The Red Bull KTM Ajo riders arrive at the GP of The Americas with the desire for better results than in Argentina.

After spending a few days in the United States, Niccolo Antonelli and Bo Bendsneyder will conclude their trip Stateside this Sunday with the third round of the Moto3 season in Austin. The Red Bull KTM Ajo riders are determined to have a good performance at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) after two tough rounds to start 2017. The current team World Champions in the class have good memories of the track, with one win –2014, through Jack Miller–, two further podiums –in 2013 with Luis Salom and 2016 with Brad Binder–, and a pole position from Miller in the four previous GPs of The Americas.

Contact from another rider prevented Antonelli from completing the race in Argentina. More comfortable every day with his KTM, the Italian has taken part in all of the five Moto3 races held in Austin. His best result there came two seasons ago, when he placed just off the podium with a fourth position.

For Bendsneyder, this weekend will be his second experience at the Circuit of The Americas. He placed 22nd there in his rookie season and now has a better knowledge of the track. The Dutchman hopes to get back the feeling with the bike that he had in preseason and at Round 1 in Qatar –in which he was one of the fastest riders in the class.

The Moto3 race in Austin will be held on Sunday, April 23rd, at 11:00am local time.

Circuit information – Circuit of The Americas (COTA)
Length: 5.513 m / 3.426 miles
Width: 15 metres
Left corners: 11
Right corners: 9
Longest straight: 1.200 m / 0.746 miles
Constructed: 2012

23 NICCOLO ANTONELLI

“I really like the Circuit of The Americas. It’s very fun. It is a very technical and very physical track; In fact, I would say that on a physical level it’s one of the most demanding on the entire calendar. In the last race in Argentina we took an important step forward, and we only missed out on a good result due to the incident in the race. We will try to continue on the same dynamic and get into the top positions here as well. I’m very happy to be able to ride at this track again, so I’m looking forward to starting Friday’s practice sessions.”

64 BO BENDSNEYDER

“I can’t wait to start the GP of The Americas in Austin, after the tough weekend we had in Argentina. It did help us to learn a lot, however, and I think we are prepared to push hard again. We have to work hard to be as prepared as possible on Sunday at a very difficult circuit, with many corners and where it is easy to make mistakes. We’ll see what lies ahead.”