Enea Bastianini will “aim to take his revenge” at COTA MotoGP

Maverick Vinales isn’t the only Tech3 KTM rider to have won a MotoGP race at COTA, venue for this weekend’s Americas Grand Prix.

Team-mate Enea Bastianini stood on the top step of the podium as a Gresini Ducati rider in 2022 and joined then Aprilia rider Vinales on the rostrum with third place last season.

Such results are a long way from his best race result of ninth so far as a Tech3 KTM rider, although the Italian's RC16 progress was masked by a tangle with Raul Fernandez in Termas.

Either way, Bastianini’s tyre-saving style has also proven an ace up his sleeve in the past at COTA, one of the most physically demanding circuits on the MotoGP calendar.

"Argentina was unlucky for us, which is a real shame because I had made a decent start and the end story could have been different,” Bastianini said. “Anyway, we move on to Austin, one of my favourite tracks of the calendar.

“It will be interesting to see what will my potential will be on the KTM in COTA.

“I have many good memories from Texas, and I love going to the USA. Austin is a great city, and there are always many fans and a good atmosphere, so I'm looking forward to it, and hopefully I can be competitive."

Meanwhile, Tech3 team manager Nicolas Goyon expects Bastianini to come out fighting after a frustrating race in Argentina.

"Enea was frustrated after Argentina's race, as he was pushed out by another rider after recovering seven positions in two laps, so we know that he will aim to take his revenge this week."

Opening practice for the 2025 Americas MotoGP starts in Texas on Friday morning.