Leader of the World Championship since the first Grand Prix contested in Doha, the Italian won again in Argentina, two weeks later, after a great fight with his Spanish teammate after which the latter fell.
Since racing there, the Circuit of the Americas has often posed problems for Morbidelli. Thus in 2014 during the first Grand Prix contested in Austin, he finished seventeenth after qualifying twenty-first, on a Kalex from the Italtrans Racing Team.
Double bingo in 2015, with two top 5s, Franco placing fifth in both qualifying practice and the race, with the same bike in the same team. Last year, he was ninth in qualifying and fourteenth in the race when he joined Monsieur le Comte's team. Marc van der Straten Ponthoz, whose Bentley is registered VDS108 and Lamborghini VDS064.
Following his excellent start to the season, the championship leader hopes to obtain a good result this weekend in order to increase his lead in the Moto2 general classification, currently fourteen points, over the Swiss Tom Luthi.
Franco Morbidelli: « I started the season well with two victories in two races, but this weekend we are going to the Circuit of the Americas where I have never been very comfortable in the past. I have always had problems there, but this year the situation is a little different.
“We know that if we can work hard in testing like we did in Qatar and Argentina, we should be able to do well. I am one hundred percent motivated to maintain my leadership position and ready to face what this weekend in Texas has in store.
Alex Marquez has never been a great triumphant in Austin either. He did not finish his first two races there in Moto3, in 2013 and 2014. He finished the race in Moto2 in 2015, but modestly in fifteenth position, before obtaining his best result last year with eleventh place.
Alex Marquez: « Last year I had problems with my forearms during the race in Austin, but this season the situation is no longer the same. We are going to Texas to bounce back from my last lap crash in Argentina and forget the disappointment of not getting on the podium. We know what we have to do in practice to be in the best possible shape at the start of the race, and that's what we're going to work on.
“I have to stay focused, do a good qualifying like I did during the first two Grands Prix and attack Sunday in the race. I'm confident we can do a good job this weekend »
Photos Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS
