New track & new goals await Jordi Torres & Nico Terol in Argentina

It may not be quite as long as Losail or the Circuit of the Americas but it’s not far off. The third venue to host the MotoGP World Championship in 2014 is the Termas de Río Hondo circuit in Argentina and at 4.806km in length there is plenty for the riders to learn as they visit the exciting facility for the first time.

Only a handful of riders have been here before; Bradl, Bautista, Crutchlow, Barberá, Terol and Rabat having been invited to complete some exploratory laps of the track last July and they found it both technical and demanding, which should make for an exciting weekend for the riders and fans alike. Rabat and Viñales are the race winners in the Moto2 class so far this season but there could easily be a third this weekend.

Despite COTA being a circuit that favoured them on paper both MAPFRE Aspar riders did not get the luck required to go with them and now Jordi Torres and Nico Terol are hoping for brighter fortunes as they head south and cross continents.

Torres knows that he had the pace to be on the podium in Austin if it wasn’t for a collision with another rider in the first turn and Terol has the advantage of some prior track knowledge here.

The pair will therefore look to make a strong start to their weekend at Termas de Río Hondo and be amongst the pacesetters from free practice on Friday.

Jordi Torres:
“I feel really motivated by the idea of racing in Argentina. It will be a totally new track for virtually everybody because only a handful of riders have been there before. I like the uncertainty of not knowing who it could suit and who might struggle. We managed to find a really good base setting for the bike at Austin and we made up half a second on our lap times in the race so even though we didn’t get the result there because of something that happened out of our hands we go to Argentina with a lot of confidence. The extra surprise factor of going to a new country is really interesting and I am looking forward to seeing what it is like there. It will be a challenge to see how quickly I can adapt to the circuit and get the most out of my bike there.”

Nico Terol:
“I really enjoyed the test in Argentina last July. It is a wide track and you can really let the bike run through the corners. I remember having a good feeling at the track and our pace on the last day was pretty decent. Hopefully we can get there and find the same positive feeling straight away. Qatar and Austin did not go as well as we hoped or expected so hopefully Argentina can be an early turning point in our season. We have to keep working hard and get our confidence back as quickly as possible. The fact we have ridden in Argentina before represents a slight advantage over the others that we have to make the most of.”

Source: Aspar Media