MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
warded. The racing was brilliant.
As for those who had flown
there, along with containers full
of bikes and spare parts or a suit-
case full of spare leathers… they
had a pretty good time too. Or
some of them did.
The first Argentine GP for 15
years was also the last of three
flyaways that have set an impres-
sively high bar for the year to
come. A bar that bears two sen-
VOL. 51 ISSUE 17 APRIL 29, 2014 P53
Briefly...
The new lakeside circuit in the dusty
distance of Argentina's chunk of the
Gran Chaco (Hunting Land) plains
north of the Pampas drew praise
and criticism in equal measure. The
fans loved it, descending on the little
hot-springs resort town from far and
wide. License-plate spotters noted
visitors from all around Latin America,
it was a home race even for Colom-
bian Yonny Hernandez. And riders
loved the layout and fast corners. "It
is very flowing, wide and fast," said
Valentino Rossi; Moto3 ace Jack
Miller found sections reminiscent of
both Phillip Island and Mugello – fine
bike circuits; Marc Marquez called it
"fun, with much sliding," and com-
mented on the variety of corner lines
available.
The down side was dirt: sand made
it slippery and at the same time pun-
ishing for tires, especially on the
first practice day. "There's no way
we could finish 25 laps," said An-
drea Dovizioso. Grip improved as
rubber was laid down, but only on
the racing line, turning it back into
a one-line lap. Financed by the lo-
cal and national government to help
promote tourism to the remote area,
the circuit's greatest strength is hav-
ing been designed with motorcycle
racing foremost: a sharp contrast to
other new tracks where F1 is a prime
consideration. Cars need slow first-
gear corners to promote close rac-
ing; bikes by contrast thrive on fast,
rhythmic tracks. Austin's COTA is a
prime example, with three first-gear
turns. There are none at Rio Hondo.
Italian firm Dromo redesigned the
circuit, and it was an upgrade of an
existing track introducing more cor-
ners and scientific safety design,
continued on next page
On the hunt:
Marc Marquez
sat behind rival
Jorge Lorenzo
for 15 or so
laps before
making his
move in the
Grand Prix of
Argentina.
Marquez.
