Bautista eager to regain pre-Mugello form for second half of the season

The MotoGP World Championship moves 2,300 miles east this week, making the journey from the Laguna Seca circuit in California to the world famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the eleventh round of the 2012 season. After skipping the first American appointment, the Moto3 and Moto2 World Championships resume at the world’s best known racing oval, where Team San Carlo Honda Gresini aim to return to the battle at the front of the pack.

Alvaro Bautista continues his quest for the front-end feel and confidence that he had with the Honda RC213V before the Assen round, since when he has struggled to match his early season pace.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of the world’s truly legendary sporting venues and certainly its most famous racing oval. It was built in 1909 and since 1911 it has played host to the Indy 500 car race. Known as “The Racing Capital of the World”, the circuit is located on the west side of the city of Indianapolis, the capital of Indiana state.

Alvaro Bautista “Laguna Seca did not produce the result we were hoping for, because I struggled for confidence with the soft front tyre there. On the Saturday we found a decent rhythm on that tyre, but on Sunday the track conditions were slightly different and it upset the front end so much that I couldn’t brake as hard as I wanted into the corners. We didn’t have the confidence to run at a competitive pace and even though I managed to finish the race with some decent points it was not a true reflection of our potential. 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 also had a good opportunity to catch up with family and friends, so now I am ready to get back to work and get competitive again like we were before Mugello.

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.”

Fausto Gresini “The trip to Laguna Seca certainly wasn’t anything to celebrate for Alvaro and it was even worse for Michele. We needed to work with Alvaro to rebuild his confidence and in practice we managed to do that. It was important for him to finish the race there but now we need to build on that and get him back to the level he showed at Silverstone. Indianapolis should definitely suit our bike so we will be working hard to get it back to the fight at the front of the pack.”

Source: Gresini Racing Press Release