Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Circuit of The Americas, Austin, Texas

April 10, 2016

Race Results (all on Michelin tires):

1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 21 laps, Total Race Time

2. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), -6.107 seconds

3. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI), -10.947

4. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI), -18.422

5. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI), -20.711

6. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), -28.961

7. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), -32.112

8. Michele PIRRO, Italy (DUCATI), -32.757

9. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), -34.592

10. Stefan BRADL, Germany (APRILIA), -40.211

11. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA), -45.423

12. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (DUCATI), -47.127

13. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), -47.426

14. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), -51.190

15. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), -72.929, crash

16. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), -79.252, crash

17. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA), -88.036, crash

18. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), DNF, crash

19. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), DNF, crash

20. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), DNF, crash

21. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), DNS

World Championship Point Standings (after 3 of 18 races):

1. Marquez, 66 points

2. Lorenzo, 45

3. Rossi, 33

4. P. Espargaro, 28

5. Pedrosa, 27

6. Barbera, 25

7. TIE, Dovizioso/Vinales, 23

9. TIE, Laverty/A. Espargaro, 21

More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team:

Rabat gains experience and points in Texas tussle

Tito Rabat rode his Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda machine to another encouraging point scoring finish in a physically demanding Circuit of the Americas MotoGP race today.

Once into his consistent race rhythm, the Spaniard found himself locked in a close battle for 12th place with Eugene Laverty and Yonny Hernandez in the latter stages of the 21-lap race at the 5.5km Austin track.

Rabat manoeuvred his way by Hernandez on lap 19 before he began to exert intense pressure on Laverty. The former Moto2 World Champion put in a spirited late attack to try and take a hard earned 12th spot, but just failed to make a pass stick on the final lap. Rabat’s effort was rewarded though with a third successive top 15 finish and more importantly he gained more crucial experience of his RC213V over a full race distance.

Rabat was the lone participant for Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS this afternoon after Jack Miller withdrew yesterday. A right foot injury sustained in a nasty FP1 crash ruled the Australian out of action.

Rabat and Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS are now poised to begin the intensive European phase of the World Championship, starting with the eagerly anticipated Jerez round in Spain.

Tito Rabat 13th

“It was another difficult race but we are improving all of the time. In Qatar I was alone and last but in the last two races I’ve managed to battle with some much more experienced riders and that is a big positive. I find it difficult to overtake in the first laps because I have a lot of movement from the front and it is easy to make a mistake. I need to finish and learn and that’s what I did again, so I am happy with my own job and also the job of the team. I had a good battle with Laverty and picked up some tips where I can be stronger. I passed Yonny and almost passed Laverty on the last lap but just couldn’t quite find a way through. Now I am looking forward to returning to Europe and being fully prepared for Jerez, which is a race I am really looking forward to.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal

“After a difficult practice and qualifying it is satisfying to see Tito push hard to the chequered flag and pick up more valuable experience and points. He is still learning how to extract the best performance out of the Honda package and in the final laps it was pleasing to see his pace was around seventh place. These first races were always going to be tricky while he tried to build up confidence and experience, so to collect important points in Argentina and Austin shows we are moving in the right direction.”

More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing:

Third top 10 of the year for Barbera after a hard race in Texas

Avintia Racing rider Hector Barbera finished ninth after a hard 21-lap-race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas today. He improved lap by lap from the 14th place of the grid to be fighting for the seventh position with Pol Espargaro and Michele Pirro. But he had some pain in his arms in the final laps that put him out of the battle, but this was still a positive result and the third top ten in succession for the Spanish rider.

Loris Baz had a great start from the third lane of the grid but he suddenly crashed out on the second lap after another rider touched him in the first turn. The French Avintia Racing rider went back on track with his bike damaged, but he managed to bring it home in 15th position and get his first point of the season after crashing in Qatar and retiring in Argentina.

Overall the start of the MotoGP World Championship has been positive for Avintia Racing, with Barbera always in the top ten and sixth in the standings before heading to Jerez for the Spanish Grand Prix in just two weeks time.

Hector Barbera | P9

“This was a difficult weekend and every day was getting more complicated. Maybe I came here with high expectations after the fifth place in Argentina, and I think this was not good for us, because during the whole weekend I didn’t work as I had to. So we arrived at the race today eager to race, but maybe with some unfinished homework. This is a very physical circuit and I suffered with my forearm; after five laps I had a lot of pain. Finally I could make up the weekend with another top ten finish and, although this is not relevant, we are the first Ducati and sixth in the standings after three races.”

Loris Baz | P15

“I did a good start and I was in the right group, but on the second lap, when I was passing another rider, someone came from the inside and hit me. I tried to lift the bike, but I crashed. I don’t know who did it, but this is racing. It was difficult to finish the race without shifter, one centimetre footpeg, and damaged swingarm, but I did it for my team and my mechanics after such a good weekend. It was hard and I had some pain in my shoulder, but even though, my pace was not so bad.”

More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:

Aspar Team riders both in the points in Texas

Eugene Laverty finishes twelfth in a race that sees Yonny Hernández suffer with tyre issues

Marc Márquez continued his domination of the Grand Prix of the Americas today with his fourth victory from four visits to the Texan track for MotoGP. The Spaniard took a clear win today by seven seconds from Jorge Lorenzo, who was unable to apply any real pressure at the front as Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso all crashed out. Andrea Iannone made it three different manufacturers on the podium in third place, with Suzuki team-mates Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaró completing the top five. Márquez now leads the championship by twenty-one points from Lorenzo, with Rossi now over thirty points adrift in third.

