Team Suzuki Press Office – April 4. Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s Alex Rins has been cleared to travel to the Termas de Rio Hondo MotoGP™ race in Argentina this weekend following further medical checks to evaluate his physical condition after his accident while training, as team-mate Andrea Iannone is also eager to overcome the crash he had in Qatar.
Rins had a small accident while training last Thursday with his RM-Z motocross machine. He required further checks at the University Hospital Dexeus and was diagnosed with a partial fracture of the right talus, without displacement, but with bone edema. He then underwent further medical checks yesterday and could lean on his foot with some discomfort, and despite the mobility of his ankle not being 100%, he can try to race in Argentina.
Rins will continue physiotherapy and will be monitored by doctors at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit.
A desire for redemption is carrying Iannone into the second race of the season following his crash; his performance until that moment highlighted how his capability and feeling with the GSX-RR have improved and the Argentinian GP is expected to be an exciting one, in accordance with the circuit’s characteristics.
The Termas de Río Hondo Circuit is located 6km from the city of Rio Honda, in the Province of Santiago del Estero. It was built over a 150 hectare area and was officially inaugurated on May 11th, 2008 during the visit of Argentina’s Touring Car Racing Championship. In 2012, the reconditioning, enlargement and modernisation of the circuit began, with the purpose of turning it into Latin America’s most modern, safe and vibrant circuit. It is 4,8km in length (2.99 miles) and has five left-hand corners and nine right-hand turns. The longest straight measures 1076 m (3530.18 ft) and the race will be run over 25 laps; a total distance of 120.2 km (74.8 miles).
Andrea Iannone:
“I’m truly happy to get to the second race of the season. I don´t want to hide that I want to redeem myself after the disappointment in Qatar. I think Argentina can be a favourable track for us and I like it very much. It’s technical and fast, and I like this. I hope the track conditions will be good. Usually it has a lot of dirt and takes some time to develop a good grip. I hope this year it will be better.”
Alex Rins:
“My first race in Qatar had been a very exciting experience and honestly left with me the feeling that it all went too fast and was too short. I can’t wait to experience again all the emotion of MotoGP. The Argentinian circuit is one I like. I believe I will really enjoy the acceleration with the GSX-RR and I’m expecting the straight to seem to be a lot shorter compared to last year’s Moto2. I had this injury while training last week. It’s not a bad injury but will require some time to recover. I really hope it won’t bother me too much with the pain, as I’m excited to continue learning in this class with my Suzuki.”
