Press release.
Paddock-GP translation
Xavier Siméon joins the 2018 Reale Avintia Racing team.
Reale Avintia Racing is pleased to announce a two-year deal with Xavier Siméon, which will see the 28-year-old Belgian rider in MotoGP with the team and Ducati in 2018.
Xavier Siméon's World Championship debut dates back to 2010, the same year the Moto2 category debuted as a new intermediate category, following his victory in the FIM Superstock 1000 World Championship with Ducati. He also won the European Superstock 600 championship in 2006, so his 4-stroke experience is indisputable. Since then he has raced in Moto2 with different bikes and teams. In 2013, he reached the podium at Le Mans for the first time, and it was the first time for a Belgian rider since Didier de Radiguès in 1990. Two years later, he achieved his first Moto2 World Championship victory at the German Grand Prix, where he entered his name in the list of winning Belgian drivers, alongside Didier de Radiguès and Julien Vanzeebroeck.
Together with Reale Avintia Racing, Siméon will make history once again in 2018, moving up to the premier class being only the second Belgian rider to do so after de Radiguès, and being the first Belgian rider to make his MotoGP class debut.
Xavier Simeon : “This is a fantastic opportunity and I have worked hard for this for many years. I am really happy to realize this dream that I have been pursuing since my childhood. Day after day, I did everything I could to get there. My efforts, combined with those of Freddy Tacheny and the Zelos team ended up paying off, and I have to thank each and every one of them. I won my Superstock world title with a Ducati and I am delighted to find the Bologna brand again at Reale Avintia Racing. I'm really looking forward to discovering the Ducati. Once again, I would like to thank all my partners and fans for believing in me and for the support they are giving to this new challenge! »
Raul romero (CEO Esponsorama): “I am really happy to announce that Xavi Siméon will drive for our team next season. He is a hard worker and has won in Moto2, a very competitive and hard-fought category. After several seasons in the medium category, he will move up to MotoGP with great motivation, eager to learn everything. I think he will form a great team with Tito Rabat, who will be in his third season in MotoGP and will be the reference inside the team. But the 2017 season is still running, and in the last five races, I am confident that we will be able to celebrate a great result with our current drivers, Hector Barbera and Loris Baz. Both have helped make our team bigger and better. I wish them both the best for the future. »
Freddy Tacheny, (CEO Zelos): “I founded Zelos five years ago with a single ambition: to make every effort to ensure that our Belgian athletes reach the highest level of their discipline. We haven't seen a Belgian rider in the MotoGP category for a very long time. Today, I am therefore particularly proud and moved by this accomplishment. Our country has real potential to shine when we give it the means. Of course, it really wasn't easy but we found and convinced our partners to join the adventure. With them, this opportunity came to fruition. I have to thank each of them very much, and in particular Raúl Romero, the CEO of Reale Avintia Racing. I am delighted with this 2-year partnership. Xavier has our full confidence to take on this magnificent challenge. He is the spearhead of the path we have created in Belgium. »
