After a near-perfect double-podium start to the new MotoGP season under floodlights in the desert at Qatar, Honda’s factory riders lead the trail west to Texas for round two, only the second visit to the spectacular new Circuit of the Americas outside Austin.

For Repsol Honda RC213V rider Marc Marquez, it is a return to the scene of his first MotoGP pole position followed by his first win. In each case he was the youngest in history. Five more wins swept him to victory in the World Championship, and the greatest “youngest-ever” record available.

Marquez, who was honoured in the break after the last race with the Laureus sports foundation’s “Breakthrough of the Year” award, returns in the lead on points, after a thrilling victory in the opening round at Losail. It was the perfect come-back following six weeks of not being able to ride at all, after breaking his leg in a training accident.

Second Repsol Honda RC213V rider Dani Pedrosa consolidated Honda’s performance in the opening round with a solid third place, to make a strong start to his own championship campaign in his ninth season riding the factory Honda.

The pair qualified and finished first and second at the inaugural Texas race last year, with Marquez taking a narrow victory at only his second attempt. One aspect in his favour was that nobody had prior experience at the new circuit, which offers a tremendous and varied technical challenge over its 5.513-km (3.426-mile) lap. His more seasoned rivals were, like him, starting from scratch in not only finding the best cornering lines, but also the right machine set up, gearing and suspension.

This year all have one previous GP to rely on, with a mass of technical data to analyse and interpret. Marquez’s Qatar triumph came after another pole position – his tenth in 19 MotoGP-class races, and after a fierce battle in the closing laps with multiple World Champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha). After missing two out of three pre-season tests due to a training injury, it was the perfect start to the year for the defending champion, who had previously won both 125cc and Moto2 titles before moving up to the premier class.

Pedrosa had to fight his way through a gaggle of fast riders to join the leading group. The former 125cc and double 250cc World Champion showed experience and race-craft to secure third place, while four of his erstwhile rivals crashed out trying to match his relentless pace.

One was satellite Honda rider Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini RC213V), after qualifying on the front row, and moving up to second as he set fastest lap. The Spanish former 125cc World Champion has a special role race-developing Japanese Showa suspension and Nissin brakes for companies with strong links with Honda, and took comfort from his speed and strength before he became another victim of the treacherous surface of the desert circuit.

Bautista qualified seventh and finished eighth at Austin last year, and is confident of a significant improvement on this visit.

Another to fall was German LCR Honda RC213V rider Stefan Bradl, who took over the lead on the first lap, and was still in front when he slipped out of contention after eight of 22 laps. The former Moto2 World Champion learned important lessons from his spell up front, as he consolidates his potential in his third MotoGP season. He qualified and finished fifth at the Texan race last year.

New for 2014 “Open” category bikes will race for the first time at Austin. Unlike “Factory Option” machines like the Honda RC213V, these lower-cost machines must use control electronics supplied by the organisers. In compensation, they get 24 rather than 21 litres of fuel for each race, and access to a softer tyre option, among other technical allowances.

The new Honda RCV1000R MotoGP production-racer is prominent among the new generation – effectively prototypes for 2016 rules when all bikes will use control electronics – with four customer bikes on the grid.

The best of these laid on a stirring battle for seventh, with class rookie Scott Redding (GO&FUN Honda Gresini RCV1000R) defeating veteran Nicky Hayden (Drive M7 Aspar Honda RCV1000R) by 0.03 seconds. English rider Redding, the youngest-ever grand prix winner, has moved up to the premier class after finishing second overall in Moto2; Hayden was MotoGP World Champion in 2006, riding a Repsol Honda; he will be anxious to redress the balance when the pair meet again at Texas, the first of two home GPs for the American rider.

Hayden’s team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama was 11th; the Japanese rider won the final 250cc World Championship on a Honda in 2009, and has returned to the marque this year. Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing Honda RCV1000R) was 13th, meaning points for all Honda finishers. Czech racer Abraham, who crashed out in qualifying here last year, is still recovering from major shoulder surgery that cut short his 2013 campaign.

The Circuit of the Americas is the first circuit in the US designed specifically for World Championship racing, and was completed in 2012. COTA was inaugurated as a World Championship venue by MotoGP last year. It offers a great variety of challenges over the lap, starting with a dramatic 134ft (40.2m) climb from the start to the first corner.

