HONDA RIDERS AHEAD AS MotoGP RETURNS TO SOUTH AMERICA

2014-04-22 15:20
Repsol Honda riders Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda
RC213V) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V)
head to South America this week, for the sport’s
first visit to the continent in a decade.

The Spanish pair arrive at the brand-new venue
Termas de Rio Hondo in great shape, holding first
and second places in the MotoGP World
Championship after brilliant performances at the
opening two Grands Prix of 2014. Reigning World
Champion Marquez was the star performer in both
races, taking jubilant victories in Qatar and
Texas, while Pedrosa scored a third place and a
second place to chase his team-mate in the points standings.

The pair were particularly dominant at the
Circuit of the Americas two weeks ago, where the
class-leading performance of their full-factory
RC213V machines allowed them to race away from
the rest of the pack. Marquez beat Pedrosa by
four seconds and Pedrosa was more than 16 seconds
ahead of the third-placed finisher, proving that
the Honda Racing Corporation is continuing its
legacy of creating superb racing motorcycles.

Neither rider has visited the new circuit,
constructed for MotoGP in the north of the
country, 1100km (700 Miles) north of capital
Buenos Aires, so they will start from zero on Friday morning.

Marquez, as always, will be helped on his way by
mentor Emilio Alzamora, who has fond memories of
the sport’s last visit to Argentina in October
1999, when he secured that year’s 125 World
Championship riding his Honda RS125 at the
Autodromo Oscar Alfredo Galvez on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.

One of the few riders who has ridden Termas De
Rio Hondo is Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V) who
spent a couple of days there last summer, as part
of a promotional event. He did ride the track on
his RC213V but conditions were far from ideal.

Bradl was in the thick of the fight for third
place a fortnight ago in Texas, eventually
finishing fourth, less than two seconds behind
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati). The young German had
already proved his speed in Qatar where he led
the race, only to be caught out by the tricky
track conditions. He currently holds seventh in
the points chase and will be aiming to make
further inroads into those ahead of him this weekend.

Alvaro Bautista (Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini
RC213V) comes to Argentina hoping to put a
difficult start to the season behind him. The
former 125 World Champion crashed out in Qatar
and Texas and is determined to score his first
points this weekend. Bautista was one of four
MotoGP riders who made the trip to Termas de Rio
Hondo last year, but like the others he was able
to learn little about the circuit due to the poor conditions.

Nicky Hayden (Drive 7 Aspar Honda RCV1000R), back
with Honda after a five-year absence, is
currently the top-placed non-factory Open rider
in the championship aboard his RCV1000R, a
production machine made by Honda specifically to
boost the performance of privateer riders and
teams. The man who won the 2006 MotoGP World
Championship aboard Honda’s masterful RC211V V5
machine, achieved good points hauls at the first
two races, even though like other RCV1000R
riders, he is still learning how to get the best
from the machine in its debut season.

After a superb MotoGP debut in Qatar, Scott
Redding (Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini RCV1000R) was
once again showing good pace in Texas until he
was caught out by front-tyre issues and crashed.
Graduating from Moto2 at the end of last season,
Redding it still getting to grips with the many
new challenges offered by MotoGP.

Hiroshi Aoyama (Drive 7 Aspar Honda RCV1000R)
scored points at the first two races of the year
and is currently equal on points with Redding.
The former 250 World Champion is happy with the
initial base setting he has found with his
RCV1000R and is looking forward to building on
that base from this weekend onward.

Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing Honda
RCV1000R) aims for his third points score in a
row after a tough race in Texas where he battled
front-tyre and fitness issues. The Czech rider’s
lingering shoulder injury is still causing him
major concerns, and once again in Texas he needed
painkilling treatment before the race. Since then
he has had more physio on the shoulder and hopes
to be in better physical shape this weekend.

The contest for the Honda-powered Moto2 World
Championship series is shaping up into another
great battle with two different winners from the
first two rounds, including a stunning debut
success by Maverick Vinales (Pons HP 40, Kalex)
in Texas. This was only Vinales’ second race on a
Moto2 bike, but the reigning Moto3 World Champion
was in a class apart, coming from behind to score
a dominant victory ahead of Qatar victor Esteve
Rabat (Marc VDS Racing Team, Kalex) who now leads
the World Championship. Vinales lies second,
seven points down, following that win and his fourth-place debut in Qatar.

Rabat was one of two Moto2 riders to visit
Argentina’s newest racetrack last year, along
with Nicolas Terol (Mapfre Aspar Team, Suter). He
enjoyed the layout but a dusty track followed by
rain didn’t allow him to really get to grips with the circuit.

