Forward Racing Team duo ready to conquer Argentina

Barely two weeks after the inaugural round of the season, Luca Marini and Lorenzo Baldassarri are already on their way to Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina to try to repeat their fantastic results of the opening weekend at the Losail International Circuit. Marini aims to confirm the excellent progress shown in Qatar and is focused on improving his 18th position from last year at the 4.806 km track. Meanwhile Baldassarri feels perfectly in shape, having successfully overcome his tendon inflammation, which prevented him from showing his full potential at the initial Grand Prix of 2017. Both Forward Racing Team riders eagerly await the first free practice, which is set to take place on Friday 7th April at 10.55am local time (5.55am CET).

Luca Marini “Qatar has been a great weekend and now we head to Argentina with a very good feeling. I’m ready and curious to see, how I improved on this track. The race there one year ago has been a difficult one, because the conditions were in between wet and dry. In any case, this week the weather won’t be an excuse as I’m convinced to improve my result from 2016. I am sure that this is possible, but it goes without saying, that we have to work well with the team from the word go on Friday. In reference to the layout, I like the circuit. There are some very fast sections, which are always great fun to ride.”

Lorenzo Baldassarri “Ahead of this weekend I feel really excited and can’t wait for the action to get started. To be honest in Doha everything was a bit strange: the weather, the different time schedule and me not being completely sure about my physical condition. Now I’m more than ready to get back on my bike and concerning my arm, I feel at my 100% again. The circuit itself is nice, I like it a lot, because it’s a good mix of slow and fast corners. For the first session on Friday we have to be careful, as usually there’s a lot of dirt on the surface, which makes it very slippery. Last year the GP was in mixed conditions, therefore the race was not easy at all. Let’s just hope for better weather on Sunday, but we will be ready in any case.”

Giovanni Cuzari – Team Owner “The weekend in Qatar has already been a pleasant surprise. We could clearly see the huge step Luca made during this winter, plus the determination of Lorenzo to overcome all obstacles. I’m honestly thrilled about the great work by the team, during this preseason and the first round as well. While our crew prepared the bikes perfectly, the VR46 riders academy equipped our guys in the best possible way to be ready for 2017. Now we all can’t wait to get to Termas de Río Hondo to give our best again and hopefully celebrate another fantastic result there in order to thank our sponsors for their amazing support.”