VR46 announce special livery ‘surprise’ for Austin MotoGP

The Pertamina VR46 team of Franco Morbidelli and Fabio di Giannantonio will race in a one-off livery at this weekend’s COTA MotoGP, designed 'as a surprise for the American fans.'

The only clue is that the special livery, which will only appear on Sunday and replace the usual fluorescent yellow and white, is inspired by ‘American culture’.

Morbidelli will be looking to put the livery on the podium for the second successive event, after a debut VR46 rostrum last time in Argentina.

“We are heading to Austin, a track that I love, even if it’s very demanding and different from the past two tracks we’ve been raced at this season,” Morbidelli said.

“We arrive with a great boost in confidence and enthusiasm after the strong result we got in Argentina.

“The goal is to keep that momentum going and start strong from the first day, working as good as we did in the first two races.

“I’m back to the U.S. with a lot of excitement after my time in Brazil last week – it was amazing,” added the Italian, who visited the proposed new MotoGP venue in Goiania.

Team-mate Fabio di Giannantonio, still recovering from pre-season injuries, also enjoyed a memorable Sunday in Termas de Rio Hondo, finishing in fifth place.

“I am excited for the race weekend in the United States,” said the factory-spec GP25 rider. “We are making progress, the recovery is going well and I’ve been training normally in the past few days.

“Austin is one of the most demanding tracks of the calendar, so it’s important to arrive there as prepared as possible.

“I’m happy with my physical preparation, we will try to maintain the momentum we built in Termas too. Starting strong from the start will be crucial.”

di Giannantonio finished sixth at COTA last season.

The team’s best Austin finish was second place by former rider Luca Marini in the 2023 event.