CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team full throttle into the second half of 2023
Fresh from five weeks off, Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez arrive in Silverstone this weekend for the ninth round of 2023, which initiates the second half of an intense season. Following a long recovery period after a challenging start of the season, both CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP riders are eager and fully fit to kick off this next phase with enthusiasm.
Miguel Oliveira had a difficult time coming back from a shoulder injury sustained at the Spanish GP, which was just the fourth round of the season. He fought his way back and worked on improving his condition in subsequent races at Mugello, Sachsenring, and Assen. However, he was relieved to have a well-deserved five-week break, allowing him ample time to fully recover ahead of this weekend’s British GP.
On the other side, Raul Fernandez faces his set of challenges at the beginning of the season fighting with an arm pump issue that eventually led him to getting surgery after the Spanish GP, resulting in his withdrawal at the French round but made a steady comeback during the three back to back rounds ahead of the summer break. The Spanish youngster is motivated to prove his worth now during the second half of the season.
For the remaining 12 rounds of 2023, the format has changed slightly. The British Grand Prix starts with Free Practice one at 10:45 local time (11:45 CET) on Friday, which means the session is not counted for Qualifying, while the 60 minutes Practice session on Friday afternoon at 15:00 local time (16:00 CET) will determine the entries for Qualifying one and two which takes place on Saturday.
This season, the MotoGP paddock will return to the impressive wing building that Formula one is already consistently using, which also changes the start-finish straight at the Silverstone Circuit.
MIGUEL OLIVEIRA
“I think it’s a great time to come back after such a long break, that was really helpful for me to recover my shoulder 100%. I came to a fitness level close to where I was at the start of the season. I obviously feel very confident and happy to get on working and really be competitive again back on my Aprilia RS-GP. It wasn’t the start of the season that we had hoped for, but we take on the second half and aim to bring back good results for all of us.”
RAUL FERNANDEZ
“I just had five weeks to prepare very well. After the surgery in May I think it will be interesting to try to do the second part of the season very well. Anyway, I am ready to go. I’m really happy to start again. I can’t stay at home anymore, because I just want to race. I can’t wait to arrive in Silverstone!”
Razlan Razali, Founder and Team Principal CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team
“That seemed to be a very long five weeks break, while we are not even in the middle of the season yet. We’re just going to the ninth round, which is Silverstone this weekend. We had a long break, but a good one at the same time, especially for our riders, Miguel and Raul. From my communication with them, they have recovered well, they are back to training. Miguel seems to have full strength on his shoulder and Raul probably had a good reset on his peace of mind, so we expect both riders to be 100% fit now. As I said, there are still 12 rounds to go, 24 races. It’s still a long season ahead of us, which is going to be tough, but at the same time, a great opportunity for the CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team to turn around our season. We had some bad luck in terms of riders’ fitness, so we hope we can turn our fortunes around and do well in this second half. We look forward to Silverstone with great anticipation, rejuvenated, very much motivated for the riders and the whole team, we can’t wait to get back to the track this week!”
Wilco Zeelenberg, Team Manager CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team
“We are very happy to start again, but also we needed the time off, basically to get the riders fitter than before the break. Raul was having surgery, feeling well but obviously an operation takes away a lot of power from the body to recover. So, for sure, in those five weeks you can get back into shape like before the surgery. Plus, the arm pump is gone, which was also important. For Miguel, it was a similar situation except the operation. He was recovering from a shoulder injury and we all know that this is very critical and specific. You never know how much damage the soft tissue has and it takes time. Therefore, we definitely needed the break to get stronger and more competitive. Although I have to say, they already did well before the break, even if we couldn’t perform the way we wished. I think we missed the timing in Qualifying a bit, which stopped us from progressing further. Now, after this long break, we have many races in a row. But first, let’s see what we can do in Paradise Island!”