Rabat’s team-mate Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing
Team, Kalex) has undergone further rehab on an
old shoulder injury that troubled him in Texas
and is keen to score a win this weekend to close
the gap on the championship leaders.

Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock, Suter) had a
difficult weekend in Texas and will be aiming to
get back to his usual performance level, like in
Qatar where he scored a strong podium result.
Simone Corsi (NGM Forward Racing, Forward KLX)
lies fifth in the current standings following two
fifth-place results from the first two races.
Right behind him is Dominique Aegerter (Technomag
carXpert, Suter) who finished third in Texas after leading the race.

Efren Vazquez (SaxoPrint-RTG Honda NSF250R) has
high hopes of another strong Moto3 performance on
Sunday following a brilliant ride to third in
Texas, where he finished less than three tenths
of a second off the win, just as he had done in
Qatar. The Spaniard showed the speed of his Honda
NSF250R by several times sneaking ahead of
race-winner Jack Miller (KTM) on the straights.
With Honda and his crew working hard, Vazquez
currently lies second in the points standings behind Miller.

Alex Rins (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda NSF250RW)
took fourth in Texas and will be going all out
for his first podium of the year this weekend.
Team-mate Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0
Honda NSF250RW) was in the podium fight at the
last race, until he fell just a few corners
before the chequered flag. He is confident he can
be fully competitive once again as the action
moves from North America to South America

Alexis Masbou (Ongetta-Rivacold Honda NSF250R)
and John McPhee (SaxoPrint-RTG Honda NSF250R)
hold seventh and tenth places in the championship
standings, suggesting that they too will be
running near the front at Termas de Rio Hondo.

Motorcycle Grand Prix racing last visited
Argentina in 1999, just one week after Alex
Crivillé (Repsol Honda NSR500) had wrapped up the
500 world title, giving Honda a clean sweep of
six consecutive World Championships, following
five years of domination by Mick Doohan (Repsol Honda NSR500).

The new Argentine venue has been constructed on
the shores of Lake Rio Hondo, close to the town
of Termas de Rio Hondo, a popular spa resort.
Laid out by Italian designers Dromos, the
clockwise circuit has a challenging mix of
corners, including plenty of faster turns, the
kind of corner most appreciated by bike racers.

Following the opening three ‘flyaway’ races,
MotoGP hurries home to its European heartland,
for the following weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez.


Honda MotoGP rider quotes

Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez says:
“Argentina will be a new track for most of us,
some riders went a year ago but I don’t think the
track surface was ideal so they were a little
limited on the amount of laps they could do. I’m
looking forward to visiting a new circuit and it
will be nice for the fans. We will be looking to
continue with the same momentum from the first two races of the season.”

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa says:
“After Austin I’m looking forward to Argentina
and getting some laps around the track to feel
the bike and learn the circuit! I don’t know much
about the new track, I’ve tried to do some
homework with maps and videos and find out as
much as I could before arriving but it’s hard to
say something not being on the bike. I’m looking
forward to the weekend and meeting the fans over
there as it will be my first visit to the country!"

Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini rider Alvaro Bautista says:
“During the tests carried out last year on the
Termas de Rio Hondo circuit I could immediately
appreciate some very technical parts of the
track: I like it a lot, because it’s
characterised by many fast corners that suit my
riding style. However, it should be said that
last year we where able to take advantage of only
one day of testing, because we had rain on the
second day: therefore we weren’t able to work on
bike set-up. I also remember a very dirty track,
as it had just been finished. Anyway I believe
that it will be okay for the race. In this Grand
Prix our priority is to finish the race without
taking risks: after the first two races we are
still at zero points, so this time we absolutely need to collect some points.”

LCR Honda rider Stefan Bradl says:
“Every time we race on a new track it’s tough to
make predictions. Last year I visited Termas de
Rio Hondo for a couple of days but in my opinion
it was not a proper test. The paddock was still
under construction and the surface conditions
were pretty bad. It was impossible to gather data
because the grip level was very poor. I am pretty
sure they made a big step forward from last year
and it will be interesting to challenge my
colleagues on a new race track. I know the layout
but there’s a lot to do in terms of set-up. The
motivation is high considering my fourth place in Austin.”

Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini rider Scott Redding says:
“The fact that the track of Termas de Rio Hondo
is unknown to anyone - apart from the few riders
who carried out the tests last year – will make
things a bit easier for me, because we will all
start the weekend on the same level. In addition,
I enjoy a lot riding on a new track: it’s always
an interesting challenge trying to be fast on a
new circuit, it’s a new motivation. I look
forward to start the first free practice, to see
how the bike works on this track.”

