Texas welcomes the MotoGP circus
The NGM Forward Racing team heads to Texas for round two of the 2014 MotoGP Championship. Designed by the German architect Hermann Tilke, it’s the second time that the fabulous Circuit of the Americas (COTA) hosts the MotoGP circus.
Riders Aleix Espargaro and Colin Edwards aim for strong performance in Austin. After a stunning 4th place in the opening race in Qatar, where Aleix repaid the pre-season expectations, recording the fastest time in the first three practices sessions and recovering on Sunday from ninth on the grid to fourth after two crashes in qualifying, the Spaniard looks forward to confirm his great debut on board of the Forward Yamaha.
The Texas GP will be a special one also for team-mate Colin Edwards, known in the paddock also as Texas Tornado. The home GP will give an extra boost to Colin, who will be surrounded by family, friend and the big support of the American fans.
Simone Corsi and Mattia Pasini look forward to regain positions on the rivals in Texas after round one, that saw mixed fortunes for the Moto2 team, with Simone finishing 6th and Mattia 18th, due to some mistakes and a blistering issue at his rear tyre. Both riders will focus on finding the best set up on the demanding COTA track, in order to recover the gap from the front riders.
The first stop in the USA for the NGM Forward Racing Team is today at Colin Edwards’ Boot Camp in Montgomery, Texas. In occasion of the home GP, Colin opens the doors of his house and his famous center, where Colin, Aleix, Simone and Mattia are going to train with dirt bikes.
Circuit info
Constructed: 2012
First race: 2013
GPs held: 1
Laps: 21 (MotoGP) 19 (Moto2)
Length: 5.513 m / 3.426 miles
Width: 15m
Left corners: 11
Right corners: 9
Longest straight: 1.200 m / 0.746 miles
Colin Edwards
“I look forward to my home GP. Lots of friends and family are coming to see the race and it will be great to ride in front of the American fans. It won’t be an easy race as the track is very demanding. The circuit is one of the most varied and technical on the GP circuit, with a mix of fast straights and slow corners to do in first gear with tough braking.”
Aleix Espargaro
“I really look forward to the second round of the season. In Qatar we had the pace to fight for the podium, but I paid the price for the two mistakes on Saturday. So we will just have to try and go for it again in Austin. We know that the Texas GP will be a tough race for us as there is a very long back straight (1.2-kilometre) and we suffer in that area, but I’m confident that we can continue improving and get some good results.”
Simone Corsi
“Last year we raced in Austin for the first time, it was a new track and I liked it a lot. We left Qatar with positive feelings. The team is working hard and I look forward to the Texas GP. I’m confident that we can get good results.”
Mattia Pasini
“I’m very excited for the Texas GP. In Qatar we saw that we can be fast: we were able to ride on top in the practices, but we were unlucky in the race. Due to a tyre issue and some mistakes, I lost some important points, but we have the potential to get good results. I’m confident to fight with the front guys in the practices and in the race.”