Xavier Simeon to join QMMF Racing Team for 2016 and 2017
Xavier Simeon will join QMMF Racing Team as the new team-mate of Julian Simon. The 26-year-old from Brussels, Belgium, signed a two-year contract and will replace current QMMF Racing Team rider Mika Kallio, who decided to end his successful racing career after his season and to join KTM as a development rider for their new MotoGP project.
Simeon won the European Superstock 600 Championship in 2006 and the FIM Superstock 1000 Championship in 2009 before becoming a Moto2 World Championship rider in 2010, when the new category was introduced in Grand Prix racing. In six seasons, he rode on four different brands and with his broad Moto2 experience, he will be a valuable asset for QMMF Racing Team and bike manufacturer Speed Up in the ongoing development of the project. At the same time, Simeon is one of the top riders of the category and a tough contender in the world championship fight. With third place at the French Grand Prix 2013, he became the first Belgian rider since Didier de Radigues in 1990 to conquer a Grand Prix podium. Two years later, at the German Grand Prix 2015, he won his first Moto2 race and became only the third Belgian rider in history to win a motorcycle Grand Prix. Joining QMMF Racing Team willopen a new and exciting chapter in his career.
Mr. Nasser Khalifa Al Atyya, QMMF President and Team owner
“We are delighted and glad about the agreement with Xavier Simeon for 2016 and 2017 as a rider of QMMF Moto2. We believe in him and trust his ability, as we know very well that he is capable to bring strong results to our team during the next two seasons. The collaboration between us, Xavier, his manager Freddy Tacheny and Zelos, his agency, was very good from the beginning and we feel confident for the future. We have a very good feeling about this agreement.”
Xavier Simeon
“Joining QMMF Racing Team is a great new challenge and I want to thank QMMF for this fantastic opportunity. Signing a two-year-contract was a crucial part, because it will allow us to forge a partnership with strong foundations and to build our collaboration step by step. I am very confident that we can be successful. The Speed Up bike has shown its potential on numerous occasions and with the backing of QMMF, we have a very strong team. I’ve known many of the team members for quite some time and I really look forward to be part of this structure!”