Spain's Alvaro Bautista is continuing his quest for the front-end feel and confidence that he had with his Honda RC213V before the Dutch round at Assen, since when he has struggled to match his pace that he had earlier in the season.
The target for Italian Michele Pirro is to end a run of misfortune that has seen him forced to retire from each of the last three races. San Carlo Honda Gresini's CRT project remains a work in progress and the Italian is hopeful he can reap the fruit of the team's recent efforts this weekend at the Brickyard.
Álvaro Bautista
“Laguna Seca did not produce the result we were hoping for because I struggled for confidence with the soft front tyre there. After that disappointment I took a few days to relax by the seaside but I have kept up to my training programme and I am ready to race again in America. I have always had good results at Indianapolis and the track should suit the characteristics of our bike. We will try and test the tyres properly during practice to make sure that we don't have a repeat of the last race. I am feeling confident and highly motivated. Indianapolis is a unique circuit because it is anti-clockwise and completely flat, with some slow sections and a very long straight where you need good top speed. Last year I remember having some problems with the front tyre because of the recent resurfacing but hopefully that's not an issue this time.”
Michele Pirro
“Laguna Seca was our third non-finish in a row, this time because of a collision with another rider in the first corner. It's a shame because I really liked the circuit and was enjoying riding there. July wasn't a lucky month for me but together with the team I want to stay positive and focus on overcoming our problems in the best possible way. We have been getting more competitive and our pace is getting closer to the top CRTs so we want to continue that for the remainder of the season. Over the break I have had a bit of a holiday on the beach but I've been training hard too. I have tried to get the right balance of hard work and rest ahead of our next trip to America. I raced at Indianapolis last year and our objective there is to get back to the level we showed at Assen. I am confident we can achieve it.”
Press release courtesy of San Carlo Honda Gresini
