To mark the start of the Gran Premio Red Bull de la República Jack Miller decided to take his CWM LCR Honda RC213V-RS out on to the Salinas Grandes salt desert in Jujuy, while a number of top riders gathered for the traditional pre-race press conference.
The spectacular setting of the Salinas Grandes salt desert, normally a quiet and serene place, instead bore witness to the flame spitting power of a 250bhp motorbike as Miller rode his Honda RC213V-RS on the unique surface.
Located in Northern Argentina at 3,500 m above sea level, the Salinas Grandes is a large salt desert that spans over 6,000 square kilometres. Salt deserts and lakes around the world have traditionally been used for land speed record attempts over the years, but never before has someone attempted to ride a fully-fledged MotoGP™ bike on one.
Miller is no stranger to facing challenges, like the one he has taken on this year by becoming the first ever rider to jump straight from the Moto3™ class, in which he was runner-up last year, to the premier class of motorcycle racing, MotoGP™.
As the Australian set about having fun on the salt, it provided a spectacular treat for the senses, with the smell of petrol fumes in the air and the iconic scream of a Honda V4 engine a fitting way to welcome the MotoGP™ World Championship to Argentina.
Click here to watch the incredible video in full.
Up next was the traditional pre-race press conference, where Valentino Rossi, Andrea Dovizioso, Marc Marquez, Cal Crutchlow, Aleix Espargaro and Yonny Hernandez gathered in front of the world’s media to answer questions about this weekends action.
The man who currently leads the MotoGP™ World Championship standings, Movistar Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi, kicked things off by talking about his start to the season: “It is not very important to lead after just two races, but it is for sure the best way to start, especially because I have already won a race and that’s the best feeling. To have 41 points after Austin, which is a difficult track for us, is good. And now it’s the third Grand Prix, and on paper this track is better for the M1.”
Rossi stressed the importance of looking after your front tyre at the Termas De Rio Hondo, and addressed a recurring issue throughout the press conference, the incredible passion of the Argentine fans: “The passion of the fans is unbelievable, sometimes it is a little bit difficult, but it is great to see the popularity of MotoGP in Argentina.”
Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso is the first Ducati rider to score back-to-back podiums since Casey Stoner in 2010, after he finished second in both Qatar and Austin: “What a start for us, it has been almost perfect with two second’s places meaning we are 2nd in the Championship.”
The Italian went on to discuss how this good start to the season has created a good atmosphere in the Ducati garage: “The feeling in team is different, now we have a lot of energy to fight and to work in a right way to develop the relation in the right way, we know each other better. When the pace of the bike is good, everything changes, as you can work in a different way over the weekends.”
Dovizioso was then asked about his bike appearing to run out of fuel almost immediately after the checkered flag in Austin, to which he gave the slightly cryptic response of: “We didn’t run out of fuel, we had a problem with the tank and we cant talk about it…!”
Repsol Honda’s reigning MotoGP™ Champion Marc Marquez admitted that while the Championship looked good for the spectator at the moment, he was concerned after his performance in Qatar: “My worry was that after Qatar I needed to come back strong and get back in to the Championship race, and now we are only five points behind.”
Marquez last year led home a Honda 1-2 in Argentina, with his currently injured teammate Pedrosa taking 2nd, although he thinks they are in for a tougher challenge in 2015: “Last year I felt good here but this year, as we saw in Austin, everyone else has improved so we have to work hard to be at the same level.”
Cal Crutchlow on the CWM LCR Honda had to miss last year’s race in Argentina through injury: “It is great to finally be here for the GP in Argentina, we get such a good welcome when we come there are so many fans! Even though last year I watched it from home, it was one of the great Grand Prix of the year.”
Despite not racing at the track before, the British rider has taken part in a test at the Termas De Rio Hondo: “I hope to make the most of Free Practice as I didn’t race here last year, and we are at a disadvantage. When I tested here there was no grip, so while its good I know which way the track goes, we still have a lot of work to do but I am looking forward to racing.”
The man who set the third fastest lap during the race in Austin, which is incredible when you consider the lack of power his GSX-RR bike suffers from and the fact that CoTA has the longest straight on the MotoGP™ calendar, was Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Aleix Espargaro. The Spanish rider is hoping to improve further in Argentina: “We would have preferred a better placed finish in Qatar, but we took points, which is good when we suffer a lot on the straight. We are happy with the job we are doing but we need to work hard and we hope to closer and closer to the guys at the front.”
Argentina qualifies as the home Grand Prix for Pramac Racing’s Yonny Hernandez, who hails from South America and was the first Columbian to ever compete in the World Championships. He is looking to bounce back after crashing out in Austin: “I am so happy to be here, it is like a home race and I want to get in the top ten and make a good result for my fans and my people.”
