Andrea Iannone is looking for confirmation at Termas de Rio Hondo. The season-opener at Losail saw the Italian having to console himself with ninth place, at the end of a race in which the Suzuki rider tried his best to stick with the leading group. Now that the championship lands in Argentina, The Maniac is striving for continuity.
Despite the difficulties of last season's event, which included a ride-through penalty after he made a false start, 2016 saw him come close to the podium: “I head to Argentina with positive feelings, as I remember that last year we could perform quite well here. The GSX-RR is well suited to the layout and our performance and pace were competitive in 2017. I’m expecting good team work to help me improve session by session."
The Maniac is well aware of what's at stake: “The first races are always important to give the right direction to the rest of the season, I want to try to seize this GP at 100%.”
While Iannone chases continuity, Alex Rins wants to turn things around. In Qatar the Spaniard proved a surprise but just as things were looking up his hopes were dashed by a crash: “I’m positive about going to Termas de Rio Hondo because the circuit is something special and I like it. I remember that last year I came to Argentina with a foot injury but despite this, I have good memories of the track."
One thing is certain, the fans' enthusiasm at Termas de Rio Hondo is hard to beat: “Another good thing about this place is the people: the fans are really close to us and the whole location turns into a big party when welcoming MotoGP.”