For the first time this season the Aspar Team had both riders finish in the points, with Eugene Laverty taking twelfth place ahead of Yonny Hernández in fourteenth. The Colombian, who was forced to retire from the past two rounds, fulfilled his primary objective of finishing the race, although he was frustrated not to have shown his full potential today after suffering tyre degradation in the later laps. His Irish team-mate Laverty picked up a hard-earned twelfth place and four more valuable points to take his tally for the season to twenty-one.

12th Eugene Laverty: “It was a difficult race, which I expected because I didn’t have a fantastic feeling all weekend. I made a decent lap in qualifying to get fifteenth on the grid but I knew it would be harder in the race. The important thing on days like this when other riders crash is to finish the race and pick up some points, which is what we did. The rear tyre felt good for the whole race but the front I didn’t have a good feeling for on the right side, and that was why I crashed on Friday. Today I felt like I could crash every time on the right side of the front tyre so I was a little bit scared for that.”

14th Yonny Hernández: “One of our main objectives today was to finish the race and we achieved that. However, I am disappointed because we made a good start and my pace was good because the changes we have made over the weekend gave me a good feeling with the bike. I was setting some good lap times in the race and I was in a nice battle with Pol Espargaró and Héctor Barberá, but from lap eight or nine onwards the tyres started to lose performance and in the end it was impossible to ride. The positive thing is that we have picked up two points and finished the race, so we can go to Jerez and know that we can be fighting there. The day things finally go right for us, we’ll pick up a good result. Jerez is one of my favourite circuits so I hope to do well there.”

More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:

Espargaro moves to 4th in the championship after solid ride in Texas

Monster Yamaha Tech3 team rider Pol Espargaro delivered a resolute performance to finish the Grand Prix of The Americas in a well deserved 7th place in front of approximately 56,000 passionate fans. The 2013 Moto2 World Champion kicked off his battle from 13th on the grid and undertook a positive start before bringing himself right in the mix in the fight for the top independent rider. He continued his strong pace and by lap seven he had risen up to 10th. After moving ahead of the group, Espargaro dug deep and set a series of consistent lap times to gap the pursuing riders and with the 21-lap lasting competition drawing to a close, the Spaniard remained cool and eventually sped over the finish line in 7th. The result leaves him fourth in the 2016 World Championship standings and Monster Yamaha Tech3 third in the team standings, ahead of the MotoGP paddock returning to Europe.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team garage, Bradley Smith suffered bad luck in the round three battle despite producing a thorough effort in the race. The young Briton began the Grand Prix from the fourth row on the grid after a determined display in qualifying yesterday. When the lights flicked off, Smith bolted forwards and quickly set into his rapid rhythm as he looked to clinch a strong point scoring finish. By lap 8, he was up to 8th and had closed in on the three riders in front of him yet, his luck ran dry and he fell at the 11th turn. Nevertheless, the determined 25-year-old remounted and pushed all the way to the chequered flag, but eventually completed the race in 17th due to a damaged gear lever. The 2015 fastest satellite rider will now seek to bounce back strongly at the next GP at the Circuito de Jerez.

Pol Espargaro

Position : 7th Championship : 4th Points : 28

“Today I certainly didn’t feel very comfortable on the bike but having said that I did my very best in trying to keep it on two wheels. At the beginning of the race, we decided to use the softer front tyre and in all honesty, it was really tricky to follow the other riders on full fuel load. Yet, once the tank emptied a bit, I was able to start pushing and I began catching my teammate. Then suddenly, I saw some crashes in front and I even had a moment myself, so I decided to settle down as I wanted to finish the race and leave the US with some valuable points. In the end, this is what we achieved, so now I am 4th in the championship which is a nice gift for the boss, as it’s his birthday today. The next GP will be back in Europe and on my home soil so I can’t wait to go to Jerez, especially after the positive start to the season so far. Of course, we go there with the aim of improving our performance further, but I believe that this year more than ever, consistency is the key for a strong championship result.

Bradley Smith

Position : 17th Championship : 13th Points : 16

“Unfortunately, today’s result wasn’t the best and all of our hard work was lost because of something that was out of our control. I lost the front at turn 11 due to an oil spill or something on the racetrack. It was just a little bit off the racing line and when Cal went down it caught me by surprise, so I released the brake. I was slightly off line, just like he was and I fell at the exact same place. This was frustrating because it wasn’t a mistake of my own, but this is racing and these things happen. I couldn’t really do much once I got back on the bike because I had a damaged gear lever, which made it difficult to shift, plus I also lost the anti-wheelie so the final laps were tricky to say the least. However, I was determined to finish because we had worked hard all weekend and overall there are still many positives to consider as we were definitely stronger at the beginning of this Grand Prix than we have been in the first two. So to conclude, I am happy with the final performance at this event, but I am disappointed that something silly like this ruined our race. Now, we have a lot of work to do to catch up on points in the championship but once we go to Jerez we will be ready to push forward again.”

