The Circuit of The Americas – Teams preview Cota MotoGP
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The Circuit of The Americas is the USA’s first purpose-built Grand Prix circuit, near Austin, Texas, and is a 5.513 km track that has a spectator capacity of 120,000 spectators.
Building work was completed in 2012 and this year will be the third time that CoTA will be the venue for the MotoGP round.
One of its main features is an impressively steep hill at the end of the main straight followed by a tight left-hand corner.
The circuit was designed by the famous German architect Hermann Tilke.
The track direction is anti-clockwise and it contains a total of twenty corners: nine right and eleven left.
- Circuit Record: Marquez (Honda – 2014), 2’03.575 (160.6 km/h)
- Fastest Lap: Marquez (Honda – 2014), 2’02.773 (161.6 km/h)
- Top Speed: Marquez (Honda – 2013), 341.6 km/h
- Race Distance: 21 laps (115.8 km)
- Race Start: 2 pm local time (19.00 GMT)
- 2014 Podium: 1st Marquez (Honda), 2nd Pedrosa (Honda), 3rd Dovizioso (Ducati)
- Pole Position: Marquez (Honda), 2’02.773 (161.6 km/h)
- Fastest Lap: Marquez (Honda) 2’03.575 (160.6 km/h)
Yamaha Preview – COTA MotoGP
After Valentino Rossi‘s spectacular victory at the opening round almost a fortnight ago, he and Movistar Yamaha MotoGP teammate Jorge Lorenzo head to Circuit Of The Americas (COTA) for the Grand Prix of The Americas this weekend.
The 2015 season has only just started, but the first MotoGP race has already given race fans lots of action and drama to talk about. Rossi rode a brilliant race from eighth on the grid to clinch victory.
The nine-time World Champion aims to continue his form at COTA, though he‘s admittedly not a big fan of the Texan circuit with a sixth place in 2013 as his best result. However, he‘s still excited to hit the track after his sensational opening of the season and will again be giving his all to fight for a place on the podium.
Teammate Lorenzo had a challenging start to the season. He led the pack in Qatar in the early stages of the race, but later lost half his vision due to a helmet malfunction. The mentally and physically strong Spaniard will use this misfortune as extra motivation to push his YZR-M1 to the maximum once more this weekend. Last year he had a difficult race at COTA, but he looks forward to being back at the front of the field to challenge for a podium place, like he did in 2013 when he finished third.
The Circuit of the Americas is a relatively new track that was constructed in 2012 and first added to the MotoGP calendar in 2013. The 5513m-long, counter-clockwise track is not typically described as a ’Yamaha-circuit‘, but has an interesting mixture of fast straights and tight hairpins that make for a lively race. With 20 corners in total, 11 left turns and 9 right turns, and a longest straight of 1,200m, this circuit can seat 120,000 fans and is sure to bring more excitement to the season.
Valentino Rossi – Championship: 1st – “Beginning the championship with a victory is really nice, but now we must try to be just as competitive as we were in Qatar everywhere else. Austin is not our favorite track. Although the track is very modern and I really like some corners, the two long straights are weak points for us. Our opponents are strong, but it‘s also true that our bike has made major improvements. I‘m happy with my feelings on the YZR-M1. We will work hard to find the best possible solution, as we did at Losail. After the victory in Qatar we are all very motivated and we are ready for another weekend. I would like to get on the podium. It won‘t be easy, but we will try!”
Jorge Lorenzo – Championship: 4th – “Qatar is in the past and we thought our result would be better, but now I‘m just focusing on next race in Austin. I look forward to racing there once again, even if usually it‘s not a track that suits our bike. In the past I was able to get on the podium so I want to do my best in Texas and try to keep as focused as I was in Qatar. I‘m eager to race as soon as possible because I feel very fit and mentally strong. Hopefully we can do a better job than last year because both me and the bike have improved and maybe also the new tyres give us a chance to fight for the race. From my side, I‘m going to push at the maximum.”
Massimo Meregalli – Team Director – “COTA is a great circuit, but previously hasn‘t been the strongest for Yamaha. This year we‘ll deal with this weekend in a completely different way than we have done in the previous two years. The bike used to suffer more in an area that we‘ve already bettered now. We improved the bike and our riders are on top form so our expectations for this weekend are good, especially after the first race of the season in Qatar. We know our capability and look forward to starting this weekend.”
