Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Upgrade for Catalan GP
Montmeló (Catalunya), 22nd May 2024
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP gear up for a busy two weeks. The team have travelled to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for this weekend’s Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, which will be directly followed by the Gran Premio d’Italia Brembo. The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team is extra motivated for Round 6 of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship as they share the title sponsor, and it’s also Álex Rins’ home GP.
The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team are excited to start Round 6 of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship. As the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya shares the title sponsor with the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team and it’s also Álex Rins’ home race weekend, the crew and riders are all the more eager to put on a show.
Fabio Quartararo ranks 12th in the championship standings and aims to up the ante in Barcelona. A new and promising set-up in Le Mans, France, a fortnight ago gives him high hopes for the coming race weekend at Montmeló. Riding with the new aerodynamics package that he tried at the private Mugello test last week makes the Frenchman even more eager to start work.
El Diablo has had his fair share of success at the Catalan GP. He secured a win there in 2018 in the Moto2 class, followed it up with a second place in the premier class in 2019, and added a MotoGP win in 2020 and 2022.
Álex Rins used the private Mugello test to do a reset to find a solid base setting as well as to evaluate new items. This weekend he plans to put his findings to the test. He is keen to get in strong results in the practice and qualifying in order to improve his starting position and score points at his home GP. He looks to move up from 20th in the overall rankings.
Born in Barcelona, Rins is a local hero. He stood on the Catalan premier class rostrum in 2020 for a third-place finish, his best MotoGP result at this track. He also secured two second places in Moto2 in 2015 and 2016, and a Moto3 second place in 2013.
Work to create the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya began in 1989. Two years later the track was opened, and it soon became a crowd favourite after hosting its first MotoGP race in 1992. With an exciting 4.66km layout consisting of 14 corners (six left, eight right), the Catalan round is known to produce thrilling races.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
Team Director
The next two weeks are going to be very important with the Catalan GP and Italian GP back to back. In Barcelona we are going to implement some of our findings from the private test we held last week in Mugello. Based on the positive data, we are most likely going to homologate the second aerodynamic package. However, Montmeló usually doesn’t have as much grip as Mugello, especially on the first day of the GP weekend. Last year this was a problem for us, but we are preparing a countermeasure with the aim to manage this in the best way possible. It’s the Monster Energy-sponsored GP this weekend, and it’s also Álex’ home GP, so the team are extra keen on putting their best foot forward.
FABIO QUARTARARO
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
After the private Mugello Test, we settled on an aerodynamics version we’ll try here this weekend. I’m interested to see what it will be like. For sure, we’ll do our best, as always. It’s a Monster Energy-sponsored GP, so the team is fully motivated. Barcelona is one of my favourite circuits as well – I rode some really good races here, especially in 2022. We made a step with the setting in Le Mans, so let‘s see if we can get some good results this weekend.
ÁLEX RINS
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
This is the first Monster Energy GP of the season and it’s also my home GP, so for sure that adds a bit of extra excitement. We have been working hard trying to make the most of the extra track time the private Mugello Test gave us. This weekend we will have a new aeropackage available to us, the version I liked. So, all in all, I am just really looking forward to start riding in Montmeló.
