Following the second race of the season, which was held ten days ago in Argentina, the MotoGP teams and riders have now arrived in the United States for Texas’s appointment with the championship at the Circuit of The Americas on the outskirts of Austin.
The two Ducati Team riders, Andrea Dovizoso and Jorge Lorenzo, are determined to rapidly put behind them the Termas de Río Hondo weekend, and in Texas they will encounter a track where Ducati has scored some quite good results but never a win in the last few years.
In the five editions of the GP of the Americas held so far, Dovizioso’s best result is a second place in 2015, while last year the Italian had to settle for sixth. For his part Lorenzo finished second in 2016, while in 2017 he took the chequered flag in ninth place.
The Austin weekend gets underway on Friday morning with the first free practice session at 9.55 am (16.55 CET), while the 20-lap race is scheduled for Sunday at 2 pm local time (21.00 CET).
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 2nd (35 points)
“At Termas we managed to bring home a sixth place, a result that was below our expectations but positive in view of the championship, and now we arrive at Austin, which is a really nice track but rather a difficult one. We will have to take into consideration the track conditions, because last year there were a lot of bumps, and also the tyres, which can have a bit effect on the weekend. In any case we know our strong points and we also know which aspects we have to work on, so it will be important to get down to work right away in the first session to prepare well for the race.”
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 20th (1 point)
“We come to Texas for the third round of the season and it will be another chance to continue to improve my feeling with the bike. Even though the Circuit of The Americas is one circuit where I have not yet won a race and it’s not particularly suitable for the characteristics of the Ducati, this year I have a good feeling about it. We have to continue working hard and improving our speed, and even though Austin is rather a complicated circuit, everything can happen.”
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 sixth 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: Lorenzo (Ducati), 345.6 km/h – 2017
Track Length: 5.5 km
Race Distance: 20 laps (110.3 km)
Curves: 20 (11 left, 9 right)
Race Start: 2 pm local time (21.00 CET)
2017 Results
Podium: 1st Marquez (Honda), 2nd Rossi (Yamaha), 3rd Pedrosa (Honda)
Pole Position: Marquez (Honda), 2’02.741 (161.696 km/h)
Fastest Lap: Marquez (Honda), 2’04.899 (158.902 km/h)
Andrea Dovizioso
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Race Number: 04
Age: 32 (born on 23rd March in Forlimpopoli, Italy)
Residence: Forlì (Italy)
Races: 278 (180 x MotoGP, 49 x 250cc, 49 x 125cc)
First GP: 2001 Italian GP (125cc)
Wins: 18 (9 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
First Win: 2004 South African GP (125cc)
Poles: 18 (5 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 9 x 125cc)
First Pole: 2003 French GP (125cc)
World Titles: 1 (1 x 125cc)
Jorge Lorenzo
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Race Number: 99
Age: 30 (born on 4th May 1987 in Palma di Mallorca, Spain)
Residence: Lugano (Switzerland)
Races: 270 (176 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)
Poles: 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)