Hervé Poncharal – Team manager :

“What a weekend! The Circuit of The Americas is a really tough and difficult track plus the weather conditions weren’t easy, but in the end, I am very pleased with the outcome because it was a hard race. We gambled a bit with the rear tyre and decided to go with the soft compound option for both riders. Ultimately, I believe that it was that right choice as they were able to stay consistent until the final stages of the GP. The front locked a lot for Pol in the closing laps so it was tricky for him to keep a good rhythm, but I have to say thank you very much and congratulations to our Spanish rider for what he has done so far this season. Maybe the results haven’t been incredibly exciting, but at the end of the day, he is 4th in the championship. We knew that these first few rounds would be tricky with challenging circuits for us yet after all, it was always going to be very important to arrive in Jerez with a strong position in the standings. On the other side of the garage, it’s a big shame about what happened to Brad because I feel that we could have had another solid team result. For some reason, Bradley went a little bit wide on the part of the track where we saw all the crashes and then his race was ruined. Nevertheless, he was very brave and motivated in bringing the bike back home as well as finishing the Grand Prix. This is especially admirable because the gear lever was completely broken so we have no idea how he managed to change gears! However, it’s a big pity for him to not take any points, but we know that he’s fast and he did a lot of hard testing here so I think that we will be in a much better position in Jerez. Now, we go back to Europe for a good rest for the whole team, whom I must say thank you to for their hard work, and next time we will meet in beautiful Jerez.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

SUPERB SECOND FOR LORENZO IN INCIDENT PACKED TEXAS GRAND PRIX

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo delivered a brilliant ride today to stay ahead of the main pack and hold on to second place on the podium for the Grand Prix of the Americas. Teammate Valentino Rossi had a difficult start with a slipping clutch but recovered to chase the front pack until losing the front at turn two of lap three, ending his Texas adventure.

Austin (Texas, USA), 10th April 2016

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Jorge Lorenzo delivered a superb performance to secure second on the podium in the Grand Prix of the Americas at the COTA circuit in Texas.

A typical start for the Spaniard saw him grab the holeshot from second on the grid and lead into the first corner. The high pace at the front left him running wide for a couple of corners as the race found a rhythm, dropping as low as fourth before quickly recovering to third to begin hunting Andrea Dovizioso in second place.

With 17 laps to go he was able to make his move up into second but was unable to match the race leader‘s speed. The seasoned GP rider then rode an intelligent race, carefully increasing the gap to third behind him to over 10 seconds at the line for 20 valuable championship points.

Valentino Rossi was disappointed to exit the Texas GP early after finding arguably his best for yet at COTA. A slipping clutch from the start grid complicated his progress for the first few laps, but the nine-time champion was coming back strongly on lap three and beginning to close the gap to those in front. Rossi was battling between fifth and sixth position when he lost the front on turn two with 19 laps to go, ending his Texas adventure.

The race results see Lorenzo move up from fourth into second place in the championship standings on 45 points, with teammate Rossi dropping one place to third and remaining on 33 points.

The MotoGP Championship now heads to Jerez in Spain for the first European Grand Prix of the year on 24th April.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

It was a good second place for Jorge, he rode a very intelligent race to secure the maximum points he knew he could achieve, 20 important points for the championship. It‘s an important result to take to Europe to a series of tracks he knows very well with a strong record of victories. Unfortunately for Valentino during the start he had to pull the clutch and from that moment it started spinning. As it was recovering he tried to close the gap to the front riders and he crashed. It’s a great pity as he was feeling very comfortable on the bike and was potentially capable of his best ever finish in Texas. Despite this it has been a very promising weekend as we were able to make definitive improvements session by session at a track we were concerned about at the start. It‘s been a valuable experience that will help us for next time. Now we finally return to our first European race of the year to a track we know both our riders are capable of winning at, with a package we know is competitive.

JORGE LORENZO

It was really important to finish the race and get 20 points after crashing at high speed in the morning, it was really difficult mentally to focus. I tried in warm up and through the few hours before the race to focus and convince myself for the race. It was a difficult beginning, the track was slippery and with the hard rear tyre and the full tank it was difficult to stop especially on braking. I made some mistakes I don’t normally do in the first lap. I couldn’t keep the pace of Marc, he was making the difference this weekend and in the race. I was fast enough to stay in second place and finish the race. You could see it was difficult to stay on the bike with a lot of crashes. Today the important thing was to finish and I did it.

VALENTINO ROSSI

It’s a shame because at the start unfortunately I burnt the clutch. I was third but the clutch slipped a lot, so I had to go slow to try and recover the clutch and I lost some positions. At the same time I was not so far, I felt good with the bike, we worked well during the weekend and I felt fast. I had the feeling the clutch was coming back already but I entered turn two, I didn‘t feel from the bike I was too fast but looking at the result maybe I was… It’s a shame because we lost some points in the championship and also because we could make a good race. The positive side is that we are strong and very fast, so we will be ready for jerez.

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:

WITH BRADL’S TENTH PLACE AND BAUTISTA’S ELEVENTH, APRILIA CONTINUES TO COLLECT IMPORTANT POINTS AT AUSTIN

After the Aprilia RS-GP machines’ positive performance in Argentina, the Circuit of the Americas in Austin also confirmed how the Italian project is growing. With Stefan Bradl’s tenth place and Alvaro Bautista’s eleventh in Texas, this makes five finishes in the points in the first 3 races of the season.

But the end result, also favoured by a few crashes, is not the only reason for the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini to be proud. A good start by Alvaro Bautista, skilfully moving up no less than five positions on the first corner, allowed the Spanish rider to move into fourteenth place with a good pace. However, as occurred in all of the races held so far, Alvaro was the innocent victim of contact with another rider that forced him to ride a comeback race from nineteenth place, something he did steadfastly until six laps from the end, when tyre wear began to take its toll.

