Monster Yamaha Tech3 team riders Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith eye up the Grand Prix of The Americas full of confidence as they intend to swoop to two more strong finishes. After both riders persevered and delivered convincing performances at the previous GP in Argentina, they will seek to clinch another brace this weekend in the final race before the MotoGP paddock heads to Europe.

Pol Espargaro intends to follow up his 6th place in the fiercely contested round two battle by sealing the best independent rider honours in this weekend’s Grand Prix. Whilst Bradley Smith will look to extend his consecutive 26 race point scoring finish run and compete with his teammate for a top eight result.

Pol Espargaro -  Championship : 6th Points : 19 

"After the outcome last week, I am more determined than ever to get back to where we need to be, which is fighting for and winning the top independent team contest. We, as riders, dealt with a lot in Argentina, which included the dirty track surface, the weather as well as the tyres. The race was certainly a tough one and even though I am pleased that I got 6th, I feel I could have been more competitive. That is what I plan to do in Texas which is a circuit that I enjoy racing at. The ascent to the first corner is something special and always breath-taking to ride on a MotoGP bike. However, we are there to gain a strong result more than enjoy the track, and after the disappointing time that we had last season, I am highly motivated about riding to a good position this year."

Bradley Smith -  Championship : 9th Points : 16 

"Next for us is the Circuit of The Americas after the tough GP that we had a few days ago. In some respects, it’s good to have back to back races because there’s no time to relax in between the events and it’s important to stay focused and ready for the next outing. Once again, the tyres will be vital in Texas as the track is very physical and demanding, so we will have to get to work as soon as we arrive at the circuit. In Argentina, we took a gamble with a setting that we had never used before and which didn’t work really well for us, but we have to learn from this and get down to business on Friday morning. The ambition as always, is to be the top independent rider on Sunday, which I achieved last year, therefore I’m confident and looking forward to hitting the asphalt on my Yamaha YZR-M1.”

Hervé Poncharal - Team manager :

“There will be no rest for the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team after Argentina as we head straight to the fantastic Circuit of The Americas. This event is one that we always enjoy visiting and the facility is very impressive, but we are there to race and we are optimistic about what we can attain. Both guys did their absolute best in Argentina and with their results the Tech3 Team has gained 3rd in the team standings, which I am pleased about. However, we have to keep pushing in Texas to try to consolidate that position. Pol did a good job at Rio Hondo and has started the season in an impressive manner. He just missed out on the top independent position last time, but we are sure that this has fired him up more than ever for success at round three. As for Brad, it’s amazing that he is now 6th in the longest successive point scoring finishers in the premier-class. For sure this will not alter his ambitions as no doubt he will be looking to go one better than before and clinch a top 8 if not higher. Both guys are doing well, so lets get ready for Austin and see what we can do there.”