MotoGP riders and team managers reflect on Portimao season closer

2020 MotoGP Round 15 – Portimao

MotoGP Rider Quotes

Miguel Oliveira – P1

“I knew I had a good pace, but as I said to everyone yesterday, it was going to be a little bit unpredictable after mid-race what was going to happen to the tyres. Surprisingly I kept doing the 40.1’s, 40.2’s quite easily without taking too much risks, so the tyres hold on very well. After five laps to the end, I really started to think about too many things, so I decided to just lose a couple of tenths and just tried to enjoy as most as possible. At that point, I honestly just wanted the race to finish earlier. I came to lead from start to finish, it was a good experience for me. I enjoyed myself on the bike, I had a little bit of pressure, but I could handle it and that’s the most important thing.”

Jack Miller – P2

“That was great, I loved that. Final race for me at the Pramac Ducati team, and I came up with something on the final lap to get second place – hard to top that for the boys really, because the only thing that could have been better was the top step. Hats off to Miguel (Oliveira) though, he was in a race of his own up front. I spent the whole race like last Sunday right behind Franky (Morbidelli), and this time I was able to get him. Two second places in seven days was just about a perfect way to say goodbye to the Pramac guys after four years.

“The track here in Portugal is awesome to ride but it didn’t produce a great race, it’s pretty tight for us on these big bikes. We all took a step into the unknown on Sunday because it was our first race here, and we had no real idea about tyre life and how hard we could go, and for how long. In the end they held up alright and right from the start, when Miguel cleared off up the front, I knew it would come down to me versus Franky for second and that I had to time my attack right. Didn’t want to give him a chance to get me back this time. Three corners from the end, I got it done – and it helped to get Ducati the constructors’ championship, first time since 2007 when Casey (Stoner) was the world champion, so it’s cool there’s an Aussie link there.

“I want to say a massive thanks to Paolo Campinoti, Francesco Guidotti and everyone at the Pramac team for the last few years, they’ve really built me up and I couldn’t be more thankful. The last three years I’ve grown a lot as a rider and as a man, and the lessons I’ve learned have been irreplaceable. So I owe them so much.

“Miguel was on another level today, really. He went away so fast from me and Franky that the win was pretty much off the table about two laps in. It was harder than I expected around here to be able to pass and ideally I would have tried to pass Franky earlier, but that works both ways because I figured if I got him late, he wouldn’t have time to get me back! In the end, I had him by about a tenth of a second, more or less what he beat me by in Valencia. I’d probably spent 60 laps these last two races behind Franky, so I managed to come over the line ahead of him for one lap at least!

“It was the first time for most of us here at Portimao, a few of the guys have raced here in other categories and quite a few of us did some laps on road bikes a month or so ago, but on a MotoGP bike it’s a completely different deal. It’s an amazing circuit, and the unusual thing is that there’s a lot of different corners but not one of them is the same as the next one, so it’s challenge to work out your set-up and where you might have to sacrifice on one corner to make the bike better for others. But from the first lap out there, I don’t reckon I did a single one all weekend without a smile on my face. It’s a difficult track for sure and not like anywhere I’ve ridden a MotoGP bike, and you could see how much all of us were enjoying it. Definitely good fun, and hopefully we get a chance to come back one day – I reckon Miguel wouldn’t have minded winning with some full grandstands too, but that’s 2020 for you.

“I’ve really found my groove again with the bike in the last few races and it’s been good to see. But 14 races in 18 weekends – I like riding most weeks but I’m about ready to have a rest I reckon! To end up seventh in the world championship, my best finishing position yet and one place better than last year … I’m happy with that. Had some bad luck too, so to be seven points off third in the standings … we’ll look back and wonder what could have been, it’s been a season for that for so many of us. Considering I had four DNFs, it’s been a good year.