Stefan Bradl built a solid race, capitalising well on the settings found during the practice sessions, as well as his particular familiarity with the American track. Especially in the middle portion of the race, the German rider demonstrated excellent speed, making up ground on his rivals. In the finale Stefan managed his advantage skilfully, avoiding any pointless risks and finishing (tenth) for the second time in a row in the top 10.

ROMANO ALBESIANO – APRILIA RACING MANAGER

“In these first three races of the season with the new bike we have shown good performance, providing a glimpse of our great potential and already promising reliability. There are obviously areas where development is lacking. The test team will begin working with Mike di Meglio next week and I’m sure that this will streamline our schedule. I am confident because at the end of this race, both Stefan and Alvaro once again confirmed the RS-GP’s good performance for me. We need to improve in terms of the engine and the electronics and we need to explore a lot of chassis solutions, but we are headed back to Europe with a good base”.

FAUSTO GRESINI – TEAM MANAGER

“I am truly satisfied with this result, well-deserved by all: Aprilia, the team and the riders. I’m sure I’ll sound repetitive, but we must remember just how new this bike is, with great potential that we can explore only by putting in a lot of laps and gathering as much information as possible. The result of these last two rounds is decidedly positive”.

ALVARO BAUTISTA

“A good race, but I cannot be 100% satisfied. I had a very good start, recovering several positions on the first turn and then contact with Baz dropped me back. When you have to come back from behind everything becomes more difficult. You have to physically force everything, deteriorating the tyre quickly and increasing the risk of making mistakes. It’s a shame because in the race we showed that we can be consistent and competitive. If I had stayed up with the second group, I’m sure we could have made a play for a better position. In these first three races, I have unfortunately never been able to show my potential because of external factors, but the results that we were able to achieve anyway give me confidence”.

STEFAN BRADL

“A great result for us. I was quite competitive throughout the weekend. We made great progress, especially with the electronics. I am pleased because we continue to test and improve with every session. We are moving in the right direction. The team did a great job. Before the race I was very relaxed because I knew that I had a good pace. I lost a few positions at the start, just like in Argentina. I still don’t have quite the right feeling releasing the clutch and, especially here with the first turn on an uphill, missing that initial launch becomes a problem. In the turns the RS-GP really performed well. We are still lacking something in terms of power, but I’m confident because the guys at Aprilia ensured me that important updates are on the way”.

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Marquez takes impressive win as Pedrosa crashes out battling for the podium

Marc Marquez today scored his fourth successive win from pole at Circuit of the Americas, making it his 10th victory in a row on American soil and extending his lead in the Championship standings by 21 points over Jorge Lorenzo. Marc led from the beginning of the Texas weekend, finishing first in every practice, earning pole position and finally leading the race from the start to the chequered flag, setting the fastest lap of the race at 2’04.682 on lap 11. With this success, Marquez overtakes Kevin Schwantz in number of victories in the premier class, with 26, while Honda now leads both the Constructor and Team standings.

It was a masterful victory, the result of his particularly good feeling with the track and the good teamwork performed in the garage. After today’s warm-up in fact, the Spaniard, together with his team and Michelin technician, chose to race with a medium rear/soft front tyre combination that proved to be successful.

Dani Pedrosa got a good start from the third row to slot into fifth place by the end of the first lap. He moved past Rossi on lap two before the Italian crashed out of the race, and passed Aleix Espargaro on the third lap. Dani was able to keep a very competitive pace and set the third fastest lap of the race at 2’04.950, and was closely chasing Dovizioso and Lorenzo, preparing to battle for second position, when he lost the front while braking into turn one on lap seven. He crashed, and in doing so, he unfortunately took out a blameless Andrea Dovizioso. After rushing to check that the Italian was unhurt, Dani remounted his bike and re-joined the race but was forced to retire on lap 11 due to damage to his bike.

With two demanding back-to-back flyaway races behind them, the MotoGP field will be back in action in less than two weeks’ time at the Jerez GP, the first race of 2016 on European soil.

Marc Marquez

1ST

“I’m very happy with how the whole weekend has gone. This is a circuit that I like, one of my favourite, but there were some unknowns here because just before the race we decided to run the soft front tyre. In the end the team advised me very well, because the change gave me the good feeling with the bike that I had partly lost in the warm-up. I have to thank them all, as well as the Michelin technician. When I asked, they told me that I would be okay for the first 12-15 laps, and then after that I would have to manage the situation more, which is exactly what happened. We’ve taken another victory here in Austin and are now on a run of four in a row, which is great. In addition, the joy of the team after we won illustrates everything we’re working on. In these first three races of the year, we’ve made good use of the situations that we’ve encountered.”

Dani Pedrosa

DNF

“It was a rather difficult weekend overall. The practice sessions didn’t go entirely well, but I approached the race with hope and I think we started quite well. I gained positions and was in a very good group, and I think we could have fought with Lorenzo for second place; the pace we had was much better than in practice. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake, losing the front end under braking when I was still turning into the corner. I lost control and tried to save the crash, but I ended up going down and taking Dovizioso with me. It’s a shame to have finished the race in that way, and I feel especially bad for Andrea and want to apologise to him. I’m glad he’s fine. The good news is that we took a big step forward from practice to the race. Now we must carefully look into the data we collected during the race and try to build on it for the Jerez GP in two weeks’ time.”

More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:

Fantastic double Top 10 finish for Octo Pramac Yakhnich at Austin: Scott 6th, Pirro 8th

Octo Pramac Yakhnich ends up the Grand Prix of the Americas with a stunning double Top 10 and now returns home with great confidence in sight of the European rounds.

