“The target is to fight at the front every day, not just every race”: the Thursday dispatch from Jerez
Following a groundbreaking event in America, the stage is set for further historic moments at the Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0 de España. The latest episode of the podcast welcomed MotoGP™ Legend Dani Pedrosa, now a test rider for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, marking his return to the grid this weekend as a wildcard entrant.
The excitement continued with the commencement of the first press conference, featuring Championship leader Jorge Martin of Prima Pramac Racing alongside Enea Bastianini of Ducati Lenovo Team and Maverick Viñales, the recent victor at COTA, representing Aprilia Racing. These riders currently hold the top three positions in the Championship standings.
In the second press conference, attention turned to rookie sensation Pedro Acosta of Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, who shared the stage with reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati Lenovo Team.
Stay tuned for a glimpse into the action-packed opening day at the Spanish GP, featuring captivating photos and insightful quotes!
JORGE MARTIN
How confident are you heading into Jerez?
“Austin was difficult for me, even though I was able to save the weekend after a crash in qualifying. I did my best to finish fourth, and I think we got good points for the Championship. For sure, the Spanish GP here in Jerez is always special. I think I have only got one podium in Moto2™, and I think that it’s a good target to be on the podium here to try and improve the results from last season. I remember that I had really good pace here, but I struggled to overtake, so I will work on this side to try and be faster and make the podium in both races.”
ENEA BASTIANINI
How satisfied are you with the start of the season?
“I think I can be satisfied with my approach for these first three races. The team has worked beautifully, and I come into this weekend with two consecutive podiums, which are good results. We are now in Jerez, which is a good track but also really technical, so let’s see how it is. I missed the race here last year, but I am ready, we have a really good base, it is very solid, and I think we can get a good result here, so let’s see.”
MAVERICK VIÑALES
Do you feel you have a package that will allow you to fight for the World Championship?
“To repeat the same results in Jerez is something that we have dreamed about as it would be amazing. But we have to be realistic, smart, and intelligent. Obviously, not every weekend will be like Austin, but the important target is to fight at the front every single day, not just every race. We want to try and deliver the best performance that we can with our bike, especially in Jerez, where it is a track that Spanish riders know really well, and all factories test on a lot, so it is a good challenge for us to keep working and fighting at the front. I don’t think I have seen any negative points on this track for our bike, so we must be competitive and calm so that we will be able to be at the level that we left Portimao and Austin. After that, there is a test which is important, so it will be a challenging weekend for all of us to try and deliver the best result and if it is a win, I will be so happy.”
PEDRO ACOSTA
How much are you looking forward to racing in Jerez?
“It will be nice to race for the first time in Jerez with all the fans, as it is the biggest race for us this season, and it is true that last year, Brad and Jack were fast, as well as Dani when he was a wildcard. It is true that sometimes you feel stronger in the moments when the bike is working well. We have many question marks, and it is true that it was a good weekend for us overall in America, but we don’t know how I will ride in Jerez. We also have to think that we have one more wildcard: Dani Pedrosa, who will be more of a rival than a help, but it will be super nice to ride with him.
How much do you want to add your name to the history books at Jerez?
“Again, I need to start on Friday with FP1 because Fridays are tough for me to understand the tyres, the bike, and the track. So let’s try to work the best way possible and keep calm in difficult moments. We know it will arrive, but we need to keep our feet on the ground and not think about anything.”
PECCO BAGNAIA
How confident are you that your problems can be solved this weekend?
“First of all, I am always happy to race here. It is one of my favourite weekends in terms of the crowd and weather. I think that we can be competitive like we have in the last two years. Right now, we are facing some problems that are slowing us down, but I am quite sure that after the amount of data and laps that we did in Austin, we can take a step forward.”
Is this a good track for you?
“It is one of the first tracks that I raced in Spain. It was always one of my dream tracks that I wanted to see when I was young. I love that it has big braking zones and fast corners, so it is one of my favourites because of that.”
Official MotoGP Press Release