Smith and Espargaro head stateside ready for COTA thriller
Fresh from competing in the intense season opener a fortnight ago, the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team duo Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith head to the Circuit of the America’s prepared for round two of the 2015 MotoGP world Championship this weekend. The anti clockwise 5.5 kilometre long Texan circuit impressively has nearly 41 metres of elevation change on the pit straight and will host its third MotoGP race since its introduction to the calendar in 2013.
Having finished in 5th position in last year’s GP in Texas, Bradley Smith heads to the south west optimistic and confident of being able to follow up his hard fought 8th place finish at Qatar where he was a blink of an eye behind the fastest satellite bike. Meanwhile, Pol Espargaro will be looking to produce another determined performance and clinch a top result in front of the enthusiastic American fans having enjoyed his first visit to the track on the Yamaha YZR-M1 last year, where he finished in 6th position.
Bradley Smith – Championship: 8th – “Now it’s time to head across the Atlantic to Texas which is a special race and certainly an event that everyone looks forward to, so I can’t wait to jump on the Yamaha and get going. I like the track with its good mixture of tight and meandering corners plus the big climb on the pit straight is awesome to experience! I scored a good result here last year in which I finished in 5th as well as being the leading Yamaha, plus after the good start to the season which we had in Qatar, I’m feeling confident. To complete the Qatar race only half a second back from Cal was encouraging, albeit a little annoying as I was so close to being the fastest satellite MotoGP rider. Nevertheless, I’m optimistic that we will be fighting in that position again on Sunday and I am ready to hit Texas at full speed.”
Pol Espargaro – Championship: 9th – “I am very excited to be heading back to America to race at the Circuit Of The America’s which is an incredible track and really good fun to ride. Last year I had quite a good run in the race where I finished in 6th position. However, it’s plain to see how much more competitive the MotoGP field is this year and the last race in Qatar where everything was so close was the first example of this. We had a few issues there, but we did our best to recover and ended up in 9th. However, this time we’ve got to hit the ground running so that we can make the most of the available practice time to get a strong setup for the race on Sunday. I am positive and remain convinced that we can have a better weekend this time and challenge to be the leading satellite bike, but it will be no easy task. Still, the crowd is always brilliant in Texas and their support will spur me on.”
Athinà Forward Racing team heading to Texas for the second round of the season
Two weeks after the race in Doha, it is now time for the Athinà Forward Racing riders to depart for Texas for the second race of the season at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
The goal is clear for Stefan Bradl and Loris Baz in MotoGP: collect the first points of the 2015 season and fight for the lead of the Open class. The German has shown in Doha that he can compete with his direct opponents and race to win. His teammate Loris Baz is also confident he can do well even if he does not know the COTA circuit at all. He will run for the first time on the Texas track on Friday’s free practice session.
Stefan Bradl – “In Qatar I have proven to be competitive in the Open class and able to fight for victory. I’ve been close to my rivals all the weekend in Qatar and I fought for the win till the very last moment. Too bad I made a little mistake on the last corner that has deprived me of the points, but I’m looking forward for the race in Texas. It’s a very demanding circuit but I am convinced that the Yamaha Forward will be quick.”
Loris Baz – “Racing in Texas is like debuting for the second time with the Yamaha Forward. I do not know the Austin circuit and Friday I will try this track for the first time. I’ll have to make the most of the free practice to get to know the track and adapt the setting. Step by step we will continue our learning process throughout this MotoGP season.”
Ducati Preview – COTA MotoGP
Following the inaugural race of the MotoGP season in Qatar, in which both Ducati Team riders scored a podium finish, the Italian team is now about to set off on a lengthy overseas trip to the American continent, which will begin in Austin (Texas) and then one week later continue at Termas de Rio Hondo in Argentina, for the second and third rounds of the 2015 championship.
The excellent results obtained in Qatar with the GP15, on its race debut, have proved that the new Desmosedici has already reached a good competitive level, but the aims of the Ducati Team remain the same as those of the start of the season: to continue with the development of the new bike, which is still brand-new, and confirm this positive trend on the upcoming tracks.
