Photo: MotoGP.com
The Circuit of the Americas will host the first-ever MotoGP race this year in April, and at the time of writing, 5 riders form three teams are conducting a private test on the track. It's about the Honda and Yamaha factory teams, with a rider from LCR Honda, a satellite team joining them.
The first day saw Honda rookie Marc Marquez setting the pace of the race and finishing the day more than 4 tenths of a second ahead of his team mate Dani Pedrosa. Here are the first impressions from several riders, after the first day of test at the Circuit of the Americas.
For starters we should note that both Yamaha riders were enthralled by the new circuit, recently finished in 2012. Valentino Rossi liked the plethora of turns and the fast flow of the circuit, even if he thinks some of the portions are better suited for car-racing. "There are three hairpins that are very tight; this is better for Formula 1 overtaking, but for us they are a bit slow," he added.
His team mate, Jorge Lorezo admits he's ever so glad to have time to learn the circuit with a hands-on approach, before the official calendar event. Even more, he believes that his rivals whose teams decided to skip the test will have a disadvantage, as the lines are comple, just like circuit itself.
"It's a hard track to learn and a difficult track to go to the maximum on. I think it helps more than some other places to have this extra time. I think three or four practices before the race will not be enough to understand it so some of the riders who didn't come here will have a little disadvantage," Lorenzo said.
Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa stressed that the Circuit of the Americas is totally different from all other tracks in MotoGP, with a ton of pace and direction changes from section to section, with the first turn being the strangest of all. Turn 1 is one of the tightest at the COTA and it is the highest point of the circuit, too, following the last one (Turn 20) which is just after the lowest point of the track.
To get a better picture of why these 3 experienced MotoGP riders are so reserved, check the COTA map after the jump.
For starters we should note that both Yamaha riders were enthralled by the new circuit, recently finished in 2012. Valentino Rossi liked the plethora of turns and the fast flow of the circuit, even if he thinks some of the portions are better suited for car-racing. "There are three hairpins that are very tight; this is better for Formula 1 overtaking, but for us they are a bit slow," he added.
His team mate, Jorge Lorezo admits he's ever so glad to have time to learn the circuit with a hands-on approach, before the official calendar event. Even more, he believes that his rivals whose teams decided to skip the test will have a disadvantage, as the lines are comple, just like circuit itself.
"It's a hard track to learn and a difficult track to go to the maximum on. I think it helps more than some other places to have this extra time. I think three or four practices before the race will not be enough to understand it so some of the riders who didn't come here will have a little disadvantage," Lorenzo said.
Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa stressed that the Circuit of the Americas is totally different from all other tracks in MotoGP, with a ton of pace and direction changes from section to section, with the first turn being the strangest of all. Turn 1 is one of the tightest at the COTA and it is the highest point of the circuit, too, following the last one (Turn 20) which is just after the lowest point of the track.
To get a better picture of why these 3 experienced MotoGP riders are so reserved, check the COTA map after the jump.
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