Rizla Suzuki MotoGP has headed back across the Atlantic for the second American Grand Prix of the season this time at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Following a positive post-race test at Brno, both Loris Capirossi and Álvaro Bautista are eager to get back on-track and carry on with the improvements they found at the Czech Republic circuit.
This will be the third time that MotoGP has visited Indianapolis and Capirossi will certainly looking to improve on his results there, that has seen him score a personal best of seventh place at the 4,216m track in 2009. Bautista has a podium position to show from his only race at the circuit. He finished third last year after the 250cc class race was cancelled in 2008 due to a hurricane hitting the Indianapolis area.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway or ‘The Brickyard’, as it is also known, was built in 1909 and has become one of the most famous sporting venues in the world since its inception. The vast race-track has a permanent seating capacity of over 250,000, with the facility to raise that to over 400,000 for the ‘Indy 500’ and the ‘Brickyard 400’, both of which are major sporting events on the American calendar and feature IndyCar and NASCAR respectively. On the grounds of the circuit are also the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum and the Brickyard Crossing Golf Resort, making this impressive venue even more amazing.
Rizla Suzuki takes to the track on Friday 27th August for the first of two free practice sessions, the second scheduled for the following morning. Saturday afternoon sees an hour of qualifying for all riders to establish their grid positions in readiness for Sunday’s 28-lap race that gets underway at 15.00hrs local time (19.00hrs GMT).
Loris Capirossi:
“The Brno test was a lot better than the race, but the bike did feel the best it has done all year during the short time I was on-track in the race and we made some improvements on the Monday so these should be good for us when we get to Indy. I finished seventh last year and that was a big improvement on 2008 so I am determined to make another step forward this year. It is very important that we keep focussed and keep trying as hard as we can to get the results to show what we are capable of.”
Álvaro Bautista:
“I’m still a bit stiff from my crash at Brno, but I have rested and let the injury heal properly so I will be ready for Indianapolis. I really need to finish a whole weekend and get a full practice, qualifying and race in my account. It seems a long time since I crossed the finish line and I am positive about visiting America and making that happen. We made some steps at the Brno test, but we still need to work on those at Indianapolis – and the races that follow – to find out what the true potential of the bike is. That is something we are determined to do and to keep on learning as much as possible about all things to do with the GSV-R and how it behaves on different tracks and in varying conditions and also about myself and how I can ride it to get the best from it.”
