Marquez marches on to #ArgentinaGP

Marc Marquez heads to the Termas de Rio Honda circuit in Argentina full of confidence after his emphatic victory in the US.

Next stop for the FIM MotoGP™ World Championship is the Gran Premio Red Bull de la República Argentina. The MotoGP™ paddock returns to the South American country for the second year in a row, and the 12th time in total.

The first Argentinean GP took place in 1961 in Buenos Aires; the first time that a Grand Prix had taken place outside of Europe. The MotoGP™ World Championship returned to the country for the first time in ten years in 2014 at the 4.8 km Termas de Rio Hondo, making Argentina the 18th country to host a MotoGP™ race since the category was introduced in 2002.

Marc Marquez will head to Argentina in buoyant mood after easing to victory at the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas. The win in Austin was the 20th of his fledgling career, and equalled the number achieved by two-time 500cc World Champion Freddie Spencer.

The reigning MotoGP™ World Champion has even more reasons to be confident as his Repsol Honda team completed a 1-2 last year at the circuit, with Marquez leading home his teammate Dani Pedrosa ahead of the Movistar Yamaha’s of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo.

Rossi flies to Argentina as the current leader in the Championship standings, adding his third placed finish in Austin to the victory in Qatar. As it stands, he is 1 point ahead of Andrea Dovizioso who made it two second-placed finishes in a row for his Ducati Team in the US.

The new GP15 proved that it could be competitive at a completely different track in Austin, having fought for the race win in Qatar, although the Factory Ducati rider did not have a great time in Argentina last year, finishing down in 9th.

His teammate Andrea Iannone actually enjoyed more success last year at the same race, as he finished 6th on the Pramac Racing Ducati, and he will be looking to do even better this year having made the step up to the Factory team for 2015.

Jorge Lorenzo showed that even bronchitis couldn’t stop him in Austin, as he fought back to finish 4th despite being ill throughout the weekend. While his two fourth-placed finishes may not have been how he dreamt of starting the season, after the helmet issue in Qatar and his physical condition in Austin he will take heart from the fact he only trails his Movistar Yamaha teammate Rossi by 15 points, as the gap could have easily been much bigger.

Bradley Smith looks set to continue his battle to be the leading Satellite rider with his compatriot Cal Crutchlow with both men currently tied for 6th place in the Championship standings on 18 points. The Monster Tech 3 Yamaha rider Smith should have an advantage at the Termas de Rio Hondo after beating his teammate Pol Espargaro to 7th in Argentina last year, while Crutchlow has never ridden at the circuit before after he was forced to miss the 2014 race through injury.

Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Racing’s Scott Redding will want to show that he has not lost any of the new found confidence he was showing on the Honda RC213V in Austin before his crash on the first lap of the race, while Team Suzuki Ecstar will look to build on their encouraging start to the season, which saw both of their riders finish inside the top ten in the US.

Yonny Hernandez will be looking to bounce back from his crash in Austin with a better finish than the 12th place he managed in Argentina in 2014, while his Pramac Racing Teammate Danilo Petrucci will want to follow up his first top ten finish for the Satellite team at the weekend with another impressive performance.

In the battle of the Open class, it’s currently Avintia Racing’s Hector Barbera who leads the way with 5 Championship points, two more than Nicky Hayden on the Aspar MotoGP Team Honda RC213V-RS. Keep an eye out for CWM LCR’s Jack Miller in Argentina as he continues to adapt to his Open class Honda after he finished last year’s Moto3™ race at the circuit in 3rd.

The Factory Aprilia Racing Team Gresini grabbed their first MotoGP™ Championship points in Austin as Alvaro Bautista finished in 15th place, although they will be hoping to have both riders complete the race this time after Marco Melandri had to retire with gearbox problems in Austin.

The action kicks off in Argentina on Friday 17 April, with the first MotoGP™ Free Practice session due to start at 09:55 local time.

MotoGP World Championship Standing

1 – Valentino Rossi (ITA) YAMAHA 41 points

2 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) DUCATI 40 points

3 – Marc Marquez (SPA) HONDA 36 points

4 – Andrea Iannone (ITA) DUCATI 27 points

5 – Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) YAMAHA 26 points

Rookie Rins takes surprise Moto2™ Championship lead to Termas

Moto2™ returns to Argentina with a rookie leading a tight and close championship battle.