At the end of an extraordinary race, Scott Redding won the sixth position, giving his team the satisfaction of celebrating in parc fermee as first Independent Team of the Grand Prix of the Americas. Although, for the British rider it was really a tough race. Scott started very fast and managed to pass on lap one both Crutchlow and Vinales, gaining 7th position after Valentino Rossi’s crash. After undergoing the return of Vinales and having reached the sixth position following the clash between Pedrosa and Dovizioso, Redding gave the impression of being able to catch the two Suzuki. Halfway through the race, however, problems with front tyre forced him to lower his pace race. Scott managed to keep focused despite the attack of Pol Espargaro who recovered almost three seconds in five laps. At the end, Octo Pramac Yakhnich #45 crossed the finish line smoothly to win his high-season result.

Michele Pirro’s race has been constantly growing. The Fiamme Oro rider started in sixteenth position and was able to move up placing himself firmly in the Top 10. After passing Barbera on lap 15, he began to hunt for Pol Espargaro managing to get in the Spaniard’s slipstream (- 0.212) but he did not find that spark that would have given the seventh position. For Michele the great satisfaction of the eighth place completes Octo Pramac Yakhnich double Top 10.

Scott Redding wins 10 points and reaches 16 (12th place)

Michele Pirro rises to 12 points (16th place), with 8 taken in the USA.

With 18 points won at the Circuit of The Americas, Octo Pramac Yakhnich goes up to 28 points, in the seventh place of the team standings.

6th – Scott Redding

Top 6 is a great result but it would have been nice to get ninth since there have been three crashes in the group ahead. In the end, I had problems with the front tire and I could not lap strong. I started to lose a second every lap, and I had to change my riding style in order to finish the race defending my position.

I am happy because I started the race well and I lapped without making mistakes. It was a good race and I am very happy to have given joy to the team, who did a fantastic job today after the little problem we had in the warm-up and especially after the disappointment of Argentina.

8th – Michele Pirro

I am very happy and I must thank the team because after the difficulties of yesterday they made me feel at ease. I started behind, and I tried to advance without making mistakes. I am glad for that. Personal satisfactions? Yes, of course. It is not easy for me, I am always in hurry. I have to thank those who gave me this opportunity. I always try to do my best. Sometimes it goes well, others not. Now we go back to Europe, and I look forward to having another opportunity.

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Marquez marches to fourth Austin win as big names fall

Marc Marquez took little notice of a number of falls behind, cruising to a fourth win in Texas ahead of Lorenzo and Iannone.

All eyes were on Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) as the MotoGP™ World Championship lined up at the head the grid for the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas. The Spaniard went into the race with a perfect record on America soil; winning every MotoGP™ race he had started in the United States. While Marquez was quietly confident, there were a number of riders who were looking to return to the front once more.

Amongst them was Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), the 2015 MotoGP™ World Champion having suffered an uncharacteristic crash during Warm Up. Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team) was another ready to make an impact, having qualified fourth; he started in seventh after his penalty from the Argentina GP.

All of the factory Yamaha and Ducati riders opted for medium tyres front and rear while pole-man Marquez chose the soft front with medium rear. The Circuit of the Americas has always been a challenging circuit for tyres and all who lined up knew that their choice on the grid would make a significant difference.

Roaring off the line, Lorenzo grabbed the lead into Turn 1 but ran wide on exit, allowing Marquez to move ahead. The field all made it through the opening corners safe, Lorenzo in second with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) hot on his tail. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) also made a good start and used the power of the Ducati to slide into second down the back straight.

As Dovizioso came through, so too did Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar), the Spaniard finding himself in fourth at the start of the second lap after starting in ninth. Espargaro had gone against the norm and opted for soft front and rear, the extra grip giving him a clear advantage in the opening laps.

For the third race in a row, Loris Baz (Avintia Racing) would crash at Turn 1.

The third lap began with Rossi crashing out of the race at Turn 2, losing the front mid corner. All the while Marquez and Dovizioso ran away at the front, Lorenzo defending his third place position. For the first time in 25 races, Rossi failed to finish in the top five.

Marquez continued to hammer home his advantage, leading Dovizioso by a second midway through the fourth lap of the race. Action intensified further down the field as Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar) attempted to make up for a poor start to the race, battling hard with Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Yakhnich).

Lap after lap, Marquez extended his lead and after only five laps his fourth straight win in Texas looked certain. But the remaining two spots on the podium were wide open, Lorenzo getting past Dovizioso with Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) waiting patiently behind.

After a strong start, Aleix Espargaro began to drop back and soon Andrea Iannone passed him.

At the start of the seventh lap Pedrosa had a huge moment on the front end going into Turn 1, losing control of his Honda and ploughing into Dovizioso. For the second race in a row, another rider would take down Dovizioso. Pedrosa would be able to re-join, but Dovizioso’s race was over, the Italian leaving the circuit distraught but fortunately without major injury.

At Turn 11 on lap eight both Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) and Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) fell off as the crashing continued. Each was able to remount the race but the leading four now had huge gaps between them, separated by at least three seconds. All the falls had also promoted Iannone to a provisional podium in third place. The Team Suzuki Ecstar duo meanwhile continued to dice it out for fourth place, Viñales also running the softer rear but had opted for the medium front, which gave him increased braking stability.