The two Ducati Team riders arrive in Texas both excited and highly-motivated after their two good races in Qatar. Dovizioso was always in the top two positions from start to finish, fighting first with Lorenzo and then with Rossi, and he finished the race in the runner-up slot just 174 thousandths behind the winner. Iannone, on the other hand, ran an intelligent race, without ever losing contact with the leaders and guaranteeing himself his first-ever MotoGP podium after passing Lorenzo for third place with three laps remaining.
The Austin weekend will begin Friday morning with the first session of free practice at 09.55 (14.55 GMT), while the race is scheduled for Sunday at 14.00 local time (19.00 GMT).
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 2nd (20 points) – “I am very satisfied with my result in Qatar, because I was able to fight for the win right down to the chequered flag with a totally new bike. In 2014 I succeeded in obtaining my first podium with Ducati at Austin, in what was a bit of a strange race, but I really like the Texan track because of its characteristics and I can’t wait to start racing this weekend. I’m very excited and very curious to see how the GP15 will go in the next few circuits!”.
Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 3rd (16 points) – “After my first-ever MotoGP podium in Qatar, now we are going to Austin, to a track where last year I almost managed to get onto the podium and so I am very happy to go back there, this time as a factory Ducati Team rider. The Texan circuit is really nice and I think that with the Desmosedici GP15 we can again aim to score another good result, especially in the light of this positive moment I am going through together with my team”.
Repsol HRC Preview – COTA MotoGP
Marquez and Aoyama head to Austin for the Red Bull GP of The Americas
After a difficult start to the 2015 Championship in Qatar, resulting in 6th place Dani Pedrosa requiring further surgery to fix his arm pump issues, Marc Marquez (finishing 5th in Doha) and replacement rider Hiroshi Aoyama are en route to Austin, Texas.
Dani underwent successful surgery in Madrid last Friday with Dr. Villamor reporting positively but unable to confirm a exact recovery period. What is known is that Dani will certainly miss the Austin and Argentina races, which are back-to-back GPs so HRC have called on the services of their test rider – Hiroshi Aoyama – to replace the injured rider.
This is just the third time the MotoGP paddock will visit the 5.513km Texas circuit completed in 2012 which features a total of 20 corners with 9 right turns and 11 left turns. Marc took his first premier class victory here in 2013 and also emerged victorious in 2014, with Dani completing the 1-2 for Repsol Honda on both occasions. Hiro – riding for a Satellite Honda team, took 17th in his first outing here and 12th last year.
The normal weekend schedule returns in Austin with first practice on Friday and the race on Sunday at 14h00 local time.
Marc Marquez – “I’m really looking froward to getting to Austin and putting Qatar behind us. The Circuit of The Americas is one of my favourite circuits and I have good memories of taking my first win in the MotoGP class, back in 2013, and also winning there last year. We need to work hard from FP1 and then keep this momentum for the whole weekend and have a ‘normal’ race. I’m really sorry for Dani, myself and the whole team wish him a speedy recovery. We welcome Hiroshi to the team and will help him how we can!”
Hiroshi Aoyama – “I’ve very sorry for Dani’s situation, I know how demanding it is to ride a MotoGP machine and with the problem he had, it’s a great job to finish sixth in Qatar! I would like to thank HRC for asking me to stand in for Dani in Austin, I will do my best and hope to enjoy this experience with the Repsol Honda Team. The Austin track is very demanding and technical, each session will be important to learn the bike and get to know the team, but I am looking forward to being there and racing in the USA with the MotoGP riders. I wish Dani a fast recovery and that he can return on track soon.”
Team Suzuki Preview – COTA MotoGP
Team Suzuki Ecstar heads to Austin in Texas and the 5.5km Circuit of the Americas (COTA) for the second round of the 2015 MotoGP™ series this weekend with the aim of continuing the ongoing pattern of improvements for the GSX-RR machine.
Following the 2015 season debut in Qatar two weeks ago, Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales are ready to once again measure themselves and their GSX-RR machines’ performances against the top riders and teams in the world of motorcycle racing. In Qatar they both achieved their target of finishing the race in the points, with Espargaro taking 11th place and five points and MotoGP™ Rookie Vinales taking 14th place and two points.