Drive 7 Aspar Honda rider Nicky Hayden says:
“I am excited by the idea of racing at a new
track. I always like going to new circuits and
experiencing new things in a different country.
We go to the same tracks every year so it is good
to try something new. We have to try and adapt
quickly to the layout and get a feeling for the
track as soon as we can. Our attitude towards the
job will be the same as always, which is to keep
learning about this bike and trying to get the
most out of it. I am constantly getting to know
the bike and the team more and more and that will
help us continue to grow together.”

Drive 7 Aspar Honda rider Hiroshi Aoyama says:
“Even though we need to keep working hard to
improve the performance of the bike the base we
have established so far is pretty positive. We
are getting clearer ideas every day and the more
we learn about the bike the faster we can take it
forward. I honestly don’t know anything about the
track in Argentina, but from what people have
told me it is a cool layout, although technically
demanding. The positive thing is that it will be
a new track for everybody so we all start from
zero, everybody is in the same situation.
Hopefully the characteristics of the track suit
our bike and we can come away with a positive result.”

Cardion AB Motoracing rider Karel Abraham says:
“It’s my very first trip to South America, so
surely I’m excited. I heard legends about
Argentinian fans from Czech Dakar Rally drivers,
so I hope the atmosphere will be the same at the
MotoGP race. New tracks are always difficult and
just as motivating. In Argentina at least we all
start from the same point, so let’s see who will
deal with the circuit in the best way. I think
new tracks are always challenge for a tyre
supplier, so let’s see what Bridgestone bring for us.”


Moto2 rider quotes

Marc VDS Racing Team rider Esteve Rabat says:
“The Termas de Rio Hondo track is a good one. It
has a good mix of fast and slow corners, with a
long back straight. When we tested there the
track was very dirty, as it had just been
finished, and we had rain on the second day. It
meant we weren’t really up to speed, but at least
we got a feel for the track layout. I’m looking
forward to returning this weekend. We need to
sort out the gearbox issues we had in Austin, but
I don’t think it will be quite so noticeable in
Argentina, because of the nature of the circuit.
It’s far too early in the season to be thinking
about the championship, so, once again we will
head into the race looking for the win.”

Pons HP 40 rider Maverick Vinales says:
“I don’t know the track, so me and my team will
be starting from zero. Of course, my victory in
Texas gives us a lot of confidence, so we will
keep working in the same way, focusing on working
with the rear tyre because this is always the big
thing in Moto2, especially in the last few laps.”

Marc VDS Racing Team rider Mika Kallio says:
“The shoulder injury that caused me the problem
in Austin is already much better. I’ll get it
checked ahead of the weekend but, from what I’ve
seen of the Termas de Rio Hondo track, it’s not
going to be as physically demanding on the riders
as Austin. It’s a new track, which means it’s an
unknown in terms of set up, but then it’s the
same for everyone. I had the pace in Qatar and
again in Texas, so there’s no reason why I
shouldn’t be up there again this weekend. A win
would be the perfect way to end the three
overseas races and it would put me back on terms
with Tito and Maverick Vinales in terms of the championship.”


Honda Moto3 rider quotes

SaxoPrint-RTG rider Efren Vazquez says:
“We showed at Austin and in Qatar that we are
very close to winning a race. I was very happy
with my bike at the last race and I think we will
only keep getting better from here. None of the
Moto3 riders has been to this new track, so it
will be interesting seeing how we all approach
the weekend. The aim is the same as always – to
be in the fight for the podium and to win if possible.”

Estrella Galicia 0,0 rider Alex Rins says:
“We’re going to a completely new circuit and we
shall see what happens, because we all have the
same situation to face. We haven’t been able to
watch videos or do anything based on previous
years, as the only way to prepare beforehand is
to study the map of the circuit and try to learn
the corners from that. We haven’t even got a
computer game to learn from, so I can’t wait for
Thursday and the chance to put in some laps on
the scooter. That will help us to get an idea,
but it won’t be until the first practice session
that we see exactly what the circuit is like.”

Estrella Galicia 0,0 rider Alex Marquez says:
"A difficult weekend awaits us, because we are
going to a completely new circuit for which
nobody has any reference points. We are all in
the same situation, starting from zero in terms
of both the lines to take and the setup to use.
After the good race that we had in Qatar and the
crash at Austin, we shall try to regain the
confidence that we had and take as many points as
possible. We will have to be very focused in
practice in order to make the best use of the
time available –and to be as ready as possible for the race.”

Source: Honda Pro Image

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