After the second round of the season, held in Argentina last Sunday, the MotoGP teams are now arriving in the USA for the next race at the Circuit of The Americas, on the outskirts of Austin, Texas.
The two Ducati Team riders, Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone, are determined to put behind them the events of Termas de Río Hondo as quickly as possible, and in Texas they will encounter a track where they have always gone well and picked up some good results.
In the three editions of the Grand Prix of the Americas held so far, Andrea Dovizioso scored a seventh place in 2013, a third place in 2014 and an excellent second place last year, when he also qualified on the front row alongside Marquez. After a tenth place in 2013 and seventh in 2014 for Pramac Racing, last year with the factory team Iannone battled with the top riders but had to settle for fifth overall.
The Austin weekend will get underway on Friday morning with the first free practice session at 9.55 am (16.55 CET), while the 21-lap race is scheduled for Sunday at 2 pm local time (21.00 CET).
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 5th (23 points)
“We are looking forward to the race at Austin with confidence. I know that we are competitive and I feel ready to fight things out on this fantastic track, which has completely different characteristics to the previous two. In 2014 and 2015, I managed to get onto the podium: the Texan circuit is one that I really like and so I am anxious to get out on track in order to continue the good performances we have shown so far.”
Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 18th (0 points)
“I’m still sorry about what happened in the race at Termas: it shouldn’t have happened, after a GP in which we managed to get in amongst the leading positions. Now we have to focus on the next race. Austin is a really great track: I like it a lot, and the atmosphere in Texas is fascinating. Last year we didn’t go so badly: we did a good race and so also this year I will try and obtain a good result.”
The Circuit of The Americas
The Circuit of The Americas is the first purpose-built Grand Prix circuit in the United States. Situated near Austin, in Texas, it measures 5.513 km and has a spectator capacity of 120,000 spectators. Building work was completed in 2012 and this year will be the fourth time that the CoTA will be the venue for MotoGP. 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.
Fastest Lap: Marquez (Honda), 2’02.135 (162.4 km/h) – 2015
Circuit Record: Marquez (Honda), 2’03.575 (160.6 km/h) – 2014
Best Pole: Marquez (Honda), 2’02.135 (162.4 km/h) – 2015
Top Speed: Aoyama (Honda), 344.2 km/h – 2015
Race Distance: 21 laps (115.8 km)
Corners: 20 (11 left, 9 right)
Race Start: 2 pm (21.00 CET)
2015 Results
Podium: 1st Marquez (Honda), 2nd Dovizioso (Ducati), 3rd Rossi (Yamaha)
Pole Position: Marquez (Honda), 2’02.135 (162.4 km/h)
Fastest Lap: Iannone (Ducati), 2’04.251 (159.7 km/h)
Andrea Dovizioso
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Race Number: 04
Age: 30 (born on March 23rd 1986 in Forlimpopoli, Italy)
Residence: Forlì (Italy)
Races: 242 (144 x MotoGP, 49 x 250cc, 49 x 125cc)
First GP: 2001 Italian GP (125cc)
Wins: 10 (1 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
First Win: 2004 South African GP (125cc)
Pole Positions: 16 (3 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 9 x 125cc)
First Pole: 2003 French GP (125cc)
Titles: 1 (1 x 125cc)
Andrea Iannone
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Race Number: 29
Age: 26 (born on August 9th 1989 in Vasto, Italy)
Residence: Vasto (Italy)
Races: 180 (53 x MotoGP, 51 x Moto2, 76 x 125cc)
First GP: 2005 Spanish GP (125cc)
Wins: 12 (8 x Moto2, 4 x 125cc)
First Win: 2008 GP of China (125cc)
Pole Positions: 9 (1 x MotoGP, 5 x Moto2, 3 x 125cc)
First Pole: 2008 GP of Malaysia (125cc)
