You are here

SBK, Aruba Junior team renews the challenge with Mike Jones and Ruben Rinaldi

After barely missing the title with Mercado Casolari, the team renews the challenge to finish the job, with two young talented riders

Aruba Junior team renews the challenge with Mike Jones and Ruben Rinaldi

Share


After being a protagonist throughout its debut season – barely missing the title with Leandro Mercado and collecting 3 wins and six podiums overall – the Aruba.it Racing - Junior Team renews the challenge in the European Superstock 1000 Championship, pairing Michael Ruben Rinaldi with Mike Jones.

Jones, born in Australia in 1994 and a pupil of Troy Bayliss, honed his riding skills in the Australian Superbike Championship, which he won in 2015. The following year, Jones debuted successfully in both WorldSBK and MotoGP with Ducati, managing to score points in both series despite taking part to only three rounds in total. Despite his relative experience on European tracks – he participated in only nine races in the European Stock 600 between 2012 and 2013 – Jones is determined to collect strong results since the very start of the season.

Rinaldi, sixth at the end of his debut year in the Superstock 1000 class with two podiums to his tally, is eager to make the most of the experience gained on the Panigale R and take advantage of the continuity at the technical level to race constantly at the front.

Mike Jones

“I’m very excited at the prospect of racing in the European Superstock 1000 Championship and join the Aruba.it Racing - Junior Team - said Mike Jones, who rode in the Motegi MotoGP GP (in the photo) and at Phillip island with the Avintia Ducati - For me, it’s a privilege to have the opportunity to compete with an extremely professional team on a bike as competitive as the Ducati Panigale R, with which I already have some good experience. I want to make the most of this opportunity to improve my current skills while racing against strong competitors and learning new circuits. I'm looking forward to this challenge, and I'll be giving my best to achieve strong results.”

“I’m very happy to have the opportunity to race another season with the Aruba.it Racing - Junior Team - echoed Michael Ruben Rinaldi - We gained plenty of experience in 2016, and now we have to show we’ve learned from our mistakes and we’ve matured in order to consistently score the results worthy of our potential. I’ve always had a great chemistry with the whole team, and it’s important to feel their trust. Also, the continuity at the technical level represents an advantage. We have already started with the training program, and I can’t wait for the season to begin.”


“We have started this adventure with great enthusiasm, getting really close to our goal of a title in our debut season - concluded Daniele Casolari, Feel Racing boss - but we’re not satisfied yet. On the contrary, we decided to renew our challenge to finish the job with two young, talented riders. Mike has been with Ducati for a while now, and he really impressed me this year, showing great speed and adaptability in very different championships. Michael matured progressively in 2016, and we’re confident he can find the consistency worthy of his talent, which has never been in question. For both, the goal is to win races and aim at the title.”

Translated by Jonathan Blosser
__

Related articles