ARGENTINA GP: STEFAN EYE A POINTS SCORING FINISH
This weekend’s Gran Premio de la República Argentina, round two of the 2016 calendar, to prove for Stefan Bradl and his Aprilia Racing Team Gresini as an important test bench itself but also to head well prepared for the next race in Texas in just one week.
The highly eagerly awaited opening round in Qatar two weeks ago has brought a disappointing outcome for Stefan Bradl though. On the road to a top-15 finish, the 26-year-old German MotoGP rider had to retire after an early crash whilst his team mate Alvaro Bautista came home in a fine 13th place for the still young project in Aprilia. However, Bradl aims for this weekend’s South American round at the fast and flowing Circuit in Termas de Rio Hondo not just only to make further progress aboard the all-new Aprilia RS-GP but foremost he is eager to open his points tally in this season.
This time the FIM MotoGP™ World Champion visit to the northern part of Argentina is for the third time after it’s inauguration to the series calendar back in 2014. However, the journey is costly in terms of time but arrived once the 4.8 kilometres long and modern race track at the Autódromo Internacional Termas de Rio Hondo offers a lot of joy for all involved parties.
#6 Stefan BRADL (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, Aprilia):
“We still find ourselves in an early phase of our project with the 2016 prototype. However, the bike is improving lap by lap and for this reason precisely, I look forward to every new race weekend. I hope to make progress in the same way and to do well in Argentina, where I like the circuit a lot. For the later it’s normal that excitement and motivation to raise for the upcoming task. The track’s layout is a bit different to common circuits so I think we probably have to work with the setup a bit more than usual. There are no particularly difficult points throughout a lap but it will be an important test bench for us anyway. In addition, because the next race in Austin in just one week is around the corner. But I’m confident in our potential as Alvaro’s Qatar result underlined well. We just need to get some more kilometres in and to aim consistently for the points scoring positions.”
MotoGP™ Time Schedule at the GP de la República Argentina (CET):
Friday, 1 April: 14:55 – 15:40 FP1
Friday, 1 April: 19:05 – 19:50 FP2
Saturday, 2 April: 14:55 – 15:40 FP3
Saturday, 2 April: 18:30 – 19:00 FP4
Saturday, 2 April: 19:10 – 19:25 QP1
Saturday, 2 April: 19.35 – 19:50 QP2
Sunday, 3 April: 15:40 – 16:00 Warm Up
Sunday, 3 April: 21:00 Race (25 Laps – 120 km)
Facts Autódromo Internacional Termas de Rio Hondo:
First time venue for the Argentinien GP: 2014
Length: 4.806 meters
Width: 16 meters
Longest Straigth: 1.076 meters
Left corners: 5
Right corners: 9
Best MotoGP™ Pole-Position: 1´37.683 (2014)
MotoGP™ Lap record: 1´39.019 (2015)
Stefan Bradl‘s Results 2015: Grid Position 16 / 15.