The Losail International Circuit will light up this weekend for the opening round of the 2014 MotoGP World Championship: after two months of pre-season testing, both riders of the Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini, Alvaro Bautista and Scott Redding, are excited ahead the Qatar Grand Prix, the only race of the 18 on the MotoGP calendar to take place at night.
This season sees the introduction of new technical regulations, with ‘Open’ machinery racing alongside the ‘Factory’ bikes: the Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini will race both configurations, with the 2014 version of the well known Honda RC213V for Alvaro Bautista and the brand new RCV1000R developed by HRC - the so-called “Production Racer” - for premier class debutant Scott Redding.
The Qatar race marks the beginning of the third season of Alvaro Bautista as a rider of the Team: the Spaniard is looking stronger than ever after some highly competitive pre-season - topping the time sheets on two out of nine days of testing - and he will try to fight for podium finishes right from the beginning.
His team-mate Scott Redding has also had an impressive winter testing: the 21-year-old Briton, runner-up in the 2013 Moto2 World Championship, has spent valuable track time familiarising himself with the bigger Honda RCV1000R. Moreover, the excitement of premier class debut will be double for Scott, as he’s set to make exactly his 100th Grand Prix appearence this Sunday in Qatar.
Alvaro Bautista
“During the three-day test in Qatar we have made several changes to the bike: during the first day of practice I was not feeling very comfortable, but at the end of the test the situation has undoubtedly improved, so we are confident ahead the first Grand Prix. However, we must consider that the Losail International Circuit for us is one of the most difficult tracks of the season ; unfortunately, here we are still not able to be as fast as we would like. Therefore I expect a tough weekend, in which we will need to work hard if we want to improve, but we will give 110% to try to be protagonists”.
Scott Redding
“Racing for the first time in MotoGP will be a great thrill, no doubt: after all, competing in the premier class is a dream for every rider. When I will line up my bike on the starting grid, for sure I will feel a little nervous, but also very curious to begin this new adventure and finally see what we can get. Our goal right now is to stay with Nicky Hayden and try to be the best Honda rider in the Open category, although it must be recognized that I still have to learn many things , from tyres behaviour to the electronics. I like a lot the Losail circuit, as well as racing at night: not being able to see anything else around the track is a strange but pleasant feeling, because it helps me to stay focused. Finally, it is very cool to think that my first MotoGP race will be exactly my 100th World Championship Grand Prix”.
Go&Fun Honda Gresini Press Release