Top international race-track designer Hermann Tilke had help from former 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz in devising the layout, which has sections reminiscent of a number of other circuits. Early in the lap a continuous series of sinuous swerves reminded riders of Britain’s Silverstone; while a long 1.2-km (0.746-mile) straight culminating in one of several slow corners puts a premium on braking and acceleration. There are 11 left-hand corners, and nine to the right.

After the race in Texas, MotoGP makes a long-delayed return visit to Argentina, to the new Termas del Rio Hondo circuit in the hinterland.




Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez says:

“Since Qatar I’ve been focusing on getting my leg stronger and my body fitter in preparation for the Austin race this weekend. This track is one of my favourite tracks, I had a good race here last year where I have good memories of taking my first win in the MotoGP class. We’ll have to wait and see the situation with the new rules for this year, but anyway we will be focused on our work. Thankfully the majority of hard turns are left handers at this track which is easier on my leg as I’m still not 100 percent fit.”

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa says:

“I’ve had a good training week at home and now I’m looking forward to getting to Austin, to see the team and ride at a track I like. We had a good race there last year and we’ll have to see how the bike works there this year. I hope to ride well and that we are greeted by the usual good atmosphere in America at this second visit to Austin for the Red Bull GP.”

GO&FUN Honda Gresini rider Alvaro Bautista says:

“Despite suffering a fall, the entire race weekend in Qatar was very positive, so we head to Texas with a great optimism. Unlike last year, when we raced there for the first time, this year we already have some data from 2013, although Austin still remains a complicated track in terms of finding a good set-up. We will have to work well if we want to find a good compromise between the first part, characterized by many quick changes of direction, and the slower part, where there are three or four very tight corners. Last season we struggled a lot, not being able to find a good compromise, but this year we can count on a very good package, so we are confident. The goal is to try to stay with the fastest from the first practice session, like we did at Losail, then we will give our best, as always, hoping for better fortune this time.”

GO&FUN Honda Gresini rider Scott Redding says:

“Riding a MotoGP bike at the Circuit of the Americas will be very interesting. I feel very comfortable on this track, in fact last year in Moto2 I was really fast, setting pole position with a 0.6s gap on everyone else. I also think that the track could suit our bike’s characteristics well, both in terms of handling and of stability under braking. We will also focus our work on the tyres, because this track is quite demanding from this point of view, so probably we will need to start to work more on the hard tyre for this race, rather than the softer option, which we used in Qatar.”

LCR Honda MotoGP rider Stefan Bradl says:

“I am really looking forward to the Austin race week end. It’s a fantastic race track and I like the atmosphere in the US. Last year it was a great week end for me, finishing fifth, and after our short but impressive performance at Qatar, the expectations are high, and also the will to be up in the front pack again. Three weeks break was too much for me… when you lead a race for almost nine laps and you suddenly crash, you just want to be back racing as soon as possible. We are strong as we demonstrated at Losail, so if we can better manage the tyres situation, we could go for another strong result.”

Drive M7 Aspar Honda rider Nicky Hayden says:

“A home Grand Prix is always something very special and I really look forward to getting there, seeing all the fans that support me so much and getting back on track. Austin is really a great track, it is a very state-of-the-art facility – safe, long, and wide but honestly last year there I didn’t get on with it great and was never able to be fast, especially in the first half of the track. That’s got to change this year and even though I know the acceleration off those slow corners won’t be kind to us all the changes of direction should suit me and this bike well. So let’s hope we can get a result to make the home crowd proud!”

Drive M7 Aspar Honda rider Hiroshi Aoyama says:

“The result at the first race of the season was pretty positive. Even though we had a few problems with the bike at the start of the weekend we found the right way forward. This is only the second time any of us have been to COTA so that should level things out a little amongst the riders. I think the final part of the track, with its flowing corners, should suit our bike and the chassis should allow us to feel comfortable through the tight turns. Sunday night in Qatar was a boost for us and the objective is to keep this going and to continue improving the bike. I think we can take another step forward in Austin. It is a demanding circuit from a physical perspective so I put some extra training in last week and even had a medical so I definitely feel ready.”

Cardion AB Motoracing Honda Karel Abraham says:

“My shoulder is recovering but still in Qatar I was having trouble with the slow left-hand corners, and Austin is a left-hand track, which makes it difficult. The new bike is good. We have to go faster, but the potential is there. Last year I broke my collarbone at Austin, and this year will be even harder with the shoulder injury – but I have been working really hard in the break to be in better condition for this race.”

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