the pace I think I could have been with the riders at the front. But there is nothing to be done. Now I can only hope for Jerez. We must try to finish at the head”.
The World Championship has come back home to give the three Haulotte riders a golden opportunity. Julito Simón, Tito Rabat y Marc Márquez, if he can recuperate on time, will try to give their best to their fans.
Spectacular because there was a novelty, for the first time in history, one of the Championship’s races was disputed at night. The Haulotte Group riders, that are part of the Repsol KTM team in 250cc and 125cc, came back home yesterday after spending more than ten days in Doha, as just before the Grand Prix they were able to put themselves to the test during the qualifying practice that lasted three days. They took advantage of these days to get used to riding at night and to try to find the best tuning for their bikes. By the way, the three Haulotte riders weren’t able to be together for this opening race. The very young Marc Marquez, (the youngest in the championship) had to stay in Spain as he is recovering from a fractured ulna and radius in his right arm, which occurred while training in Jerez. So Márquez was not able to join Julito Simón (250 cc) and Tito Rabat (125) in Qatar.
Too much difficulties
Simon, who’s from Villacañas, had a weekend that ended up being more difficult what he expected. All of the KTM had many problems with the extreme conditions in Losail, especially the radical changes in temperature and the changes in humidity. This especially affected the motor and affected Simón more than anyone else. He was riding professionallyfor the first time on a KTM 250 in the Qatar track. This, and the pains that he has been dragging along for a couple of weeks in his left forearm, has marked this Spanish rider’s debut weekend. “We have a great bike, although we haven’t been able to enjoy it on this track. This is only the beginning of the season, and although I realise that we haven’t started out very well, I believe that we will all together change this situation, and in Jerez we will fight to be at the front. As in the year before, I have pains in my forearm. I was operated on after Valencia, but I’ve had a difficult race. I think the result in itself has made me especially nervous and has made it more difficult for me to confront the situation”.
During the official tests, Julito ended up in fourth row at the starting grid, with the 14th best time. Already in the race, after a good start, he was able to get rid of up to three rivals, amongst them Hiroshi Aoyama, another of the KTM riders. In the end, and after a heated and complicated fight, Simón was able to take 11th place, as the second best KTM rider, adding his first five points to the championship classification. It was a result far from what he expected during the championship, but also something positive compared to how things had turned out during the Grand Prix. “The weekend hasn’t been too good. Things haven’t turned out well, it’s a shame and all we have left to hope for is Jerez. I feel terrible for the team, as I have done all I can but, evidently, the result isn’t what we deserved”. Simón will have the chance get rid of the bad taste left in his mouth by Qatar in a couple of weeks, from the 28th of March onwards, when the Spanish GP, that will be held in Jerez, starts.
Rabat crashed out
As Marc Márquez was absent due to his injury, the whole weight of the Haulotte representation in 125cc fell on Tito Rabat’s shoulder. As in 250 cc, the 125 KTM also carried many problems in Qatar. But even so, and with the perseverance that characterises him, Rabat pushed himself to his maximum to try and solve all the unexpected and make the most of his bike’s performance during the tests, looking for a good place in the starting grid. “There weren’t problems only during the Grand Prix weekend, they were also there during the test the week before. Although I realise that I felt paralysed by all of this. I tried to do it the best I could during the qualifying practice, and it didn’t turn out too badly. The bike is very competitive but this time I failed slightly”. Although his aim was to be in the first two rows, he made it to the third row, with the eleventh best time.
Sunday’s race was too short for Tito. After starring in an incredible start that placed him fourth, the Italian rider Raffaele de Rosa knocked him down while trying to get ahead, leaving the Spanish rider on the floor. Inconsolable, and in pain as the injury in his shoulder was affected, Rabat tried to pull himself together and make a positive conclusion for this complicated Grand Prix. “I feel enraged. De Rosa went into the second left corner like a madman. I fell and the race was over for me. I got up, and even with the pain and everything I was able to finish, although very far from where I could have gotten to. The positive side is that I was able to improve in each test. Seeing the pace I think I could have been with the riders at the front. But there is nothing to be done. Now I can only hope for Jerez. We must try to finish at the head”.
The World Championship has come back home to give the three Haulotte riders a golden opportunity. Julito Simón, Tito Rabat y Marc Márquez, if he can recuperate on time, will try to give their best to their fans.
