After the second round of the season, which was held ten days ago in Argentina, the MotoGP teams and riders are now arriving in the USA, for the next event on Texan soil at the Circuit of The Americas, on the outskirts of Austin.
Andrea Dovizoso and Jorge Lorenzo of the Ducati Team are determined to put behind them the disappointments of Termas de Río Hondo, and in Texas they will find a track where Ducati has always done well in recent years.
In the four editions of the GP of the Americas held so far, Dovizioso has scored a seventh place in 2013, a third place in 2014 and an excellent runner-up slot in 2015, while last year he was hit by the bike of Dani Pedrosa at the start of lap 7, while in third place, and had to retire. Lorenzo’s best results on Texan soil have been a third place in the first edition, a fourth place in 2015 and an excellent second place last year.
The Austin weekend gets underway on Friday morning with the first free practice session at 9.55 am local time (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) – 3rd (20 points)
“I was clearly very disappointed after the race in Argentina but now, after a few days’ vacation, I am fully focused on the race in Texas. The Circuit of the Americas is a fantastic track, one of the best on the calendar, and it has totally different characteristics to the previous two circuits in Qatar and Argentina. I like racing a lot at Austin, also because there is a really good atmosphere, both in the circuit and downtown, and I’m up for the battle. It will be a good opportunity to put things right after Termas and I’m convinced that we can be really competitive on this track.”
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 18th (5 points)
“Finally we have arrived at Austin, and I just couldn’t wait to get here after my crash at Termas de Río Hondo. I don’t want to think about what happened in Argentina anymore, and even though the results up until now haven’t gone our way, I think we are on the right track to improve. Unfortunately for one reason or another, I haven’t been able to demonstrate this. Austin is a great circuit, one where I have never won, but Ducati here has always been competitive and has been on the podium in the last three years. It’s a good track to keep on developing the Desmosedici and adapting my riding style. In the team we are all optimistic, we’re working well together and I’m sure this difficult moment will be over soon.”
The Circuit of The Americas
The Circuit of The Americas is the first purpose-built Grand Prix facility in the USA near Austin, Texas, with a 5.513km track and a capacity for 120,000 fans. Construction of the facility was completed late 2012, and this will be the fifth time MotoGP lines up at the track. One of its more distinctive features is an impressive incline at the end of the main straight followed by a sharp left. The circuit was designed by the well-known German architect Hermann Tilke. The direction is counter-clockwise and the circuit has a total of 20 corners with 9 right turns and 11 left turns.
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: Dovizioso (Ducati), 345.2 km/h – 2016
Race Distance: 21 laps (115.8 km)
Corners: 20 (11 left, 9 right)
Race Start: 2 pm local time (21.00 CET)
2016 Results
Podium: 1st Marquez (Honda), 2nd Lorenzo (Yamaha), 3rd Iannone (Ducati)
Pole Position: Marquez (Honda), 2’03.188 (161.109 km/h)
Fastest Lap: Marquez (Honda), 2’04.682 (159.179 km/h)
Jorge Lorenzo
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Race Number: 99
Age: 29 (born on May 4th 1987 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain)
Residence: Lugano (Switzerland)
Races: 252 (158 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
First GP: 2002 Spanish GP (125cc)
Wins: 65 (44 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First Win: 2003 Brazilian GP (125cc)
Pole Positions: 65 (39 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
First Pole: 2003 Malaysian GP (125cc)
World Titles: 5 (3 x MotoGP, 2 x 250cc)
Andrea Dovizioso
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Race Number: 04
Age: 31 (born on March 23rd 1986 in Forlimpopoli, Italy)
Residence: Forlì (Italy)
Races: 260 (162 x MotoGP, 49 x 250cc, 49 x 125cc)
First GP: 2001 Italian GP (125cc)
Wins: 11 (2 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
First Win: 2004 South African GP (125cc)
Pole Positions: 18 (5 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 9 x 125cc)
First Pole: 2003 French GP (125cc)
World Titles: 1 (1 x 125cc)
