Moto3 Niccolò Antonelli, Ongetta-Rivacold

[totalmotorcycle]

@Moto3 Niccolò #Antonelli, #Ongetta-Rivacold



In 2016, Ongetta Rivacold rider Niccolò Antonelli entered his fifth Moto3 season. In 2012, the 20-year-old rider from Catholic, Italy made his first appearance in world championship racing at the Qatar Grand Prix. He earned his first pole position at Valencia, 2014 and rode to his first victory in the Czech Republic in 2015. Soon after, he once again won in Japan. He wrapped up the year ranked 5th in the championship.



"Last year was very nice for me because we fought every time for the podium. After three difficult years with many crashes, it was a very good season. So, last year was a very important season for me."



In 2016, Antonelli was one of the favorites in his category, winning the season-opener in Qatar, as expected. From there on however, he had to struggle to get good results for a while.



In the Italian Grand Prix, he had shown great potential once again in front of his home crowd - he fought a very close battle until the end, missing out on a podium finish by just 0.006s.





“We made progress in Le Mans and Mugello. Now we have to take the next step in order to be on the podium. Moto3 racing is always very difficult because of many battles, but the important thing is always to fight for the victory and the podium."



His objective for 2016 is getting better places in the championship than previous years. To make it happen, he thinks that the improvement of his concentration is the key.



"I think my strong points are braking, corner entry, and good corner speed. On the other hand, I need to improve my concentration because sometimes I make mistakes, like I did in Mugello qualifying and Austin qualifying. When I improve my concentration, I will get better results."



In the following races, he finished 20th in the Catalan Grand Prix, and 5th in Holland. For the ninth round in Germany, Antonelli slipped on an oil leakage in qualifying, and fractured his left collarbone.



Albeit due to misfortune, he had been given a four-week summer break from there on, which would be beneficial for his recovery. After intensive treatment and rehabilitation, he regained his fitness in time for the second half of the season. After riding to 18th place at the Red Bull Ring despite difficult physical conditions, Antonelli finished 5th for the following Grand Prix of the Czech Republic.



September will prove hectic, with three grands prix in four weeks, including his home race in San Marino., The venue of San Marino GP is named after Marco Simoncelli, as a memorial to his feat. Antonelli’s features are said to be similar to Marco Simoncelli.



"Yes, many people say to me that. And I think it is a compliment because Marco was great and fantastic rider. He also had a great character. So, it is nice to hear that people say I look like him. I think he is special and it is difficult to find something like him in other riders. That’s why I think it is a great compliment to me."