2014 saw Tito Rabat lead every lap of the Gran Premio Red Bull de la República Argentina after starting from pole, one of eleven victories that season. The Moto2™ champion is currently tenth in the standings after finishing fourth in Austin following a DNF in Qatar. He and Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS teammate Alex Marquez are looking for a drama free weekend after multiple crashes in Austin.

A debut podium in the US saw Alex Rins take a surprise lead in the Championship after moving up from Moto3™. The Spaniard has taken a calm and steady approach so far, settling inside the top ten before battling the podiums come race day, adding his third place finish in the US to the fourth he achieved in Qatar. Argentina has also been kind to his teammate Luis Salom, who secured third at the Termas de Rio Hondo last year along with the fastest race lap.

Austin left a sour taste in the mouth of Xavier Simeon as contact with Johann Zarco saw the Belgian rider end his race in the gravel. Simeon will have his chance to again challenge for the podium this weekend in Argentina, a track where he has finished second in the past, meanwhile Zarco failed to score points last year.

A debut win for Sam Lowes last weekend delivered on the potential he has shown throughout testing and in Qatar. Like Rabat, Lowes will be aiming for a crash free weekend as the British rider left Texas with a plethora of bruises along with his winner’s trophy, as a result of three big crashes during Free Practice and Qualifying.

Anthony West has the most experience in Argentina, having finished eighth in the 250cc race in 1999. The Australia battled to seventh in Austin, his first top ten finish since Valencia last year and his best finish since he won at Assen in 2003.

The Moto2™ action starts on Friday with Free Practice 1 taking place at 10:55 local time in Argentina.

Moto2 World Championship Standing

1 – Alex Rins (SPA) KALEX 29 points

2 – Johann Zarco (FRA) KALEX 28 points

3 – Jonas Folger (GER) KALEX 25 points

4 – Sam Lowes (GBR) SPEED UP 25 points

5 – Franco Morbidelli (ITA) KALEX 22 points

Britain’s Kent the man to beat in Moto3™?

With Danny Kent taking the largest ever dry weather victory in the Moto3™ class, he will surely be the man to beat in Argentina.

Last year’s Grand Premio Red Bull de la República Argentina saw a fairing bashing battle go down to last few corners, with Romano Fenati taking his first win of the season. With just eight points to his name this season, the Italian will be hungry to repeat this success.

Danny Kent will again be the man to beat; the World Championship leader has been competitive in almost every session so far this season. The British rider does not have fond memories from Argentina, contact with Niklas Ajo, his then teammate, saw him crash at the finish line in 2014.

Austin saw Fabio Quartararo claim his debut Moto3™ podium, still just 15 years of age. Termas de Rio Hondo will be yet another new track for the French youngster to learn before the MotoGP™ paddock returns to Europe, and tracks he is familiar with. With just one previous visit to Argentina, the field will have less of an advantage than in Qatar and Austin.

KTM have yet to score a podium this year after being the dominant manufacturer in the championship in previous seasons. Most disappointing has been Miguel Oliveira’s two non-point scoring results due to crashes. Red Bull KTM Ajo teammate Brad Binder leads the KTM effort from seventh in the Championship.

A crash for Francesco Bagnaia ended Mahindra’s chance of a podium in Austin, but if the young Italian can avoid mistakes he will be a threat for the top three. Mahindra have increased their effort in the lightweight class this year, supplying nine bikes.

Livio Loi scored his best ever result of fifth in Argentina last year and will be looking to repeat that form now he is on a competitive Honda machine.

The Moto3™ action gets underway on Friday with Free Practice 1 taking place at 09:00 local time in Argentina.

