Michael Bartholémy and his partner Marc van der Straten (Marc VDS) presented their 2018 team this Monday at the Jarama circuit, with their sponsor the non-alcoholic Spanish beer Estrella Galicia 0.0.
Alongside their young colleagues who are developing their talents in Moto3, Moto2 and CEV, Franco Morbidelli and Tom Lüthi are defending the team's colors in MotoGP this season.
2017 World Champion in Moto2, the Italian-Brazilian Franco Morbidelli was born on December 4, 1994 in Rome. He won 8 Grands Prix in Moto2, reaching the podium 21 times and achieving 6 pole positions. Member of the VR46 Riders Academy Valentino Rossi, he has the particularity of having arrived directly in Moto2 without going through Moto3 or the 125 cm3.
Indeed, based in Tavullia near Valentino Rossi, Franco Morbidelli made his name in the FIM Superstock 600, a cup he won in 2013. The same year, the Italian also competed in his first wild cards in Moto2 at Misano, Motegi and Valencia. The transalpine driver was then established at Italtrans Racing for two seasons and recorded his first podium at the 2015 Indianapolis Grand Prix.
Unfortunately a fall that occurred shortly after in training caused him to miss four races (England, San Marino, Aragon and Japan). Returning to the track at the end of the season, Franco Morbidelli then landed a ride with Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS, with whom he scored eight podiums in 2016. These results allowed him to finish fourth overall.
It was within the same team that the Italian started the 2017 season with fanfare with three victories. Less consistent thereafter, the Roman nevertheless managed to maintain his lead in the Championship to finally be crowned at Sepang, in the absence of his rival Tom Lüthi injured in the ankle.
Born September 6, 1986 in Linden, Thomas Lüthi obtained his only World Champion title in 125 cc in 3 on a Honda. He then competed for three seasons in 2005 on Aprilia. The 250 was subsequently replaced by the Moto250 category from 2. That year, the Swiss finished 2010th overall aboard a Moriwaki.
At the beginning of 2013, Tom fell and seriously injured his arm. Forced to miss the first races, Lüthi nevertheless ended up returning to his best level. In 2015, the representative of the Derendinger Racing Interwetten team abandoned his Suter for a Kalex, a motorcycle which allowed him to finish vice-World Champion in 2016.
In 2017, Tom Luthi was opposed to Franco Morbidelli and his series of podiums allowed him to claim the title until an unfortunate accident during qualifying at Sepang. Forced to withdraw, he finished vice-Champion again and it is with this status that he joined the EG 0,0 Marc VDS team in MotoGP
During the recent Losail tests, Morbidelli achieved the thirteenth overall time in 1'55.132, 1.103 behind Johann Zarco's best time. He clearly ranked first among the rookies, with the following Hafiz Syahrin 0.1 from him. Tom Lüthi was 24th and last of the permanent drivers, more than two seconds behind Zarco.
According to Franco Morbidelli, who are " It's great to be able to change category and continue with the same team in the same good atmosphere. I feel more comfortable doing it this way and with Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS all these changes have been less stressful.
“I know I have a lot of work to do in this first season in MotoGP. I don't know what results I will be able to achieve. I just hope to improve in each race and each test session during the season. »
To Tom Luthi, who are " It's great to have joined the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Racing team. It's a very professional team. For me it is very important to know that everything is under control in the stand; it is one of the keys to success.
“It is still too early to know how the season will go because we are working on many aspects at once. I'm still getting to know the bike and I don't want to set any other goals at the moment."
According to Michael Bartholémy, who are " It's very exciting to be here today, because I was one of the first people to be part of this project, which is represented from the smallest to the largest classes. Our sports project turned out to be a successful model. We brought riders from the RFME Spanish Championship to the World Championship.
“Franco Morbidelli entered MotoGP after winning the Moto2 title with us. This project has taken a while to fully come together, but I think we have a great road ahead of us. It is also very gratifying to see new young people arriving. »
Photos © Estrella Galicia 0,0 and Marc VDS
Photos © Estrella Galicia 0,0 and Marc VDS
