Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team Will Tackle Texas With One Rider

07-04-2022

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team Will Tackle Texas With One Rider

Manuel Gonzalez will be the lone hero for the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team this weekend as Keminth Kubo is unable to join him at the Grand Prix of The Americas due to a problem with his visa.

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team is heading into the Grand Prix of The Americas weekend with only rider Manuel Gonzalez attending the event.

Gonzalez showed repeatedly what he‘s made of during the Argentina GP last weekend. He secured a top-10 start in only his third Moto2 race weekend and came back from a collision and last place on lap 1 of the race to receive his first championship points, crossing the finish line in fourteenth position.

The Circuit of The Americas is again a new track for the Spanish talent. He is keen to make his first laps there, as he has heard it‘s quite technical and he likes a challenge.

Kubo will sit out the Texas meet because he was denied access to the United States of America. The team can‘t wait to be reunited with the Thai rider in Portimao, Portugal, in two weeks‘ time. In the meantime, they will be putting their full effort into supporting Gonzalez this weekend at the tricky Austin track.

Constructed in 2013, The Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is one of the newest on the calendar, having been added to the Grand Prix schedule that same year. Its length of 5513m and mixture of fast straights and tight hairpins make the track both challenging and exciting to master for teams and riders. They need to find exactly the right balance for their bike‘s set-up to suit the 11 left, 9 right turns, and the 1,200m straight in order snatch a place on the podium. The especially sharp Turn 1 will be a place where the fans can expect a lot of overtaking action, both at the start and during the race.

The Grand Prix of The Americas is held in the GMT -5 time zone. FP1 will take place on Friday from 09:00 - 09:40 local track time, followed by FP2 from 13:15 - 13:55. On Saturday, FP3 will be held from 09:00 - 09:40, and the qualifying sessions from 12:35 - 13:15. On Sunday, Warm Up is held from 09:20 - 09:30 and the race starts at 11:20.

Gelete Nieto

Sports Director

"We are now at a difficult track. In my opinion, this is one of the most challenging circuits on the MotoGP calendar. If we can achieve a good result here, it would be a very good starting point for Manu. To get this done, we need to work well starting from the Friday sessions. Manu arrives in Texas with positive vibes and is very excited after the Argentina round. It's a pity that Kubo couldn‘t come to the USA. It would be important for him to ride on this track because it‘s a technically well-rounded circuit, and for sure he would have been able to improve his riding style. We look forward to continuing our work with him in two weeks‘ time in Portimao."

Manuel Gonzalez

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team

"I'm very excited to race in the USA. Texas is an incredible place. The sights are amazing, and the circuit is incredible too. I really want to start riding here. It's a shame that Kubo couldn't attend this race. I will be alone this weekend, but it will not be a big problem for me. I will try to learn every day, like every race, and I will try to improve."

Keminth Kubo

Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team

"Of course I'm very disappointed that in the end I couldn't enter the USA and race in Austin. The team did all they could to help me, but finally it wasn't possible. I will still be watching the race and supporting my team and Manu, and I can't wait to ride again at the next GP in Portimao."