PETRONAS Yamaha SRT head west for Americas GP

Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso to enjoy overseas MotoGP race this weekend in Texas, America

This weekend will see PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team head across the Atlantic to America, as MotoGP riders Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso take part in the first Grand Prix of the Americas since 2019 in Austin, Texas.

The most recent edition of the AmericasGP proved to be a successful one for Rossi, who started from the front row and ended the race on the podium – in second place. The Italian, who also finished the 2016 and 2017 races on the rostrum, will be hoping that improvements made during the SanMarinoGP weekend and Misano Test will help him end Sunday’s race inside the top-ten. Valentino goes into the 15th round of the year 21st in the championship standings with 28 points.

After a successful two-day test last week at Misano, where he was able to complete a good number of laps, Dovizioso heads to Austin with more experience of his Yamaha YZR-M1 under his belt. Like his fellow countryman and team-mate, Andrea also has good form at the American circuit, having finished on the podium twice (2014 and 2015). This weekend, ‘Dovi’ will be looking to continue the process of adapting to his Yamaha machinery and maintain his positive progress.

Rossi and Dovizioso’s AmericasGP will begin with FP1 at 9.55am local time (10.55pm MYT) on Friday, while Sunday’s 20-lap MotoGP race will bring the weekend’s action to a close at 2pm local time (3am MYT).

Valentino Rossi

I really like Austin and the last time we raced there, it was a great weekend for me. I was very strong in both Qualifying and the race, and I finished on the podium. We will see what happens when we get there but it is really nice that we are able to have this overseas event this season and I am really looking forward to being back there, after being unable to be there last year. We will need to get there to understand what our potential can be, but I’m feeling positive and hopefully we can improve some of the things that we need to, so that we can have a good race.

Andrea Dovizioso

There are still a lot of areas that I need to work on, but it was good to have the Misano Test to help increase my time on the bike. I’m not sure what to expect from this weekend, as I will need to see what situation the track is in and I will need to find where the grip is. It is a very demanding track and last time I was there the track had a lot of bumps, however I think they have made some changes since then. The weather will of course have an impact, but it will be the same for everyone. It’s very difficult to predict what will happen but I hope to continue making progress this weekend.