Moto3 World Championship Standing

1 – Danny Kent (GBR) HONDA 41 points

2 – Enea Bastianini (ITA) HONDA 33 points

3 – Fabio Quartararo (FRA) HONDA 29 points

4 – Efren Vazquez (SPA) HONDA 29 points

5 – Alexis Masbou (FRA) HONDA 25 points

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:

MOTOGP FLIES TO ARGENTINA FOR THE THIRD ROUND OF THE 2015 SEASON

After the Austin race that brought the first point, the Aprilia RS-GP bikes await the Rio Hondo track to confirm their progress

Termas de Rio Hondo (Argentina), 14 April 2015 – The Austin race, the second of the MotoGP championship, brought Aprilia Racing Team Gresini their first point in the overall standings thanks to Alvaro Bautista’s placement. This is an important result that demonstrates the progress made by the fledgling RS-GP project.

In the Texan round Bautista had good sensations and was able to push hard and compete with a group of decidedly more mature bikes which have been protagonists for years in the category, ridden by top level riders.

Now, without any break, the championship moves to Argentina for the Sunday race on the Termas de Rio Hondo track. With the same materials used in Austin, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini will be looking for confirmations and new steps forward.

ROMANO ALBESIANO (Aprilia Racing Manager)

“In the Argentina race we should be able to confirm the progress we made at Austin and improve further if possible. We’ll be able to do that thanks to the information Alvaro gathered during his great race on Sunday. We are coming off of a great weekend, thanks to which we gained quite a bit of knowledge and now we have a technical base that we feel is significant and from which we want to evolve. Our immediate goal is to improve grip and pursue a few electronic torque management developments that provided good results in Texas. Obviously, since we are in our rookie season, we are unfamiliar with this track. On paper it isn’t as much of a stop-and-go track like the one from the last race and I think our RS-GP may adapt well here.”

FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager)

“Bautista’s performance and our first point in the championship represent a nice injection of confidence for the entire team. In Argentina we’ll have a technical package that will be substantially the same as the one used in Texas, but we’ll be able to count on important information Alvaro gathered in the race and I’m sure that this will allow us to work in an even more focused way to take some further steps forward in terms of development. With both Alvaro and Marco we want to keep gathering data and building up precious experience which will then be essential for our work back home once the European phase of the calendar begins.”

ALVARO BAUTISTA

“The Termas de Rio Hondo track is another new challenge for the Aprilia: the goal, as always, is to gather as much information as possible to improve the performance of the bike and my feeling in the saddle. In Texas we took our first point of the championship, but that doesn’t mean that we will ride onto the track in Argentina thinking about the race results. We will simply continue working, trying to get closer and closer to the riders ahead of us. Finishing the race again will be important to build up information and sensations that will be fundamental to set up development during the European season, where we’ll be able to prepare technical changes more frequently.”

MARCO MELANDRI

“In Argentina I’ll find myself once again on a new track. I hope that this weekend the weather conditions will remain stable, unlike what happened in Texas, so that we can set up our work on the bike better. If we can I think we’ll be able to take a step forward and get closer to the riders in front of us.”

More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing:

Avintia Racing arrives to Argentina undefeated in the Open class

Avintia Racing MotoGP – Grand Prix of Argentina – PREVIEW

The MotoGP World Championship came straight from Austin to Termas de Rio Hondo for the third round of the season, the Grand Prix of Argentina. The Avintia Racing team arrives highly motivated after wining the Open class in the two opening races of the year with Hector Barbera. The debut with Ducati has been almost perfect and the Spanish rider is looking forward to repeat this weekend in the 4.8 km track. His teammate Mike Di Meglio is very confident ahead the Argentina race and his goal will be to complete a good race on Sunday, because although he has been faster every time he got on the bike, he was not able to complete a good race in the first two rounds. In Qatar he had some issues with the rear tyre and in Austin the front tyre selection was not the best. So Termas, a track were both riders enjoy on the bike, the Avintia Racing is confident in keeping the streak.

HECTOR BARBERA #8 / @HectorBarbera

I come to Argentina very motivated, looking forward to jump on my bike because is a track we you enjoy riding. I had a lot of fun last year although the bike was not the best for MotoGP class level. Now the situation is completely different and we have to get the best of it. The team is at 100 per cent and I think we can keep doing well and improve the results of the first two rounds. The fans in Argentina are incredible, I saw it the first time I came here for testing and also last year, they are very passionate and I hope to give them a good result.

