Recent World Championship seasons have started with a race overseas –Qatar- and then returned to Europe. This season features two races outside of Europe to kick off the campaign. The all-new GP of the Americas, to be held in Austin, Texas, is the debuting USA round that replaces the Portuguese GP. It is one of seven tracks on the calendar exceeding five thousand meters in length (5513 metres) and, along with Silverstone and Sepang is one of the three totaling over 5500 metres. The Moto2 riders travel to the United States knowing that everybody will be starting from zero in terms of track knowledge. This may very well see some surprises sprung in the intermediate class.
MAPFRE Aspar riders Jordi Torres and Nico Terol placed eleventh and fourteenth, respectively, in the opening race of the season. It was a positive showing from the duo, considering that it was the first event of the year, although neither are willing to settle for anything less than the best. They now go Stateside with the intention of improving and adapting to the Circuit of the Americas at the Moto2 class’ first outing at the track.
Nico Terol:
“I love riding in the USA and I have fond memories of my visits there. At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, for example, I usually take good results. In practice at Qatar we saw that we are quick and we have increasingly got the bike set up better and better, but in the race we didn’t get the result we expected. However, we know that we can be at the front and this weekend we will draw on all our inner strength to improve our performance in the race. I’ve been playing the F1 game on the Playstation to learn the track. Marc Márquez spoke to me too and he said that the Circuit of the Americas is quite demanding, has a section of linked corners similar to Silverstone and a lot of braking. It looks like a very complete circuit, I'm sure that I will like it and that I can have a good race there. With the confidence that we have acquired, we just need to have the calm start to a race that will make everything easier.”
Jordi Torres:
"I have great enthusiasm and desire to get to the Circuit of the Americas. I am curious to see what it is like for us. It is good for us to be at a new track for everyone, as there will not be a disadvantage in that respect like we had at Losail -a circuit I had never been to before. I have a good feeling about this, I'm very excited and I want to scout the circuit as soon as possible. I have seen several videos and played video games and, based on that, the Circuit of the Americas seems very complicated, but I've seen a couple of segments that I think will suit me very well. Also, it seems to be very nice to ride and has a huge straight. We have to set up the bike as well as possible in order to not lose out to the other riders too much. I think that in Qatar we did a great job, improving every step of the way. I hope to continue this in Austin and get a better result in the race on Sunday."
Mapfre Aspar Moto2 Press Release
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