Hernandez will wear an Argentine flag on his helmet during the weekend: “This is a special edition helmet for the race, as I feel at home here and it is especially for all Argentineans and Latin Americans.”
Click here for the full video from the press conference.
The Gran Premio Red Bull de la República Argentina officially gets under way on Friday at 9:00 local time with Moto3™ Free Practice 1.
More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone:
Bridgestone MotoGP™ Preview – Round 3: Argentina
Thursday, 16 April 2015
Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo, Argentina
Bridgestone slick compounds: Front: Soft, Medium & Hard;
Rear: Medium & Hard (Asymmetric) & Extra-hard (Symmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds: Soft (Main) & Hard (Alternative)
MotoGP™ returns to South America this weekend as round three of the 2015 season visits Argentina’s Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo for a second time following the circuit’s debut on the calendar last year.
The 4806 metre long Termas de Río Hondo circuit is characterised by numerous fast, long-radius corners that not only create exciting racing, but result in one of the highest average speeds in MotoGP. The high speeds, hard braking zones and high camber angles present in some corners results in this circuit being one of the more severe for tyres, with Bridgestone developing a new extra-hard specification rear slick specifically for this circuit.
The Rio Hondo circuit has an unbalanced layout with nine right-hand corners compared to just five left-handers. However, the left-hand corners tend to be more severe in nature than the right-handers and in particular corners such as turn six and eleven generate high tyre temperatures, yet the rate of wear on the right shoulder is greater due the circuit having more right-hand corners.
Rear slick tyre options for the Factory Honda and Yamaha riders are the hard and extra-hard rear slick, while the remaining MotoGP riders have access to the medium and hard compound rear slicks. The new extra-hard specification rear slick will be marked with a yellow line. With variable weather and track conditions a possibility at the Argentine circuit, the riders will be able to choose from three front slick options – the soft, medium and hard compound front slicks to ensure optimum performance over the whole race weekend.
The main wet tyre for the Argentina Grand Prix is the soft compound and every rider will also be able to select up to two front and rear tyres in the alternative, hard compound.
Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department
“Following a successful MotoGP race at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit last year, I am happy to be back in South America again as this is one of Bridgestone’s key markets and the region has a rich motorsport heritage. The Argentinian people embraced the race last year and I hope that we see another large attendance for the second Grand Prix held at this great venue. The circuit itself is fast, flowing and demanding on tyres and the data we acquired last year has enabled us to develop a revised tyre allocation for this year’s race, including a new extra-hard specification rear slick. I am looking forward to seeing how our new tyre allocation for this circuit performs, and as the first two races have resulted in some great racing, I hope we will see another close and exciting contest this weekend.”
Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“The Circuito Termas de Rio Hondo was a new addition to the calendar last year and is one of the harshest circuits on the calendar for tyres. This circuit has a high average speed with some sections featuring high-camber angles, while corners like turn six are large radius, high-speed corners that generate very high tyre loads. The circuit is interesting in that although there are nine right-handed corners compared to five left-handed corners, the left shoulder of the tyre experiences higher temperatures than the right shoulder, due to the left-handers generally being faster. The tyre allocation for this race uses harder rubber compounds than other circuits to ensure high levels of durability, stability and heat resistance. This weekend marks the debut of extra-hard rear slick which will be made available to the Factory Honda and Yamaha riders.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR HEADS TO ARGENTINIAN GP
After barely a week off from the second round at The Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Team SUZUKI ECSTAR is already arriving at Termas de Rio Hondo where on Sunday the Grand Prix of Argentina will be held.
The race in Texas gave solid points to Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales, who both improved the positions they gained in Qatar, and they are now focused on fixing small technical problems that have affected their performances. The technical package they have at their disposal has seemed to perform well and the team is continuing its development plan.
While the whole crew went directly to Termas de Rio Hondo, Viñales had the chance of visiting the province of Jujuy, where he and some other riders from the three classes took part at the pre-event organised at Salinas Grandes, the fascinating salt plant that resembles a lunar landscape.
Aleix Espargaro:
“In Austin we made a solid weekend and we gained important points; now for Argentina I’m expecting some more improvements and consistency. This won’t be an easy track for us as it has a long straight, but there are also some technical parts where our chassis can make the difference. At the end, in the first race we ended with not such a big distance from the race winner. We will have to work again to close that gap and be as close as we can to the top. I like the track: last year I had a very good race, me and my team are working to fix the chattering problems that affected our performances in Qatar and Austin, so I believe we will be competitive at Termas de Rio Hondo.”