Chaos unfolded behind, but Marquez remained cool, calm and collected as he upped his pace to the 2’04s, almost half a second faster than Lorenzo’s laps. Each lap saw Marquez set a new fastest lap of the race. None of the top three were able to make major progress on the rider ahead, unlike the Suzuki pair who continued to slug it out. Viñales would dive up the inside, only to have Espargaro come back past him soon after.

With ten laps to go, Dani Pedrosa would pull into the pits as his bike was too damaged to continue. In a true sign of sportsmanship, Pedrosa went to the box of Dovizioso to apologise for the incident and explain that it was not intentional.

The rhythm of the race continued, Viñales now a second clear of his teammate as all of the top seven riders were spread out on track. Even though he was now over six seconds ahead of Lorenzo, Marquez’s pace remained over half a second faster as he asserted his dominance at the Circuit of the Americas with each lap.

As many had predicated, Marquez walked to victory and crossed the line 6.107s ahead of Jorge Lorenzo. For just the second time in his career, Lorenzo takes to the podium at COTA as he ended the race second. Andrea Iannone rounded out the podium with a safe ride to third place.

Maverick Viñales secured his best ever premier class finish with fourth ahead of his teammate Aleix Espargaro, a great day for Suzuki with a double top five.

Scott Redding, Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Michele Pirro (Octo Pramac Yakhnich), Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) and Stefan Bradl (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini).

As the Championship returns to Europe, Marquez leads with 66 points a solid 21 points clear of Lorenzo in second. After failing to finish the Americas GP, Rossi slips to third with 33 championship points as clear gaps are already emerging.

Full championship standings for the MotoGP™ World Championship can be seen here.

http://www.motogp.com/en/Results+Statistics/2016/A…

Round 4 of the MotoGP™ World Championship takes place on the 24th of April at the Gran Premio Red Bull de España.

Consistent Rins holds off Lowes for Austin victory

Alex Rins and Sam Lowes were in a league of their own in America, the Spaniard taking his first win of 2016 from Lowes as Zarco ends third.

Starting in pole position for the first time in 2016, Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) looked to be back to his best as the Moto2™ World Championship lined up on the grid for the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas. There were a number of developments down the grid, Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) lining up on a completely rebuilt bike in ninth.

All riders in the intermediate class opted for the same tyre combination: medium front and hard rear. Riders had been experiencing a drop in the tyres after four or five laps in practice.

The lights went out and it was Dominique Aegerter (CarXpert Interwetten) who led the 28 rider field uphill into the tight Turn 1. His lead wouldn’t last as Alex Rins and Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) slipped back past him, a number of other riders sent wide but all remaining upright. A strong first lap would see Rins cross the line over half a second ahead of second place, several aggressive moves from Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) helping to bunch the group up.

Lowes continued on like a man possessed, pushing his way through on Aegerter with ease and setting his sights on Zarco. Before the second lap was over, Lowes was leading the second group and frantically pushing to stop Rins from running away even further. On the second lap it was also announced that Axel Pons (AGR Team) and Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Team) were handed ride through penalties for jump starts.

Immediately in the 2’09s, Lowes broke away from the chasing pack and quickly reduced Rins’ lead to under a second. Zarco remained in third as Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP) did all he could to get past, the German running off track on multiple occasions as he looked for his chance. As Folger dropped back, Aegerter took up his cause and hunted for a way through on Zarco. The battle for third allowed Lowes and Rins to extend their advantage.

Able to consistently produce laps in the 2’09s, Lowes was able to slowly eat into Rins’ lead a tenth at a time. There was no such steady progress in the chasing group as Aegerter slammed through to third, his teammate Tom Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) following him through at Turn 12 as he got past Zarco on the brakes. With Zarco no longer slowing him down, Aegerter immediately set his personal best lap of the race with clear track now ahead of him.

On lap seven, Rins was able to respond to Lowes’ challenge and open his lead to over half a second once more. Behind, Simone Corsi (Speed Up Racing) battled with Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) as the pair joined the battle for the final podium step. After a slow start to the race, Zarco was able to get himself back to the head of the group.

Zarco would not have it his own way as Luthi cut back ahead of him once more, the French rider now sandwiched between two Swiss riders with Aegerter behind in fifth. The second group would continue to brawl, Corsi and Nakagami capitalising on every chance they were given.

Lowes and Rins went through the motions of their dance at the front, the Brit edging in ever so slightly before Rins responded to maintain the gap at just over half a second. Lowes worked hard to stay with Rins as Zarco did the same with Luthi, all the while Nakagami edged closer and closer to a potential podium return. The Japanese rider tried an unconventional line at Turn 11, but was unable to stop his bike and dropped down to fifth.

With five laps remaining, Zarco once more awoke and pulled himself back into third. Nakagami continued to show well, but soon found himself pushed off at Turn 1 by Simone Corsi, the Italian stealing the inside line. This gave Zarco breathing room once again, by this stage the podium seemed set as Lowes was now over a second back on Rins.

But Folger had other ideas, the German, having had a quiet race at the back of the chasing group, burst into life as he began to battle with Luthi for fifth place. With this the final lap of the race began, Corsi once again throwing it up the inside at Turn 1, this time passing Luthi without issue.

For the third time in his intermediate class career, Alex Rins took victory. The Spaniard dominated the field and crossed the line two seconds ahead of Lowes who was in turn over six seconds ahead of Johann Zarco.

Aegerter would take fourth ahead of Folger.

Simone Corsi, Tom Luthi, Xavier Simeon (QMMF Racing Team), Julian Simon (QMMF Racing Team) and Marcel Schrotter (AGR Team) completed the top ten.