“Before I go for this week, and for the season really, I can’t finish up without a word about my old mate ‘Crutch’ (Cal Crutchlow) after his last race with us here. We’ll always be mates and it’s not like I won’t be hanging out with him or whatever, but it’s right that we say thanks from everyone in MotoGP for everything he’s done on and off the track. He’s been great for the sport in his 10 years here and with everything he’s achieved personally. It’s not like he’s going away, he’ll still be around as a test rider for Yamaha next year and they’re lucky to have him. You would have seen on the TV that me and the old boy had a moment as we came out of the pit lane for the last runs in Q2, it just so happened that we were coming out at the same time, so that was a cool memory to have. ‘Crutch’ is one of the hardest-working guys I’ve ever seen and always was, all through the injuries and setbacks and whatnot. He just never gives up and just comes back and goes harder. Seeing how hard he works, that has definitely rubbed off on me and made me a better MotoGP rider and a professional. Cal and Lucy, Cal’s wife, they’ve been unreal to me ever since we were team-mates in 2015 and that’s something you never forget.

“So what’s next? I have a new team to go to of course, so there’s a bit to be done before I leave Europe for a while and head back home. It’ll be good to get back with the COVID situation getting worse in Europe and get some Aussie summer and get training for next year, because it’s a big opportunity for me. It’s the one I’ve been after all my career, pretty much. Becoming a fully-fledged factory rider with a factory like Ducati … it’s an exciting time for me, and I’ll be 100 per cent ready to go once we start testing. So, hope you enjoyed the season, and I’ll speak to you then.”

Franco Morbidelli – P3

“I enjoyed today’s race quite a lot and this track is amazing, it’s so difficult but so nice to ride. We got the tyre choice right and I was impressed with the pace that we were able to maintain. Miguel [Oliveira] had something extra today and we weren’t able to follow him, so I just gave everything I had to try to pull away from the pack, although Jack [Miller] stayed with me. He was able to attack at the end and I couldn’t retaliate, so massive congratulations to both him and Miguel today. I’m happy that we finished the championship second; to be Vice MotoGP World Champion is something great. Of course my dream is something more than this, but I will remember today forever. I want to say a huge thanks to my team for helping me achieve this. I will work now to improve myself and see what next season brings.”

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Pol Espargaro – P4

“It was not one of my best races but we must be very satisfied with the end result this year and the way to sign-off four years together. To be level on points for 4th in the championship and ahead of many other factory bikes and seeing a KTM take three wins this season is amazing for the company and the project. I’m proud to have brought five podiums and two pole positions. I’m really proud in fact of what we have done together. In a way it is sad to say ‘bye bye’ but I feel to give KTM their best championship finish yet is the best way to go.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P5

“First of all, I want to thank my team as this season has been pretty tough with almost no rest, but my team prepare the bike and it’s always perfect and I appreciate every person in the team, so thanks to them. I would like to thank all my sponsors for their support. I want to thank Cal again, since it is his last race with LCR Honda Team. Cal has been a great team-mate in all my three years and I want to wish him the best for the future.

“Today it was difficult to find a strategy during the race, it’s tough to build from P11, but I had a good start and was really strong from the beginning. It was a big fight during the race and at the end I made some good lap times and we got another P5, which I’m really happy with. Overall, with my performance this season compared to last season, we made a big step, so I want to thank my team again for their hard work this year.  We’re already thinking about the next season. I think we can definitely make another step forward next year and hopefully we can fight for the championship, this is my target. See you next year!”

Andrea Dovizioso – P6

“It certainly wasn’t an easy race today starting from twelfth on the grid, but I’m happy because we managed to make a good comeback and finish ahead of some of our direct rivals in the Championship, reaching fourth place in the standings, which was our main goal. It was my last race with Ducati: in the last four years we have been able to do something extraordinary, and I never thought I would be so excited to see the joy that our results have been able to produce in our fans! It’s the magic of our sport, and I’m happy to have experienced it! After these eight seasons, there have been wonderful relationships within my team, which I will surely miss very much!”

Stefan Bradl – P7

“I enjoyed this weekend a lot, I was able to show that I still have the speed and motivation to compete for the top positions in the World Championship. It was tough when we first got on the bike, but we have gotten stronger and worked better with the Repsol Honda Team at each race. I am very satisfied. It was a good race with a lot of fighting at the front. The position in Valencia wasn’t as strong, but we showed that we had this potential and now in the last race I have been able to deliver on it. I want to say thank you to the entire Repsol Honda Team and HRC, we have a great relationship and I’m very happy to continue working with them. We have been very busy with racing and testing this season, but I was able to manage all of the commitments and it has helped to make us stronger. It’s been a challenging year for everyone and I want to thank everyone who has made this season possible.”

