Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/972780
MOTOGP FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 3 / APRIL 20-22, 2018 CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS / AUSTIN, TEXAS P60 iii My Own Race: 93 MARC MARQUEZ 1ST MOTOGP "This weekend I really gave it my all," said Marc Marquez. "Today I was totally focused, as I wanted to remain perfect here at Austin. I don't think that ever in my career have I had such a race, pushing so hard from the first lap. Today I felt that this was the right way and I was able to do it, in part because my bike's setup helped me a lot, so thanks to everyone in my garage as they've worked really well and hard. Today I had special motivation. There was a lot of pressure, but I like the pressure, as it helps to keep focused. I felt a special feeling on the last lap, when I passed in front of Nicky's flag. So, I'm happy with the result and for recovering ground in the Championship, but now we go back to Europe, where we must be consistent, because look who's leading the standings: Dovi, the most consistent rider! The feeling with my bike is very good, and the same has been true in Qatar and Argentina, so we'll try and continue this way." 04 ANDREA DOVIZIOSO 5TH MOTOGP "Even though I struggled a lot today, I'm pleased to return to Europe lead- ing the championship," Andrea Dovizioso said of his race. "This year I was hoping we were going to be a bit more competitive both in Argentina and here in Texas, but we struggled like in 2017. If, however, we look at the points standings 12 months ago, I came to Jerez a long way behind the leaders and now we are leading the championship. It's true that the classifi- cation is very tight, but we've made a big step forward and even though the weekend began in a really difficult way for us, in the end we made the right choices of setup, fairing and also tires, and we took home a good result, useful for the championship." 26 DANI PEDROSA 7TH MOTOGP "I'm more than satisfied with having been able to finish this race and get some good points, and I'd like to thank everyone who has helped me in these days, as well as all the fans for the support they gave me," said Dani Pedrosa who is recovering from an injury. "Honestly, before coming here I wasn't even sure I would be able to do the practices. It was a tough week- end, especially at this track; in some other circuits you might handle the situation a little better with a bit less effort, but this one is super-physical. I wasn't able to enjoy the race like I usually do, even though I took some painkillers that eased the pain a little. That allowed me to focus a bit more, though I don't have much strength. I had a decent start and tried to stick with the guys in front as much as possible. In the end, I struggled to control my bike, but I managed and I'm happy with the outcome." 29 ANDREA IANNONE 3RD MOTOGP "I'm really happy about this podium, finally we have arrived here," said Andrea Iannone. "We've come back after a really difficult period for me and Suzuki, but now things are better. This year we started well, but I struggled a lot during qualifying, especially in Argentina—when you start from further back it's really hard to recover, overtake and use your pace. But during this weekend I've found a good feeling with the bike, and we have found a good balance with the braking. I had been strug- gling with the front end under braking but now we understand the way to go and I'm really happy about this. We're still working to improve some areas but I'm really happy about my work and Suzuki's work because we have always believed in our potential, and step-by-step we are getting closer, this is important. I have learned a lot and we'll try to stay on top."