Bancaja Aspar Team Announces 2009 Structure
MotoGP October 5, 2008 Gareth Bouch 0
On the day of the Australian Grand Prix, the Bancaja Aspar team are proud to announce the signings of Julian Simón and Bradley Smith for the 2009 season. Both riders have been previous targets for the team, but this year the ambitions to run both riders in the 125cc class have finally been made reality. Despite the differences in their Grand Prix backgrounds, both riders mark a strong lineup for Bancaja Aspar in their quest to regain the 125cc World Title. Both have been signed on two-year contracts to ride with the team, run by Jorge Martinez ‘Aspar’.
Julian Simón will move down from the 250cc category for his opportunity with the Bancaja Aspar team. The Spanish rider has ridden well in the quarter-litre category this season, but was enticed by the opportunity to ride a completely ‘factory’ bike in 125cc. He will have an Aprilia RSA at his disposal for the first time in his career, with the intention of using the machine to fight for the title in 2009.
British rider Bradley Smith was close to reaching an agreement with Bancaja Aspar at the end of the 2007 season, and has finally joined up with the team alter a long courting process. The Oxford-based teenager will be competing in his fourth season as a Grand Prix rider, following a year in which he has achieved strong results with the Aprilia RSA. He will use the same machinery in 2009, and is expected to push for the title in his second year with the bike.
Nearly the entire team structure for Bancaja Aspar has been confirmed for 2009, with a third bike another remaining option to be decided upon base don the final races of the current season.
Jorge Martínez:
“I am delighted to have signed these two riders for the team, because once again we are shaping a team that can compete for the title in 125cc. Both Julian Simón, two years ago, and Bradley Smith last year, were candidates for the team, and I am satisfied to have picked them up for 2009 and 2010. Julian is a clean rider with a great 2008 behind him, and I am convinced that a factory bike can put him in the fight for the World Championship. Bradley has shown that, despite his age, that he could not have adapted better to the RSA. He has been fast all year, and now has the maturity to be World Champion.”
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