Aleix Espargaro – P8

“It was a great race, but I am also angry because it could have been even better with better qualifying. Starting from behind forced me to ride with the pack and I was successful because the RS-GP was very competitive today. In these last races, we were able to find consistency and performance, so I want that to be our starting point to build a high-level 2021. I’ll be on the track again already tomorrow in Jerez to prepare for next season, despite the fatigue after three weekends in a row, and that demonstrates my determination and Aprilia’s to finally achieve the results we deserve.”

Alex Marquez – P9

“A tough race with a lot of battles against experienced riders, I enjoyed it a lot on the bike. We battled with Mir on the first lap, then Valentino, then Fabio and I was able to learn a lot from these experienced riders, unlocking more secrets. The starting position again hurt us because our rhythm was quite good to fight for fourth, but we put together another good recovery. Also, congratulations to Arenas and Enea for the Moto3 and Moto2 World Championships after two very races with a lot of battles.

“Looking back, of course there are some things that we could have done to improve and get results sooner, but I usually start slower in most categories, but I never give up and we get there. We have achieved two podiums this year which was a dream before the season started. One was in special conditions but the podium in Aragon was the icing on the cake. Unfortunately, we couldn’t deliver the Rookie of the Year title because of our ambition in Aragon and Valencia but we remain very satisfied with what we have done in the second half of the year. Thanks to everyone who made this year possible from Dorna to our sponsors and the fans at home and around the world. Of course, I would have loved to have had the fans at the track, but it was not possible, and I hope we were able to put on a good show for them this year. It has been a very difficult year for everyone in the world away from the circuit.”

Johann Zarco – P10

“Today I was very comfortable but at the end of the race it was noticed that I had the hard tire compared to the others who had the extra hard one. A little disappointed because it is not the end of the season that I expected as I was fighting for the top 5. Now we have to rest after this long and intense season.”

Maverick Vinales – P11

“I honestly had fun in today‘s race. I enjoyed battling with Fabio and the other guys. I had liked to have two more laps, because I wanted to pass Johann and Alex Marquez too, but the race was too short. But it was fun. The lay-out of this track gives you the opportunity to overtake in many corners. I enjoyed pushing and passing people. That was nice. Even though I‘m not happy about today‘s position, I enjoyed myself on the bike, and I also had a good rhythm when I was riding alone. It is important that we‘ve ended the season with some positive feelings on track.”

Valentino Rossi – P12

“The Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team and I have a long story together, and we shared a lot of unforgettable moments of my career and my life. This GP was emotional because we‘ve been racing together for 15 years. Today I felt good on track, so it‘s a good end to the story. The weekend didn‘t start well for us, because I needed a bit too much time to adapt to the track. In the end, the results today were not fantastic, but in the race I was quite strong. I had a good pace, could ride the bike in a good way, and we could fight with the rest of the group. It‘s the end of a complicated season for everybody. We will see next year. We need to work and train hard to be competitive and try to be ready for the first race.”

Cal Crutchlow – P13

“First of all, I want to say thank you to my team for the last six years, we’ve had some incredible moments. This year obviously didn’t go to plan, but with the team that I’ve spent the most amount of time with in my career, it was nice to finish it with them. I gave my all this weekend, I topped a couple of the sessions, I went for it in the race, unfortunately I didn’t have the rear tyre under me to be able to continue to push at that pace, but I was glad to finish the race and glad to have the season over and my full-time career finished, which was the decision I took earlier in the year and am happy with. Now I look forward to watching from afar, obviously I’ll still be in a testing role next year, but I look forward to watching the MotoGP races in years to come. It’s going to be exciting, I’ll let these young guys take the reins and go for it and I wish them all the best.” 

Fabio Quartararo – P14

“We had an issue with the holeshot device at the start, so I lost some positions, and then I suffered from arm pump for half of the race, which is really strange because since an operation I have never had that problem. It’s been quite an emotional last race for the team and unfortunately I couldn’t finish in the way that I wanted. I wanted to end the year with a great result. The feeling on the bike was good and I think we could have been fighting for P5 to P8 today, so it’s a shame that arm pump prevented that. We did win three races in 2020, but it is not enough and this season hasn’t ended how we wanted. These two years that I have spent with the team will always be in my heart though, because they gave me the opportunity to be in the MotoGP championship. Thanks a lot for all the support and hard work, I will visit them every time I can.”

