[roadracingworld.com] - MotoGP: Oliveira Planning To Race At COTA

[Ninjette Newsbot]

CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP*Team prepares for*Grand Prix of The Americas* The CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team is gearing up for the third round of the 2023 MotoGP World Championship, set to take […]

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CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP*Team prepares for*Grand Prix of The Americas*

The CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team is gearing up for the third round of the 2023 MotoGP World Championship, set to take place at the Circuit Of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. The team is eagerly awaiting the event and hopes to have a full squad on hand to compete.

Miguel Oliveira, who suffered an unfortunate injury at his home round less than three weeks ago, is ready to come back to racing this week and is traveling to the United States full of expectations. However, he needs to pass a medical test on Thursday to be declared fit to race after damaging tendons in his right leg. Despite the setback, Oliveira has some good sensations regarding his recovery and aims to make a touch-and-go landing.

Raul Fernandez, who scored the first points of this season and managed to keep up with his fellow Factory Aprilia colleagues in Argentina last time out, is also eager to keep the momentum going. The young Spaniard is aware that the COTA isn’t an easy circuit for the MotoGP class, but he is determined to build on his performance and understanding of his Aprilia RS-GP from round two of 2023.

The American weekend starts this Friday with the first two Free Practice sessions at 10:45 local time (17:45 CET) and 15:00 local time (22:00 CET) for the premier class ahead of a busy Saturday with the new Sprint Race format, which riders and teams still need to get used to.



MIGUEL OLIVEIRA

“I’m obviously excited to start the trip to the US. It was a shame for me to have missed the Argentina GP, but I’m really looking forward to start again working with the team and discover the bike again on this track. It has not been an easy track for me in the past, so I hope that this year I can start turning things around and start the weekend strong. To score points in both the Sprint and the main Race would be really nice and of course important after not being able to do anything the last three opportunities basically. So, overall, I’m very excited.”

RAUL FERNANDEZ

“We had a difficult race Sunday in Argentina. All of us Aprilia riders together with our crews are working a lot to understand what was happening there. Anyway, I think COTA is a good track for me. I really want to enjoy riding and that is the main target, plus trying to understand why we were slower in the race in Argentina. Nevertheless, I think we did a step during the last weekend and in Texas, we aim to confirm this step.”

Razlan Razali, Founder and Team Principal CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team

“We are looking forward to the return of Miguel, which is of course still subject to the medical check on Thursday, but we are confident that he will be cleared to race during the weekend. So, we are back to nearly full strength for the Americas Grand Prix. The COTA is a demanding track with 20 corners and a traditional track that in the past hasn’t been too friendly to the Aprilia.”

“We will continue our work with Raul. He is getting to grips with the RS-GP, has a better understanding now and we hope that in Austin he can be even better. Overall, we look forward to the return of Miguel, continue the development with Raul and aim to score points.”

Wilco Zeelenberg, Team Manager CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team

“After a rainy race in Argentina, we hope we come to a sunny Texas. As we are back together with two riders, we are looking forward to this third round. Missing Miguel in the second round, was very sad for the whole team, being reduced by half. Raul did his best in the rain though, we scored two points. But now we are looking forward to have both crews there and both riders, so we are able to fight together to get good results.”

“Austin is quite a special race track, I’d say. It’s difficult to judge what we can expect there, as both riders have never ridden the circuit with the Aprilia, so we are pretty blind going into that weekend. Also, when we arrive in Austin, it’s always a bit unsure what they have done with the track, as it’s usually quite bumpy. So, let’s see how things look when we arrive in in America. First of all, we hope that Miguel gets declared fit and that the weather is nice and dry throughout the whole weekend. Of course, it’s a long trip again, but we hope everybody is arriving safe and sound in sunny Texas.”

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