Maverick Viñales:
“I had the chance of visiting Salinas Grandes which has fascinating scenery, and now it’s time to get back focused on the race. I’m happy how what we did in Austin, entering Q2 and finishing the race in the top 10; not so far from the winner. For sure we need to work more on the bike to finalise the set-up, but most of all I need to improve my riding style and to better understand how to exploit my machine’s potential at its best. I’m confident we can make another good race in Argentina, I like the track and I’m very excited to get back riding”
More, from a press release issued by CWM LCR Honda:
ARGENTINA AWAITS CRUTCHLOW AND CWM LCR HONDA
The start to the MotoGP World Championship continues apace for the CWM LCR Honda Team, with the second Grand Prix in seven days taking place in Argentina this weekend. The team has travelled down from Texas far into the northwestern hinterland of the South American nation, for the series’ second visit to the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit.
Cal Crutchlow missed out on the first-ever running of the Argentine GP in Termas through injury last year, but the British rider is familiar with the track after having completed a test there a year previously.
The 29 year-old arrives in Argentina off the back of two seventh places in the opening rounds of the championship, but is determined to prove that he should be taking higher finishes – having shown in practice that he is one of the fastest riders out on track.
Cal Crutchlow #35
“It’s great to finally be here for the Grand Prix in Argentina, we get such a fantastic welcome when we come and there are lots of fans here. Even though I watched this race from home last year, it was one of the great events of last season. “
“I hope I can make some good free practice sessions because I need to get familiar with the track again. We’re at a slight disadvantage, when I tested here there was no grip and you could only do three or four laps with the tyre. It’s good that I know where it goes, but I think it will be a more difficult race for us here.”
“I think so far it’s been a poor start to the season for us – seventh place doesn’t reflect where we should be. The last race was a disappointment because we had great practices and we were looking set to be in the podium battle. I had some problems though and a strange feeling with the bike, so we salvaged some points but that was all we could do. We need to come here, have none of those problems and challenge as much as possible.”
More, from another press release issued by CWM LCR Honda:
MILLER BECOMES FIRST MAN TO RIDE MOTOGP ON A SALT-LAKE
The start to the MotoGP World Championship continues apace for the CWM LCR Honda Team, with the second Grand Prix in seven days taking place in Argentina this weekend. The team has travelled down from Texas far into the northwestern hinterland of the South American nation, for the series’ second visit to the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit.
The Australian then took a small plane even further into the Argentinean back-country as part of the race’s promotional pre-event, where he rode his Open spec Honda RC213V-RS on the 6,000km2 Salinas Grandes salt desert. Located at 3,500m above sea-level the salt flats made a stunning backdrop for Miller to become the first person to ever ride a race-ready MotoGP bike at such a location.
Once he made back to the paddock, Miller made it only too clear that he is aware of the task ahead of him this weekend – that of making further progress on board his bike, after having scored his first ever MotoGP points last time out in Austin.
Jack Miller #43
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to go up that high into the mountains and discover a big salt-flat like that. It was pretty cool. We had some fun on board the CWM LCR Honda but it’s back to business time now this weekend in Rio Hondo.”
“I’m looking forward to getting out on track and I expect it will be a little bit slippery in the first couple of laps like last year. There have been a few car races and other events since last time so there should be some more rubber down and that makes me keen to get out on track.”
“In Texas I got a lot more comfortable on the bike and during the race got to sit with the big group and learn so much before picking up my first points. I look forward to taking what I learned from there and put it into practice here. The track suited the Honda of Marc Marquez who won here last year, so I hope it works here for me too.”
More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:
Yonny Hernandez: “Honoured to be here to represent South America fans”
Following the Dorna’s pre-event which took place yesterday at “la Salinas Grandes”, in the province of Jujuy, Argentina, this morning Yonny Hernandez has been in the spotlight again during the pre-event press conference at the Autodromo of Termas de Rio Hondo.
Yonny Hernandez:
“I’m honoured to be here in Argentina to represent my Country and many South American fans. I am very happy with the start of this 2015 Motogp season. Our goal is to finish all the season in the Top 10 and I thanks my team and Ducati: we managed to take the right path.
The crash at the Circuit of The Americas in Texas is already behind me. I have so much motivation to do well here as I consider this one a home GP. That’s why I wanted to put the Argentine flag on my helmet. I really like the track which has very different characteristics compared to the one in Texas. I hope to do well starting from the free practice of tomorrow. The goal remains the same: to stay in the top 10. The fans support is fantastic. All along the way to Argentina I felt the warmth and passion of the people. I will do everything not to disappoint their expectations”.