Alex Rins – P15

“Today’s race was a bit difficult and I felt that I made the wrong tyre choice. I struggled from the start of the race with the hard rear tyre, and at the start I was able to close in on the riders in front of me but then lap-by-lap I was losing grip and I began to drop back. But in the end I’m happy with my work this year, and despite the injury and some crashes I still managed to get third in the championship. I’m really motivated to start next season already!”

Danilo Petrucci – P16

“I would have liked to have ended my adventure in Ducati with a better result, but unfortunately today was a tough race. I want to thank all the people who work in Ducati, first of all to my team, because during these six seasons on the Desmosedici GP bike I have been able to achieve several successes and two victories in MotoGP! I’m happy to have been part of Ducati in these six years of my career”.

Mika Kallio – P17

“To come back to racing is especially hard on the physical side but I managed to do it, so I’m happy about that. I have to admit, that I thought I could do a bit better, ahead of the weekend, but in the end this was the maximum I could do. Somehow, I’m still quite satisfied that I could make the laps quite consistently and repeat the same things, the same speed, the same lap times and no mistakes, which was really important. So, I’m satisfied with that.”

Tito Rabat – P18

“They have been very fun first laps in which I have been fighting with the group, but little by little I have been lagging behind. Now it’s time to rest and continue training as before.”

Brad Binder – DNF

“All-in-all my rookie year has come to a close and we managed to wrap the Rookie of the Year award, which was a goal starting the season. I made a good start but on the second lap two riders had contact and I was left out to dry. I had to run off track. Coming back I got a great slipstream on the straight but came into Turn 1 too hot and unfortunately it was just enough to lose the front. I tried to save it but went down. It’s a shame because we had the pace to do a good job. It’s been a tough but fantastic season with big highs and low lows! I think all of it will build me up to be a stronger rider next season. I want to say a massive thank you to everyone in the box and the entire team. The feeling is great and we have a competitive package for sure.”

Joan Mir – DNF

“I couldn’t do a lot of laps today, but the ones that I did do I really enjoyed! I want to apologise to Pecco because he got the worst of the touch we had, so I’m sorry for him. After the contact I started to have some problems with the bike on the electronics side and it was impossible for me to finish the race. For sure we’ll find the problem and work on it for the future. It’s a pity I couldn’t get a good result today, I wanted to end on a high, but of course I’m still so happy to have won the title and to be able to celebrate tonight with the team and with Alex, who got third in the standings.”

Lorenzo Savadori – DNF

“Even though finishing the race would have been important, I am still satisfied with this weekend. The improvement compared to Valencia, both in terms of gap and in terms of feeling, was clear. Unfortunately, I lost a lot of time at the start, battling in the early laps where, with a full tank, I am still unable to be aggressive. But, my pace after that was very good. When I saw the gap narrowing behind Petrucci and Mir, I tried to catch up to them. On turn 4, I lost the front end and crashed. It was an unexpected fall which, in any case, does not make me any less confident that I did a good job with Aprilia.”

Team Managers

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

“We didn‘t go into this race overly confident. The opening laps were very busy, so both of our riders were a bit up and down. Maverick and Valentino eventually got into a good rhythm, especially 10 laps before the chequered flag, and then they fought their way up the order together. For sure, we‘re not satisfied with today‘s outcome. We definitely wanted to finish the season with a different result, but we weren’t able to do better.

“All-in-all, it has been a very unusual season. It was extra difficult due to the pandemic, which changed the circumstances considerably. But I want to thank everyone involved who made this season possible.

“After 15 years of fighting for championship titles with the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team, it is now time to let Vale go to another Yamaha team. It‘s been such a privilege to work with him all these seasons. We have shared many great moments, we even wrote some history together, and that is something we, the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team, can always be proud of.”

Razlan Razali – Petronas SRT Team Principal

“It was a great MotoGP race today: Franco finishing third solidified his second place in the world championship and confirmed Petronas Yamaha SRT as second in the teams’ standings. This also helped Yamaha to move into second place in the constructors’ championship. Unfortunately Fabio had some issues which meant he finished the race 14th, ending the season eighth in the world championship. Thank you to Fabio and KIP for working hard in our years together, they are two excellent riders and it has been a pleasure having them in the team. I wish them the best of luck for their futures. With the current pandemic we want to thank Dorna, IRTA everyone who has helped to make the 2020 season happen. It has been great to be racing, although it has been tough with a lot of back-to-back races in such a short space of time. We look forward to next year when we will have our full 2021 line up and our goal will remain to be fighting for championships in all three categories.”

