Alex Rins & Alex Marquez joined by Maria Herrera at Jerez

The MotoGP World Championship reaches Europe this weekend and the historic Jerez circuit, direct from the last round in Argentina.

For Alex Rins and Alex Marquez, the return to the Andalusian track will allow them to start a weekend with more track familiarity than at the previous three rounds. After testing at Jerez in preseason, they will have useful data with which to continue their progress.

They will not be the only Repsol representatives in Moto3, as Maria Herrera will repeat her wildcard entry from last year’s Aragon GP at another Spanish track. Three weeks ago, she was victorious at Jerez in the FIM CEV Repsol’s most recent round.

Alex Rins
“I don’t have fond memories of the last few Spanish Grands Prix at Jerez, but we will try to do as well as possible this year. I am very eager to work hard whenever we get out on track, and to give 100% in the race. Having the fans there is the best thing about the race; the fact that everyone comes out to support you is a big boost to your motivation.”

Alex Marquez
“Jerez is a circuit that we know well. We did the IRTA official test there and I think that with our preseason work we were strengthened ahead of the season’s start in Qatar. I think that the base that we have is good, but I also think that we need to be focused and work intensely to improve our setup, feel on the bike and to give our all on the track. It is a home GP and having the fans there is something extra that you need to deal with; they give you a lot of extra motivation, but if you don’t keep your focus then that same motivation can cause you problems.”

Maria Herrera
“I am approaching this wildcard appearance with more calm than when I rode at Aragon in 2013. I’m not saying that I won’t be a little nervous, but this year I have already ridden with World Championship riders at Almeria in preseason and I adapt better after that, rather than when I was sharing a track with Rins, Marquez and others having only seen them on the television. I’ve already competed at Jerez in the FIM CEV Repsol this year and this is a positive, but I still am not completely familiar with the new bike. Jerez is my favourite track; it has corners which I like a lot, so I’ll make the most of this. The aim this weekend is to go round quicker than we did in the FIM CEV Repsol and, above all, learn as much as we can throughout the Grand Prix.”

Source: Repsol Media