MIKE DI MEGLIO #63 / @Mikejpp63

I like Termas circuit. Last year I enjoyed a lot during the weekend although the grip issues we had in the first days of practice, but every day improved, so we’ll see how is this year. Is a bike circuit, I like it very much and I’m looking forward to ride it on my Ducati. Last year with the AVR was a lot of fun, so I can’t wait to get out there on a very competitive package. I hope to get a good result in this race, from Qatar we have been making positive steps but we couldn’t reach our target on Sunday. But I got experience and I think we are in the good way.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

Termas de Rio Hondo (Argentina), 15th April 2015

Just two days after the race in Austin, the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team heads to Termas de Río Hondo for this weekend‘s Gran Premio de la República Argentina.

Valentino Rossi arrives in South America fresh from a third place podium finish at Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Still topping the World Championship standings, the nine-time World Champion looks forward to bettering his position from last year‘s race at the Termas de Rio Hondo Circuit, when he finished just off the podium in fourth place.

Despite being ill last week, teammate and four-time World Champion Jorge Lorenzo still managed to take fourth at COTA. Currently holding fifth place in the championship, he hopes to return to a hundred per cent level of fitness for Sunday‘s race where he will be challenging for another strong result, like his third place at the Argentinian track from last year.

Though officially inaugurated on May 11, 2008, the 4.8km long Termas de Rio Hondo Circuit was not added to the MotoGP calendar until last year after it was remodeled in 2012. The re-design aimed to turn the track into Latin America‘s most modern and safest circuit, providing fans with even more exciting racing action. With a fun lay out that includes a mixture of fast corners (five left and nine right) and a 1076m in length longest straight, this year‘s Gran Premio de la República Argentina is likely to be another showstopper.

Valentino Rossi

“I‘m happy to go to Argentina because I like the track. We hope that there will be a better condition of the tarmac compared to last year, because the track and the lay out are good. It‘s also not a bad circuit for our YZR-M1, but first we take a few days of rest and then we‘ll try to be focused and prepared for the race.”

Jorge Lorenzo

“After being fourth again in Austin I look forward to facing Argentina to try to gain momentum. I think we have solved the first races, where we struggle a bit because of different issues, in the best way possible. We are fifth in the championship, but this is still at the kick off stage. I feel good in terms of riding and also with the bike. Unfortunately I was sick the whole week in Austin and I wasn‘t able to be in a perfect shape to fight for the podium. I hope Argentina will suit us better. In Termas the circuit is pretty nice to ride and last year, even if I wasn‘t in an optimal shape, I still managed to get on the podium. It‘s a fast track with very nice corners and I guess this is good news for our bike.”

Massimo Meregalli

Team Director

“After a good race in Austin we‘re on our way to Argentina. We are in a good position because we are leading the championship and we have good prospects for the coming races. The circuit in Argentina is nice and suits the Yamaha quite well. It‘s our second time visiting the Termas de Rio Hondo Circuit and I expect that it‘s going to be another intense race between Yamaha, Honda and Ducati. We go into this weekend with the intention to keep up our performances from the last two rounds and we look forward to getting started.”

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

Redding looking to make amends in Argentina

Termas de Río Hondo, Argentina – 15 April 2015: Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Scott Redding will be looking to put the disappointment of Austin behind him this weekend, as he heads to the Termas de Río Hondo circuit for the Grand Prix of Argentina, the third round of the 2015 MotoGP World Championship.

Redding secured a career best MotoGP grid position after qualifying in sixth place for the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, but was left frustrated after crashing out of the race on the opening lap.

The 22-year-old Briton made a significant step forward with the set up of his Honda RC213V in Texas and heads into the next round determined to capitalize on his improved pace with a strong showing in Sunday’s 25-lap MotoGP race.

Scott Redding:

“To crash out of the race in Austin after my best ever qualifying in MotoGP was disappointing, but we can take a lot of positives from the weekend. We found a good set up with the bike and I was fast in both the wet and dry, so we’ll be starting from a much better base this weekend in Argentina, even if the Termas de Río Hondo track is very different to the Circuit of the Americas. We need to continue working in the same direction as we did in Austin, improving the bike and the lap time in every session. If we can do that then I think we can put the disappointment of Austin behind us with a good result on Sunday.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal

“Scott did everything right in Austin, right up until the opening lap of the race. It was unfortunate that he wasn’t able to take advantage of his qualifying position, but the fact that he crashed out while battling with a double MotoGP World Champion shows just how much progress we’ve made since the first race in Qatar. We need to continue with the same approach this weekend in Argentina, where I hope we’ll be rewarded for Scott and the team’s hard work in the race.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

The Ducati Team arrives in Argentina, at Termas de Rio Hondo, for the third round of the MotoGP World Championship

After concluding the opening two rounds of the season with excellent results in both Qatar and at Austin, the Ducati Team has now arrived in Argentina, where round 3 of the 2015 MotoGP World Championship will be taking place at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit.

The new Desmosedici GP15 has certainly made a positive race debut, and the two riders of the Italian team, Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone, have already scored a total of three podiums, which include two second places for Dovizioso in Qatar and in Texas, and a third place for Iannone at Losail.

Dovizioso, who lies in second place in the standings just one point behind leader Rossi, had a few problems at the Argentinean circuit last year and could only finish ninth, while Iannone ended up as the best Ducati rider with a sixth place finish in the GP of Argentina.

For both Ducati Team men, the aim in this race will be to confirm the competitive level of the GP15, while continuing development and set-up work on the new project.

The weekend at Termas de Rio Hondo will begin on Friday morning with the first free practice session at 9.55 am (CET 14.55), while the race will be held on Sunday at 4 pm local time (CET 21.00).

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 2nd (40 points)

“Last year I had a difficult race in Argentina, because we had a few technical problems, I didn’t have a good feeling with the bike and the track was very dirty, so the whole weekend didn’t go well. Now however the situation is different, because the GP15 has already reached a good competitive level and I am sure that also at Termas we can fight for the leading positions, like we did in the first two races of this year.”

Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 4th (27 points)

“Termas is a track that I like a lot, but last year in the race I had tyre and grip problems, also because the track was new. I don’t know in what condition we will find the track surface this year, but all things considered in 2014 I did a good race and was the first Ducati rider to reach the chequered flag, in sixth place: as a result, I am optimistic again this time, and I hope to do a good race with my GP15 also in Argentina.”

More, from a press release issued by Forward Racing:

Termas de Río Hondo ready to host the third race of the season

It’s already time to move on and travel to Argentina as the riders of Athina Forward Racing team will be busy this Sunday on the track of Termas de Río Hondo.

After the difficult ending in Texas, Stefan Bradl and Loris Baz are looking forward to get back on track to collect their first points of the season. The German, who was close to victory in the Open category in Austin but was forced to retire after a contact with Miller, made a big step forward and is convinced he can do well. Loris Baz is feeling confident even if he does not know the Argentinian track at all and will ride on it for the first time on Friday for the free practice session.

Simone Corsi and Lorenzo Baldassarri, Moto2 riders, are pretty motivated to do well after Texas. Corsi finished the last race close to the Top10 and he is now aiming at the leading pack. Baldassarri is focused and would like to repeat the exploit of Qatar.

Stefan Bradl

I cannot wait to get on track at Termas de Río Hondo. In Texas we made a big step forward compared to Qatar race but unfortunately the ending was not as we expected. We remain focused; the goal is to get here the first points of the season.

Loris Baz

Another first time for me in this Championship. I do not know the Termas de Río Hondo track and will have my first go on Friday. I’ll have to make the most of the free practice to gain confidence and get ready for qualifying. We continue our learning process in this 2015 season.

Simone Corsi

To finish the race in Austin was my minimum goal after so many months out. I have still to pick up the race pace but the arm did not gave me any problem. I came close to the Top10 and I cannot wait to get on track in Argentina and get closer to the fastest guys.

Lorenzo Baldassarri

I want to get back on track as soon as possible. The race in Austin did not finish as I hoped. I wanted to repeat the result in Qatar but I crashed and I had to chase the tail of the group. I am very motivated to do well here.