Shinchi Sahara – Suzuki Project Leader

“This season has been the best I have ever experienced, Joan and Alex did an incredible job. We did hope to achieve the ‘triple crown’ and second place in the standings for Alex, but unfortunately this wasn’t possible today after a difficult race. However, it means we have a really big and exciting target for next year. Thank you to the entire Suzuki family, those in the factory and at the track. Everybody has worked very hard to get us to this point.”

Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager

“We’ve had a great season, but this last race did not go according to plan. It was the same for everybody and it’s always tough to be at a new track, but it made it hard for tyre choice and settings. Despite a difficult day we feel motivated to improve for next year. Thanks to everyone who cheered Suzuki all season, we really appreciate it.”

Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager

“It was a disappointing end to the season; unfortunately Joan had some problems with the bike after some contact with other riders. We need to investigate to discover what happened. Alex struggled with the tyre towards the end of the race, despite making a great start. Our two riders had different problems today which prevented them from having another fantastic race, but we are extremely happy to be first and third in the championship and this year has been magical and unforgettable. Thank you to both our riders for always giving their all, and to all the team staff and all those involved in the project.”

Hervé Poncharal – Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager

“Honestly, I am speechless. We knew this weekend was going to be special, a special circuit, great weather and great people to welcome us in Portugal. But we also knew there would be some pressure and we were just hoping that everything was going to work out well. When we made the pole yesterday afternoon, I thought ‘Wow, we achieved something great’ and this is 50% of the weekend done, but I knew that the biggest part was ahead of us on Sunday. To be honest, I didn’t sleep well last night, because I knew the expectations were big and I knew there was a possibility of a great result. All the Red Bull and KTM top management was here and I knew how important this race was for Miguel, so I was very tense until the MotoGP race started and once it started, it was like a fairytale. It was a very long race, because we didn’t expect Miguel to break away the way he did and to open such a gap in just a few laps. It was just making the countdown of the laps and hoping for no mistake, because nothing is ever done until you see the chequered flag. But I’ve been impressed by how cool, calm and I would say ‘zen’ Miguel has been all weekend long. He is really a great guy, a great champion, because to cope with the pressure the way he did, means you have a lot to still demonstrate. This victory was the second one of the year, the second one with Miguel of course, and the second one with KTM, but maybe that one is even stronger in terms of how dominant Miguel has been. It was a demonstration of Miguel together with the KTM RC16 and I’m just in heaven. I’m just so happy for Miguel, all the team, for the fans, for everybody who has been working really hard. As I told the KTM Factory guys, he is ready, he is hot, so now you can receive a top MotoGP rider for the next two seasons. I would like to thank him, to thank everybody, of course Red Bull, KTM, Elf. I know, I have a second rider. We’ve been missing Iker a lot, but still we had the great pleasure – and I would like to really insist – we had the great honor to have Mika Kallio coming to replace Iker. It was not easy. He didn’t have any time on the bike almost, he didn’t know that circuit. The whole grid is riding every week, so it was very difficult. But he did a perfect weekend, not one crash, improving his lap time nearly every session and finally a very decent result. So, I would like to thank him, to congratulate him and I would like to hope that he enjoyed this week with the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team. So, thanks to everyone, riders, team, crews, media staff, communication department, everyone! It was a long season, a tough season, but we are already thinking in a few days we’ll be a bit bored and we are really wishing to be back on the tracks as soon as possible!”

Mike Leitner – Red Bull KTM Race Manager

“I’m a big fan of facts and the list of achievements for 2020 speak for themselves and that’s really, really nice. We finished 3rd in the team’s championship and this shows how the spirit is in the box and how we stayed strong in this tough year where so many things happened, and we had to control many emotions. I’m super-happy that Pol is 5th in the championship. When he joined our project he finished 6th with another brand and the goal was always to help him be better. I think he has had a good four years and we wish him all the best for the future. Miguel had an unbelievable race and an unbelievable qualifying showed the level of performance he has reached now by winning with our bike on this very difficult track. Brad was unlucky today but he is Rookie of the Year and he still needed to earn that title. We will not forget his Brno win. He has great potential for the future. 2020 has shown that we are competitive and we will continue to be so after just four years. It is a big credit to the company, the board, the sponsors, Red Bull and everybody that helped us. A big thank you to everyone. Next year we start from zero again but it will be a different kind of ‘zero’ now.”

