PHOTO: Cris DeWitt
AUSTIN, Texas (March 30, 2015) – As the MotoGP championship turns its focus to the Texas capital of Austin, home of the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas™ (April 10-12), Repsol Honda’s Spanish duo of Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa have expressed their excitement at returning to Circuit of The Americas, hoping to put the Qatar race behind them. The duo have dominated on this circuit since it first hosted a MotoGP race, including last season when they secured another one-two finish for their team here, and they will be looking to secure a similar result this year.
Tickets for the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas are on sale now. Fans 15 and younger receive free general admission with a ticketed adult, and discounts are available for military members. Parking is free for fans arriving by motorcycle. Dry camping, RV spaces and private hospitality options for groups of 30 or more are available for purchase. To explore ticket options, visit www.
The Repsol Honda Team enjoyed a magnificent 2014 season, winning Honda’s third Triple Crown in four years – Rider (Marquez) Constructor and Team titles – and second in succession. The team will no doubt be gunning for glory again in 2015.
Current world champion Marc Marquez is particularly excited to be coming back to Austin, where he will hope to replicate his 2014 performance when he finished in first place, 4 seconds ahead of his teammate Pedrosa in a hugely successful race weekend for Repsol Honda. Reminiscing on his experience at Circuit of The Americas last year, Marquez reflected, “I really enjoyed it! I love this circuit and I feel so good on and off track here.”
His general experience of Austin was an overwhelmingly positive one, with the World Champion describing the city as “vibrant” and one he is keen to discover more of this time around. “I really would like to see much more,” he declared. “Austin is a city for students and when you are walking around you realize that there is a lot of fun to be had! For me, it’s one of the best venues on our race calendar.” Indeed, Marquez credits Austin in particular, for helping to grow MotoGP’s ever-increasing popularity in the United States: “I think MotoGP in the US is growing and Austin has been very successful the last two years, so let’s hope this continues!”
His teammate, and fellow Spaniard, Dani Pedrosa admitted to the media after his sixth place finish in Qatar that arm pump issues have been affecting him since last season, and he’s not sure how to proceed. His aim is to race in Austin – a circuit he clearly loves: “There were so many people [in 2014]and the atmosphere was really good!”
Just like Marquez, Pedrosa loves the “energetic” city of Austin and would like to get to know it better. “You can feel it is a young city with a good ‘buzz’,” he said, “it’s always so full of energy and I’d like to see more of it!” Pedrosa went on to declare his optimism with regards to the sport’s future in the U.S.: “It’s good to see the sport growing there [the U.S.A.], which is important for the manufacturers. Let’s hope we have an even better turn out this year in Austin!”
With both riders ready and focused on the new season, Austin and the thousands of MotoGP fans that will stream to Circuit of The Americas over the weekend of April 10-12can expect a strongly contested battle as they pursue a repeat of last season’s Repsol Honda one-two finish. Whether they can successfully repeat this feat will be fascinating to watch, as will the individual battle between these two friends, teammates and countrymen. American Moto GP fans are in for a treat.
