Baldassarri and Marini eagerly await “The Arabian Nights”

This week the 2017 Moto2 World Championship season kicks off at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. Both Forward Racing Team riders, Lorenzo Baldassarri and Luca Marini head well prepared into the first race of the year after three productive private and two official IRTA tests in Valencia, Jerez de la Fontera and Doha over the last months. From the first outing on track the Forward Racing Team duo steadily improved their new 2017 Kalex machines, as both riders worked through their intense test schedules in order to arrive fully set at the season opener. In addition, Baldassarri had to recover from an inflamed tendon in his left arm, but he is now nearly back at full fitness and faces the first round with high hopes. On the other side of the garage, Marini is all prepared to tackle his second full season in the World Championship. The inaugural round of the year is set to start on Thursday at 4:55pm CET with the first Free Practice session for the Forward Racing Team pair under the inspiring floodlights in the desert.

Lorenzo Baldassarri  “After a long winter break we finally arrived here a Doha in a very good mood. I rehabilitated my tendon thanks to treatments of the Clinica Mobile and to a lot of rest during the last weeks. Unfortunately, I could not ride during the last test in Jerez, plus here in Qatar I did just a few laps to determine my physical condition, which I’m glad to say is really strong now. Therefore, I can’t wait to start on Thursday! I missed racing a lot over the winter, as well as the adrenaline coming with it. I also want to express a huge thank you to our whole Forward Racing Team for their fantastic work and support. For this weekend, we still have to wait and see how the weather will be. During the test the heavy wind was really disturbing while riding, but apart from the external conditions, I expect a very positive start. I can’t wait to be on track in a few days’ time.”

Luca Marini  “I’m very happy, because now it’s finally time to commence another season together with my Forward Racing Team and it will be a great one for us, as in my opinion I improved a lot compared to last year. Obviously, I got one more season of experience under my belt, which is very important in this category. We still have a huge margin of improvement to be made, because when you try to fight for the positions on the top of the timesheet, you always need to work even harder, but this is exactly our plan. I want to bring home some good results this year and I’m convinced, we can do this, because the team is very good and the organization this year is fantastic, so we will certainly be able to do a great job. I’m looking forward for the championship to begin in Losail, as the track is very fast and that’s what I enjoy. However, the best thing in Qatar is that the race takes place at night, which is really emotional and somehow magic. For now, we weren’t fortuned with the weather, but we hope the best for the weekend. Apart from that, I’m curious about the changes in Moto2 this year, referring to the new guys coming from Moto3 and some other riders, who line up in a new team, but we are ready to fight with them.”