Claudio Domenicali – CEO of Ducati Motor Holding

“Winning the Constructors’ World Title is very rewarding, especially after a year so complicated that has forced us to overcome obstacles and situations we had never experienced before. It has been a bizarre season, but working together our engineers and all the Ducati riders have managed to make the Desmosedici GP competitive on all the circuits on the Championship calendar, taking it on the podium on eight occasions, including two wins. Thanks to Andrea Dovizioso, Danilo Petrucci, Jack Miller, Pecco Bagnaia and Johann Zarco for allowing us to add a second Constructors’ World Title to our MotoGP history. And thanks also to the entire Ducati Corse department for once again demonstrating that with passion, dedication and determination, you can achieve important results like this. I take this opportunity to wish Andrea and Danilo good luck for what the future holds. They have been with us for many years, and together we have lived great moments, thanks for everything”.

Luigi Dall’Igna – Ducati Corse General Manager

“Winning the Constructors’ World Title is certainly an important goal for Ducati because it demonstrates the goodness of the technological innovations that have been developed in recent years and that today are on the Desmosedici GP. It has certainly been a difficult season, especially after the introduction of the new rear tyre and the impossibility to do tests during the year that would have allowed us to study better its behaviour. Despite this, the Desmosedici GP has been a competitive bike on almost every track. Therefore, we are satisfied with the results obtained in this 2020 and that have allowed us to reach our second Constructors’ World Title in MotoGP. Thanks to all the Ducati Corse staff, riders and teams, that with their work and commitment have allowed us to achieve this important victory”.

Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager

“What a fantastic circuit this is and it has produced some spectacular moments this weekend. We had a test here in October, but that never really prepares you for the true demands of racing. We chose a very good range of tyres and all were tried during the weekend, the warmer track temperatures meant that the soft was not really a race option, although the rear soft performed excellent in Qualifying and set some fast lap-times. In total we had eight specifications of tyres this weekend – as we were able to bring four front and four rear – and six of them were raceable options, which we were very pleased with considering this was the first time we have been here and the technicians had to decide on the compounds with little competitive data. In the end four were chosen including both of the hard options in asymmetric and symmetric, so we were certainly correct to bring both of those options. There was some excellent racing and despite the technical nature of the track the performance of tyres was very good throughout and produced some great racing and many overtaking manoeuvres as the riders used their tyres to the full.

“We have had a successful season despite all that has happened away from the track. We had nine different winners and a lot of manufacturers on the podium from week-to-week. It was quite difficult as we had to supply a lot of tyres for races that were close together, so logistically it was very demanding, but we did it without any problems. The new rear construction we introduced to give more grip and stability gave a new challenge to all the teams and some found a good setting early on, while some others had to make more adaptions to the bike and the rider’s style, but at the end it was very encouraging and we set records and saw exciting racing throughout the year. MotoE was also very positive as we introduced new front and rear tyres, with the compounds made with regenerated materials and we improved the performance a lot, the lap-times were quicker and the feedback from riders was very good. For Michelin this has been a good season and we look for to the next one.

“On behalf of Michelin I would like to send my congratulations and thanks to Dorna, IRTA, FIM, all the teams and riders, the Michelin staff and everyone that has been involved in MotoGP this season. It hasn’t been easy to make this championship happen during these adverse times, but the organisers have put on a fantastic show and everyone else concerned has contributed to making this a very special season that has given light to many race fans through some very dark times. Here’s to a brighter 2021 and see you in Qatar in March!

“Finally, we will say goodbye to Richard Rodrigues after this race, he has been the Technician for Suzuki, so leaves this year after helping them to championship glory and is heading to join the four-wheel world within Michelin, so we wish him all the best. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Tim Walpole, who has accompanied us for five-years during this fantastic adventure of MotoGP. A man of great values and an excellent Press Officer that we all appreciated. Professional, positive and passionate, Tim will always be a part of the Michelin family, and is very welcome to catch up with us in the MotoGP paddock any time.”

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