For the first time in his career, Lowes leads the Moto2™ World Championship with 47 points, but Alex Rins sits just a point behind on 46 and Zarco also remains in contention with 45 championship points. Luthi slips to fourth in the standings as he leaves Austin with 43 points.

At the start of lap six, Danny Kent (Leopard Racing) pulled into the pits with a clutch issue. It would be a disastrous day for the Leopard Racing team as Miguel Oliveira fell at Turn 6, retiring soon after.

Luca Marini (Forward Team) suffered a fall at Turn 11, brining Robin Mulhauser (CarXpert Interwetten) down with him. Both were unharmed.

Efren Vazquez (JPMoto Malaysia) continues to receive treatment at a local hospital, having being diagnosed with a compressed T12 vertebra and a fractured right ankle after falling during Qualifying.

Faultless Fenati cruises to first 2016 win

Romano Fenati made it three different winners in as many races as he cruised to victory ahead of Navarro and Binder.

The start of the Moto3™ World Championship race was delayed due to an oil spillage down the back straight. Riders and teams calmly sat in the pits and waited for the oil to be cleared. Just 15 minutes after the scheduled start time, riders lined up on the grid, the sun shining down and burning off many of the clouds overhead. As is often the case, the entirety of the field opted for medium front and rear tyres.

For the first time in his career it was Philipp Oettl (Schedl GP Racing) who started from pole, but a near perfect start saw Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0) get the holeshot into Turn 1. The Spaniard immediately began to push, taking Oettl and Romano Fenati (Sky Racing Team VR46) with him through the opening corners.

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) started 12th and was up to sixth after just half a lap, Niccolo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold) making similar progress further down the order. As the field crossed the line for the first time, Navarro would have a lead of over 0.7s as Fenati nipped up the inside of Oettl for second. The leading trio had a clear second advantage, Jakub Kornfeil (Drive M7 SIC Racing) heading the chasing group as they attempted to close the gap.

Fighting in the second group was fierce as the likes of Binder, Fabio Quartararo (Leopard Racing), Kornfeil and Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Moto3) all tussled for supremacy. All the while Navarro set successive fastest laps to extend his lead, but on the fourth lap Fenati upped his pace and began to close in, setting the first 2’16 of the race which would soon be followed by Navarro’s first 2’16.

Although clear gaps of over a second would appear at the head of the race, riders in the leading five would continue to trade fastest sectors. As the seventh lap began, the gap between Navarro and Fenati dropped to under a second for the first time since the start of the race. With the leading two chasing each other and Binder and Quartararo dicing over fourth, Oettl was having a lonely race in third position, the German focusing on setting consistent times.

At the start of lap 8, Navarro made a mistake into Turn 1 and allowed Fenati to slide through with ease. Fenati tried to break away but Navarro rallied and attempted to close in on the KTM rider. But the gap would remain at around half a second for several laps, Fenati always able to respond when Navarro closed in.

Further down the order a number of battles continued to roar, Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) muscling his way inside the top ten. Oettl’s lonely Sunday ride came to an end with seven laps to go as he found himself followed by Quartararo and Binder, the French rider slipping through at Turn 1 with ease. The double CEV Champion wouldn’t go unchallenged as Oettl continued to look up his inside at every chance he got.

Another mistake at Turn 1 on lap 12 from Navarro would cement Fenati’s lead, the Italian opening a gap of over two seconds. The gap would continue to grow and the top two steps of the podium look set it stone. Quartararo continued to circulate in third, Oettl now half a second behind the French rider with five laps to go.

Having started from 30th, Qatar GP winner Niccolo Antonelli saw able to produce an incredible ride to get inside the top ten and battle with fellow Italian Enea Bastianini, who had started on the front row. Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) would join the Italian pair for a spirited battle.

Disaster would strike with three laps to go for Fabio Quartararo, his KTM encountering a problem that saw him rapidly lose positions. This promoted Oettl back onto the podium and lifted Binder to fourth. Drama would continue as on the penultimate lap Antonelli slid off at Turn 5. Knowing a potential podium was now on the cards, Binder put it all on the line on the final lap to get past Oettl. The South African was clearly having front-end issues but continued to push ahead. A perfect slipstream allowed Binder to grab third position down the back straight, able to hold off the German to the line.

Fenati took his first race win since the French GP in 2015 as both Navarro and Binder returned to the podium. Binder leads the championship by three points, Navarro sits second with 49 points. Thanks to his win, Fenati moves to third with 38 points.

Phillip Oettl and Andrea Locatelli (Leopard Racing) would seal the top five in the race. Locatelli taking his second top five finish in as many races.

Enea Bastianini, Aron Canet, Livio Loi (RW Racing GP BV), Jules Danilo (Ongetta-Rivacold) and Nicolo Bulega wrapped up the top ten. Quartararo would eventually end the race in 13th place.

Hiroki Ono (Honda Team Asia) was given a ride through penalty for irresponsible riding and causing Adam Norrodin (Drive M7 SIC Racing Team) to crash the first corner on the second lap.

Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) and Darryn Binder (Platinum Bay Real Estate) came together at Turn 1 after several laps, both able to remount before retiring.

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Podium at Austin for Iannone, third in the GP of the Americas. Dovizioso retires after being hit by Pedrosa’s bike while fighting in the leading group

Andrea Iannone scored a podium at Austin thanks to a third place finish in the GP of the Americas, which was held this afternoon at the Texan circuit.

