Repsol Honda riders Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) head to South America this week, for the sport’s first visit to the continent in a decade.

The Spanish pair arrive at the brand-new venue Termas de Rio Hondo in great shape, holding first and second places in the MotoGP World Championship after brilliant performances at the opening two Grands Prix of 2014. Reigning World Champion Marquez was the star performer in both races, taking jubilant victories in Qatar and Texas, while Pedrosa scored a third place and a second place to chase his team-mate in the points standings.

The pair were particularly dominant at the Circuit of the Americas two weeks ago, where the class-leading performance of their full-factory RC213V machines allowed them to race away from the rest of the pack. Marquez beat Pedrosa by four seconds and Pedrosa was more than 16 seconds ahead of the third-placed finisher, proving that the Honda Racing Corporation is continuing its legacy of creating superb racing motorcycles.

Neither rider has visited the new circuit, constructed for MotoGP in the north of the country, 1100km (700 Miles) north of capital Buenos Aires, so they will start from zero on Friday morning.

Marquez, as always, will be helped on his way by mentor Emilio Alzamora, who has fond memories of the sport’s last visit to Argentina in October 1999, when he secured that year’s 125 World Championship riding his Honda RS125 at the Autodromo Oscar Alfredo Galvez on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.

One of the few riders who has ridden Termas De Rio Hondo is Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V) who spent a couple of days there last summer, as part of a promotional event. He did ride the track on his RC213V but conditions were far from ideal.

Bradl was in the thick of the fight for third place a fortnight ago in Texas, eventually finishing fourth, less than two seconds behind Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati). The young German had already proved his speed in Qatar where he led the race, only to be caught out by the tricky track conditions. He currently holds seventh in the points chase and will be aiming to make further inroads into those ahead of him this weekend.

Alvaro Bautista (Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini RC213V) comes to Argentina hoping to put a difficult start to the season behind him. The former 125 World Champion crashed out in Qatar and Texas and is determined to score his first points this weekend. Bautista was one of four MotoGP riders who made the trip to Termas de Rio Hondo last year, but like the others he was able to learn little about the circuit due to the poor conditions.

Nicky Hayden (Drive 7 Aspar Honda RCV1000R), back with Honda after a five-year absence, is currently the top-placed non-factory Open rider in the championship aboard his RCV1000R, a production machine made by Honda specifically to boost the performance of privateer riders and teams. The man who won the 2006 MotoGP World Championship aboard Honda’s masterful RC211V V5 machine, achieved good points hauls at the first two races, even though like other RCV1000R riders, he is still learning how to get the best from the machine in its debut season.

After a superb MotoGP debut in Qatar, Scott Redding (Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini RCV1000R) was once again showing good pace in Texas until he was caught out by front-tyre issues and crashed. Graduating from Moto2 at the end of last season, Redding it still getting to grips with the many new challenges offered by MotoGP.

Hiroshi Aoyama (Drive 7 Aspar Honda RCV1000R) scored points at the first two races of the year and is currently equal on points with Redding. The former 250 World Champion is happy with the initial base setting he has found with his RCV1000R and is looking forward to building on that base from this weekend onward.

Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing Honda RCV1000R) aims for his third points score in a row after a tough race in Texas where he battled front-tyre and fitness issues. The Czech rider’s lingering shoulder injury is still causing him major concerns, and once again in Texas he needed painkilling treatment before the race. Since then he has had more physio on the shoulder and hopes to be in better physical shape this weekend.

Motorcycle Grand Prix racing last visited Argentina in 1999, just one week after Alex Crivillé (Repsol Honda NSR500) had wrapped up the 500 world title, giving Honda a clean sweep of six consecutive World Championships, following five years of domination by Mick Doohan (Repsol Honda NSR500).


The new Argentine venue has been constructed on the shores of Lake Rio Hondo, close to the town of Termas de Rio Hondo, a popular spa resort. Laid out by Italian designers Dromos, the clockwise circuit has a challenging mix of corners, including plenty of faster turns, the kind of corner most appreciated by bike racers.


Following the opening three ‘flyaway’ races, MotoGP hurries home to its European heartland, for the following weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez.



Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez says:

“Argentina will be a new track for most of us, some riders went a year ago but I don’t think the track surface was ideal so they were a little limited on the amount of laps they could do. I’m looking forward to visiting a new circuit and it will be nice for the fans. We will be looking to continue with the same momentum from the first two races of the season.”

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa says:

“After Austin I’m looking forward to Argentina and getting some laps around the track to feel the bike and learn the circuit! I don’t know much about the new track, I’ve tried to do some homework with maps and videos and find out as much as I could before arriving but it’s hard to say something not being on the bike. I’m looking forward to the weekend and meeting the fans over there as it will be my first visit to the country!"

Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini rider Alvaro Bautista says:

“During the tests carried out last year on the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit I could immediately appreciate some very technical parts of the track: I like it a lot, because it’s characterised by many fast corners that suit my riding style. However, it should be said that last year we where able to take advantage of only one day of testing, because we had rain on the second day: therefore we weren’t able to work on bike set-up. I also remember a very dirty track, as it had just been finished. Anyway I believe that it will be okay for the race. In this Grand Prix our priority is to finish the race without taking risks: after the first two races we are still at zero points, so this time we absolutely need to collect some points.”

LCR Honda rider Stefan Bradl says:

“Every time we race on a new track it’s tough to make predictions. Last year I visited Termas de Rio Hondo for a couple of days but in my opinion it was not a proper test. The paddock was still under construction and the surface conditions were pretty bad. It was impossible to gather data because the grip level was very poor. I am pretty sure they made a big step forward from last year and it will be interesting to challenge my colleagues on a new race track. I know the layout but there’s a lot to do in terms of set-up. The motivation is high considering my fourth place in Austin.”

Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini rider Scott Redding says:

“The fact that the track of Termas de Rio Hondo is unknown to anyone - apart from the few riders who carried out the tests last year – will make things a bit easier for me, because we will all start the weekend on the same level. In addition, I enjoy a lot riding on a new track: it’s always an interesting challenge trying to be fast on a new circuit, it’s a new motivation. I look forward to start the first free practice, to see how the bike works on this track.”

Drive 7 Aspar Honda rider Nicky Hayden says:

“I am excited by the idea of racing at a new track. I always like going to new circuits and experiencing new things in a different country. We go to the same tracks every year so it is good to try something new. We have to try and adapt quickly to the layout and get a feeling for the track as soon as we can. Our attitude towards the job will be the same as always, which is to keep learning about this bike and trying to get the most out of it. I am constantly getting to know the bike and the team more and more and that will help us continue to grow together.”

Drive 7 Aspar Honda rider Hiroshi Aoyama says:

“Even though we need to keep working hard to improve the performance of the bike the base we have established so far is pretty positive. We are getting clearer ideas every day and the more we learn about the bike the faster we can take it forward. I honestly don’t know anything about the track in Argentina, but from what people have told me it is a cool layout, although technically demanding. The positive thing is that it will be a new track for everybody so we all start from zero, everybody is in the same situation. Hopefully the characteristics of the track suit our bike and we can come away with a positive result.”

Cardion AB Motoracing rider Karel Abraham says:

“It’s my very first trip to South America, so surely I’m excited. I heard legends about Argentinian fans from Czech Dakar Rally drivers, so I hope the atmosphere will be the same at the MotoGP race. New tracks are always difficult and just as motivating. In Argentina at least we all start from the same point, so let’s see who will deal with the circuit in the best way. I think new tracks are always challenge for a tyre supplier, so let’s see what Bridgestone bring for us.”

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