A clash between the 2021 MotoE calendar and World Endurance schedule, cited by Marc VDS for losing the services of Mike di Meglio and causing their MotoE withdraw, has now triggered an all-new line-up for the LCR squad.
Xavier Simeon has been confirmed as leaving MotoGP after one season, but will remain with the Avintia Team in 2019 by competing in the new electric MotoE World Cup.
After ‘riding in a programmed way’ Jordi Torres has continued to make key progress as stand-in rider at Avintia Ducati taking 19 th place and finishing just two seconds behind team-mate Xavier Simeon using the older Ducati.
Tito Rabat’s team-mate Xavier Simeon will compete on his Reale Avintia Ducati GP17 at the Misano round with Christophe Ponsson joining the team for his MotoGP debut.
Tito Rabat backed up his fourth on the grid start with a MotoGP best of seventh place in Sunday's Argentina MotoGP. The new Reale Avintia rider finished just half-a-second behind factory Ducati star and Qatar winner Andrea Dovizioso, riding the latest GP18 machine.
The all-new Reale Avintia line-up of Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon have unveiled their 2018 MotoGP colours in Madrid. Former Moto2 world champion Rabat, who will race a GP17 Ducati, joins the team after spending two seasons on a Marc VDS Honda.
The final 'official' vacancy on the 2018 MotoGP grid has been filled, with Xavier Simeon announced as stepping up from Moto2 to join the Reale Avintia Ducati team.
"The tyres seemed to feel quite different on the Speed Up in comparison to the Kalex, but when we continued at Valencia and I did more laps with the bike it wasn't such a big difference after all"
Gresini's Xavier Simeon is hungry for more wins in the Moto2 World Championship after tasting success for the first time with victory at the Sachsenring in July.
Johann Zarco commanded the charge for pole position ahead of the Moto2 Grand Prix of Argentina, with his last lap setting a new record at a humid Termas de Rio Hondo circuit.
Sam Lowes battled Johann Zarco and the pain barrier in the Moto2 Grand Prix of the Americas, pulling out a lead on the last lap to take his first Grand Prix victory in Austin.