The Italian rider, who started from row 3, came across the line in seventh place at the end of the opening lap and then moved up through the field to third in the standings after Rossi, Dovizioso and Pedrosa all crashed out and thanks to a pass on Aleix Espargarò. Iannone held on to third place until the chequered flag, finishing the race behind Marquez and Lorenzo.

Andrea Dovizioso had yet another unfortunate race after starting from row 2. The Italian, after an excellent start, finished the opening lap in second place and maintained that position until lap 5 when he was passed by Lorenzo. Dovizioso remained right behind his Spanish rival and was defending the position from a fast-recovering Pedrosa, when the Honda man made a mistake under braking at the first corner, hitting the Desmosedici GP of the blameless Italian rider and putting an end to his great race.

Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 3rd

“It was really important for me to finish on the podium today, but more than anything else to finish this race with a good result. I was sorry I was demoted one row on the grid and in addition, at the start, I made contact with Dani and Aleix and lost a few places. In the race however I was very constant and always lapped with a good pace, very close to Jorge’s, and if I had started well, maybe I could even have fought it out for second place. In any case I am pleased with the way the GP went and I’d like to dedicate this podium to Ducati and to all the team because I made them suffer in the first two races and I hope that this result repays them for the commitment and the work that they are doing for me.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – DNF

“I am really very disappointed because once again today I was unable to finish my race following a mistake by another rider, and losing two possible podiums out of three is the hardest thing to accept in view of the championship. However I also want to look at the positive aspects: I didn’t hurt myself and given the way the incident happened it could have been a lot worse. In addition, in three different races, in very difficult situations to manage for the tyres, we have always been able to fight for the podium. Today we could have been second in the championship just a few points behind Marquez, so from this point of view I am very pleased with the work that we are doing. Even when we are not so fast in practice, in the race we always manage to be competitive: this is the way a factory rider has to race when he is thinking about the championship.”

Luigi Dall’Igna (Ducati Corse General Manager)

“Today’s podium compensates, at least in part, for last Sunday’s disappointment in Argentina. Iannone ran an intelligent race, without making any mistakes, and he brought home a third place that was important for his morale, and that of the entire team. Dovizioso was really unlucky, because also on this occasion he was having a great race and was unfortunately involved in Pedrosa’s crash while in third place. Luckily Andrea did not suffer any major physical consequences and now, after getting over the understandable disappointment, we will get back to work with him to prepare for the Jerez GP in the best possible way. Again at Austin, the Desmosedici GP showed that it was competitive and so we will return to Europe with the knowledge that we have done a good job in this early part of the season.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:

Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s Maverick Viñales scored his best MotoGP™ result with fourth position on the 2016 GSX-RR at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, as team-mate Aleix Espargaró impressed with a similar, spirited ride to finish right behind him in fifth after starting a row behind.

Both riders have been within the leading group of riders during Free Practice, Qualifying and also Warm-Up, but in the race, they had two different progressions: Viñales had some trouble at the start and was 10th into the first corner, and having to recover many positions. From that point though, his progress was solid and consistent, with lap times dropping lap-after-lap, which allowed him to recover, but a drop in performance of his rear tyre prevented him to continue his progression and get closer to the top-three, but his fourth position was a solid and impressive one.

It was a different race for Espargaró, who really put his mark on the race from early on, jumping from ninth on the grid to sixth position on the first lap and then keeping the pace close to the fastest riders. And when he got caught-up by Viñales, the two Spaniards fought together in an exciting Suzuki GSX-RR battle that saw him pull back ahead and moving into fourth at one stage.

Both riders and the Team will now stay in Austin for a day of private testing at the Circuit of The Americas, tomorrow. The main objective will be to work on the set-up to test some solutions that have been diagnosed to improve the traction.

Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager:

“Finally, we are happy for the result, but we are not completely satisfied for how the race went. Our pace throughout the weekend has been good, but finally we are still missing something to get the podium. In Argentina, Maverick could fight for the podium position before he crashed, which is a part of racing, but here we weren’t at the same podium-pace and the final positions also came from some crashes, which happened ahead of us. Also, this is racing, some days you are lucky, others you are not, so we can be satisfied for the result but we definitely need to improve to get back into the top-three fight, as the 20s-gap from the winner. We will have a day of private testing here in Austin tomorrow with a tight plan of solutions to try, together with the investigation into what we need to get the podium.”

Maverick Viñales

“Unfortunately we had some troubles with the grip at the rear tyre, I felt confident until almost half of the race, already thinking to be able to recover on the third place, but then the performance dropped dramatically and made the recovery impossible. At the end I decided to take the fourth and get to the finish. The result is positive, being fourth is my best result since I’ve been in MotoGP™, but after the positive weekend it is a pity that we couldn’t finalise an even better result. We have a day here to test and find some more solutions for the future, especially with the rear grip.”

Aleix Espargaró

“Finally this has been a very positive race, a good recovery from the bad feeling we had in Qatar and Argentina. I managed to make a good start and to find a fast pace. I tried to keep it and the final result is good. For the whole weekend we worked hard to finalise the set-up with the softer tyre and I knew that my advantage would have been at the beginning of the race; and this is why I tried to start very fast and take as much advantage as I could in the early laps. Then the performance dropped, which was normal, and we finally managed to get a fifth place; which is a good result. Of course I would like to get even better, but we have made important steps forward and we still have the chance to improve. With Tom, my Crew Chief, we already have some ideas about the set-up to try to find a better traction, which at the moment is our biggest issue. Tomorrow, we will try to work on them.”