The Circuit of the Americas is one of the most varied on the GP circuit, with a mix of fast straights and tight hairpins. Both the Team SUZUKI ECSTAR riders are expecting a tough battle from the start of Free Practice on Friday, with the whole team looking to once again improve step-by-step in every area.
Aleix Espargaro: “I’m curious to see how the race in Austin will work out. In Qatar we had the objective to finish the race and we achieved it, but we could have done better in terms of the final position, so our primary aim in Texas will be to improve on 11th position. The circuit is very unusual, with a very long straight that won’t be easy for us, but it also has both fast and slow corners and this is where we can take advantage of the excellent chassis and handling of the GSX-RR. Of course it will be crucial to establish a good overall set-up, but I am looking forward to getting back to racing and I know we can improve and be closer to the top, so we will be working very hard for better results. ”
Maverick Viñales: “My plan for Austin is to improve our approach to the race little by little without making mistakes and establishing a solid method of work and in fixing the small problems we had in Qatar. I still have a lot to learn, so I will work on my riding style and on finding the most effective race lines for the GSX-RR. I will also aim to improve my feedback to the team. I know that Suzuki can improve the machine if we give good information and feedback. Austin is a track I really like. I had two good results in previous years in Moto3™ and Moto2™, so I’ll try to keep this positive run of results into MotoGP™. I know we could have done better in Qatar, so I’m hoping for an improvement here in Texas.”
Aprilia Racing Preview – COTA MotoGP
The second round of the 2015 MotoGP season, scheduled on the track at Austin, Texas, has Aprilia continuing its growth and development project.
In the opening round at Qatar it was Marco Melandri who rode his Aprilia RS-GP across the wire in his first race distance outing, whereas Alvaro Bautista – who had shown excellent signs during the test sessions on Saturday – was forced to withdraw due to damage to the braking system after contact with Marc Marquez in the first lap.
Bautista’s performance in particular would have been important to have a “snapshot” of the progress made by Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, since this is the testing spirit with which the team is facing this first part of the season. In any case, the American round will provide the setting for a second and important test bench.
Romano Albesiano (Aprilia Racing Manager) – “A season that is so packed, with eighteen GP races on the calendar, doesn’t leave us much time even to complain. We left Qatar disappointed that we weren’t able to assess Bautista’s performance over race distance, but here is a second chance. For us it will be another fundamental test on our itinerary and obtaining information during the race would be really important. In the opening weekend we received confirmation of just how hard a challenge we accepted, but we also achieved some positive results that we’ll be able to confirm during this American round in order to lay some solid cornerstones for development.”
Fausto Gresini (Team Manager) – “After a Grand Prix as peculiar as the night race in Qatar, in Texas we’ll be back on the track in conditions that we are obviously more accustomed to. The Losail track proved to be particularly demanding, but we expected that. Our Championship strategy is to learn all the tracks on the calendar so we can arrive at the 2016 season fully prepared from every point of view. Looking at it that way, Circuit of the Americas, which is a very complete track with fast turns and long straight stretches mixed with a more flowing part, represents another important test bench and a chance to collect important data. After the episode that involved Alvaro with no fault of his own during the race in Losail, our goal for this round is to have both riders finish the race, testing and taking a first step forward in terms of performance as well, both on the flying lap and race pace.”
Alvaro Bautista – “In Texas we’ll be taking on a completely different track than the one that hosted the first Grand Prix of the year. During the winter test sessions at Valencia, Jerez and Sepang the bike consistently performed the same way basically, whereas in Qatar we were facing new situations, but we don’t know if that had to do with the particular characteristics of the track or the particular racing conditions with not much grip on the tarmac. So I’m anxious to get onto the track in Austin, a track with some hard braking sections and long straight stretches where we’ll be able to check some important things concerning the way the RS-GP performs and continue our development work on the bike. It is essential for us to find the right motivation straight away after our disappointment in the first Grand Prix, where I was unable to complete even the first lap of the race, and get back to work with a positive attitude.”
