After the GP of Argentina almost two weeks ago, Andrea Iannone and his Suzuki Ecstar MotoGP team have crossed the ocean once again, this time to head to the United States for the 3rd round of the Championship.
The Circuit Of The Americas is the first purpose-built Grand Prix facility in the U.S.A. Near Austin, Texas, the cicuit provides a 5.513km track-length and a capacity for 120,000 fans. Construction of the impressive 1000-acre facility was completed in late 2012, with MotoGP lining up at the track for the first time in 2013. One of its more distinctive features is a nearly 41m-elevation change with an impressive incline at the end of the home-straight, followed by a sharp left.
The circuit is one of the most varied on the GP calendar, with a mix of fast straights and tight hairpin turns, with most sections mirroring at least some part of another famous track around the world. It was designed by well-known German architect and circuit designer Hermann Tilke. The driving direction is counter-clockwise and has a total of 20 corners with 9 right turns and 11 left turns. Sunday's race will be run over 21 laps for a total distance of 115,8 km (72 miles).
Andrea Iannone is awaiting the Americas GP to try to score his first points in the Championship. His performances so far have been very consistent, although it has been very costly in the races. He is also eager for the weekend to get underway as he plans to make up for the troubles encountered in Termas de Rio Hondo…
“The start of the season has not been so positive for me in terms of just results, as I couldn't get any championship points yet, but our performances have improved consistently in the last months and my feeling is that we are doing optimal work,” he said. “The circuit of Austin may not be one of the best for our bike's characteristics, but we have to work hard to be capable to adapt to any kind of circuit."
"This is a challenge that invigorates me, and I feel I have a good support from the Team. I'd really like to have a favourable weekend here in Austin. The atmosphere with the fans is amazing and I think we deserve better results than those we've reaped so far because we are doing a very good job.”
