MotoGP’s American tour heads south to Argentina
No time for POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar riders to rest as they head straight to the third race of the season at Termas de Río Hondo
The MotoGP teams and riders packed up on Sunday evening in Austin and headed straight for Argentina, where the third round of the season takes place this weekend at Termas de Río Hondo. The circuit makes its second appearance on the calendar after MotoGP returned to Argentina following a long absence last year. The long, technical and fast track proved to be to the liking of the majority of riders, who will try to unlock more of its secrets when free practice gets underway this Friday. After returning to the top step of the podium in Austin, Márc Márquez will be looking to repeat his victory from last year in Argentina although he knows that the competition is much stronger now than it was this time twelve months ago.
POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar rider Nicky Hayden is one of the circuit’s biggest fans and the American admits he is looking forward to returning after enjoying riding there last season. After a determined ride to the points in his home race last Sunday, Hayden is keen to carry that momentum into free practice at a circuit that should be more to the liking of the Honda. Eugene Laverty visits another completely new track to him but after adapting swiftly to COTA over last weekend he is confident of making another smooth transition in Argentina.
Nicky Hayden: “This is the second time we have been to Argentina and I have to say that last year I loved the track and enjoyed riding it all weekend. We will have to see what the conditions are like this time, I guess the track will be quite dirty on Friday because there doesn’t tend to be a lot of activity there the rest of the year. It has some flowing corners and I think we can reach a good level this weekend. We did a good job in the race last Sunday so we want to pick up from that on Friday. There is a real passion for motorcycles in this part of the world and the interest in MotoGP is definitely growing. I’m sure that like last year it will be an interesting weekend.”
Eugene Laverty: “Austin was quite a difficult track to learn but I adapted quickly and that gives me confidence going to Argentina. It is a long journey to Termas de Río Hondo, so I will have time to watch some videos and start learning my way around before we get there. Austin was a tough circuit for the characteristics of our bike but Argentina looks more like Phillip Island and I think that could benefit us. We will work hard from Friday to adapt and learn it as quickly as possible.”