Marco Melandri – “Austin is a new track for me, so I am expecting a demanding weekend. In any case I think that finishing the race in Qatar was a helpful first experience and I hope it was also useful for the guys at Aprilia to make some important changes that will be able to help me gain more confidence on the bike. Now I’d like to take a few steps forward and at least try to get into the pack of riders ahead of me. It won’t be easy, but I’m anxious to try.”
Redding looking to rebuild confidence in Austin
Scott Redding endured a difficult debut in Qatar aboard the Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda RC213V, taking the chequered flag in 13th position in a race in which, prior to the start of the weekend, his goal was to fight for a top six finish.
This goal was hastily revised following the first free practice session in Qatar, where Redding was struggling with a lack of both rear grip and the all-important feedback from the front tyre. The team were able to improve Redding’s feeling with the front over the course of the weekend, but it wasn’t a big enough step forward to allow the 22-year-old Briton to realise the full potential of the factory Honda RC213V in the race.
“After a successful test in Qatar the week before, we went into the opening race of the season quietly confident, but we were forced to change our expectations almost immediately, after running into issues with rear grip and feedback from the front in the very first practice session,” explained Redding.
“Over the course of the weekend we made a lot of changes to the bike, some quite significant in terms of set up, but the feeling on track remained the same and it was difficult for me to notice the differences, never mind any improvement.”
“We made more big changes for the race, basically because we had no option, so it took me a couple of laps to get the feeling back with the bike. When Marc Marquez came past me I tried to hold on to him as long as possible, but I was struggling to get the bike stopped and then turned in the corner.”
“I am physically bigger than the other Honda riders, so we need to find our own way with the set up of the bike. Maybe the track conditions in Qatar played a part, I don’t know, but we weren’t where we expected to be in the opening race and there is obviously a lot of room for improvement.”
“The positive thing is that the changes we made for the Qatar race were definitely an improvement, so we now have a base to work from in Texas. We need to see how well the Circuit of the Americas suits this bike and my riding style but, hopefully, what we learned in Qatar will see me back on the pace, rebuilding my confidence in the bike and closing the gap to the front guys this weekend.”
Free practice for the Grand Prix of the Americas gets underway for the MotoGP class at 09.55 local time on Friday 10th April.
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MotoGP 2015 – Round One – Losail,Qatar – Race Results
Dry | Humidity: 83% | Track Temp: 28°C | Air Temp: 22°C
ROSSI Valentino 46 ITA 25 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 42’35.717
DOVIZIOSO Andrea 4 ITA 20 Ducati Team +0.174
IANNONE Andrea 29 ITA 16 Ducati Team +2.250
LORENZOJorge 99 SPA 13 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP +2.707
MARQUEZ Marc 93 SPA 11 Repsol Honda Team +7.036
PEDROSA Dani 26 SPA 10 Repsol Honda Team +10.755
CRUTCHLOW Cal 35 GBR 9 CWM LCR Honda +12.384
SMITH Bradley 38 GBR 8 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 +12.914
ESPARGARO Pol 44 SPA 7 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 +13.031
HERNANDEZ Yonny 68 COL 6 Pramac Racing +17.435
ESPARGARO Aleix 41 SPA 5 Team Suzuki Ecstar +19.901
PETRUCCI Danilo 9 ITA 4 Pramac Racing +24.432
REDDING Scott 45 GBR 3 Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS +32.032
VINALES Maverick 25 SPA 2 Team Suzuki Ecstar +33.463
BARBERA Hector 8 SPA 1 Avintia Racing +33.625
BRADL Stefan 6 GER 0 Athina Forward Racing +33.944
HAYDEN Nicky 69 USA 0 Aspar MotoGP Team +38.970
LAVERTY Eugene 50 IRE 0 Aspar MotoGP Team +46.570
DI MEGLIO Mike 63 FRA 0 Avintia Racing +59.211
DE ANGELIS Alex 15 RSM 0 Athina Forward Racing +1’14.981
MELANDRI Marco 33 ITA 0 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini +1’48.143
BAZ Loris 76 FRA 0 Athina Forward Racing +3 laps
ABRAHAM Karel 17 CZE 0 AB Motoracing +1 lap
MILLER Jack 43 AUS 0 CWM LCR Honda +1 lap
BAUTISTA Alvaro 19 SPA 0 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
