Team Gresini has renewed its agreement to continue with San Carlo as its main sponsors in MotoGP for 2011, when Marco Simoncelli will be joined by Hiroshi Aoyama.
The continuation of a partnership that already stretches back five years is born through a mutual passion and love for MotoGP racing, good faith, team spirit and shared objectives.
The positive experience of this season, which saw Marco Simoncelli gradually emerge as a front runner in MotoGP, has provided a huge incentive for the campaign to come. "Super Sic" is the team's great hope for 2011, when he will be joined by the Japanese rider Aoyama.
Lining up the last two 250cc World Champions in history is a key part of an ambitious project that has been outlined together with San Carlo and both riders have the talent and determination to become the future of the MotoGP class.
Hiroshi Aoyama was born in Chiba (Japan) on the Oct. 25, 1981. He was crowned the 250cc World Champion in 2009 thanks to four victories, seven podiums and two pole positions. He made his MotoGP debut this year, scoring a best result of seventh place in the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Fausto Gresini (Gresini MotoGP Team Owner) says: "I am proud to announce that San Carlo will be together with us again in 2011 as we continue to chase our shared objectives. Next season we aim to build on the progress shown by Marco Simoncelli throughout the course of 2010 as he has gradully forced his way to the front of the MotoGP pack.
'Super Sic' is ready to be a consistent contender at the highest possible level of motorcycle road racing and primed to give the team and San Carlo plenty to celebrate. In 2011 our other objective is to bring along another 250cc World Champion in the shape of Hiroshi Aoyama."
"We are determined to show him how to make the same progress as Marco Simoncelli. Aoyama has shown in the past that he is a reliable and fast rider and he has all the necessary characteristics to be a serious contender in MotoGP."
"At Team San Carlo Honda Gresini he will be given the chance to establish himself amongst the best in the class. So we have a twin objective for next year and it is a project that is being enthusiastically supported by Honda and also by San Carlo."
Alberto Vitaloni (President of San Carlo Gruppo Alimentare) says: "Continual improvement is an objective that the Gruppo Unichips targets everyday in everything we do. The concept is that it is never enough to be happy with the level you have reached, but to believe that there is always room for improvement with a constructive attitude. That is something we have seen this year with Marco Simoncelli, who has shown a very pleasing level of development on the track."
"The involvement of the entire structure, the adoption of a results based strategy, professionalism and passion are the qualities that unite San Carlo and Team Gresini. That is why we decided to support Fausto's project for another year, because we want to see the team and the riders grow again."
"Hiroshi Aoyama will be a part of that and I would like to welcome him with a word in Japanese: 'Kaizen', which is made up of two important words, Kai, which means change, and Zen, which means good. I hope he can follow in the footsteps that Marco has trod this season."