World champion Marc Marquez will be looking to rebound on Sunday when MotoGP returns to the Circuit of the Americas in Texas, where the Spaniard has won the past two years.
Marquez and Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa both qualified on the front row of the season opener in Qatar a fortnight ago, but settled for fifth and sixth place in a race won in scintillating style by nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi.
Rossi is eager to build on that success, but the Italian acknowledged that the Circuit of the Americas in the Texas state capital of Austin has never been friendly to Yamaha.
“The race in Qatar was the best way to start the championship,” he said on Thursday, but noted that even a podium place has so far eluded Yamaha in two prior editions of the Austin race — both won by Marquez.
“It’s not the best track for us,” he said. “I’ll try to do the maximum. On the track, Marc has been very, very strong. A good target is to be in the first three.”
The season’s first race was a see-saw battle that saw the lead change hands numerous times before the 36-year-old Rossi opened up a slight gap on the final two laps and held off the charging Andrea Dovizioso on his Ducati, who was looking for his first win in MotoGP.
It was a stunning 109th victory for the iconic Rossi and his 197th podium as Italy swept the board with Andrea Iannone, also on a Ducati, coming home third.
Marquez’s mistake at the first corner dropped him to the back of the field, although his fight back to fifth place showed he has plenty of speed.
“I’m really looking forward to getting to Austin and putting Qatar behind us,” Marquez said. “The Circuit of The Americas is one of my favorite circuits and I have good memories of taking my first win in the MotoGP class, back in 2013, and also winning there last year.
“We need to work hard from FP1 and then keep this momentum for the whole weekend and have a ‘normal’ race.”
HRC Honda will be without Pedrosa, who has opted for a second surgery on a troublesome forearm injury. The Spaniard will miss this weekend’s race in Texas as well as the Argentine Grand Prix a week later.
Japan’s 2009 250cc champion Hiroshi Aoyama will fill in for Pedrosa. He is already the team’s test driver.
“I’m really sorry for Dani,” Marquez said. “Myself and the whole team wish him a speedy recovery. We welcome Hiroshi to the team and will help him how we can!”