After a thrilling start of the year in Qatar, where Andrea Dovizioso won the opening race, the 2019 MotoGP World Championship is ready to visit Argentina for the second round. Here are 10 key stats about the Termas de Río Hondo circuit and the Mission Winnow Ducati team:
• The Argentinian track is the second-fastest on the calendar after Phillip Island, with an average speed of 177 km/h
• The upcoming race will mark the 15th edition of the Grand Prix of Argentina, which will unfold at Termas de Río Hondo for the sixth time. The first GP of Argentina dates back to 1961 and was held at the “Oscar Alfredo Galvez” track, located on the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires.
• In 2017, the same winners of the opening round also claimed the top step of the podium in Argentina: dire Joan Mir (Moto3), Franco Morbidelli (Moto2) e Maverick Viñales (MotoGP).
• Andrea Dovizioso’s best result at Termas de Río Hondo is second (2015), a result he could have repeated the following year if it weren’t for a last-corner crash with Iannone. Still, Dovizioso managed to push his Desmosedici GP until the checkered flag, finishing 13th in front a cheering team and crowd.
• With his win in Qatar, Dovizioso has not 22 wins to his tally, 12 of which came with Ducati.
• Danilo Petrucci’s best result at Termas de Río Hondo is a seventh place scored in 2017.
• To date, Ducati has yet to claim a win on Argentinian soil.
• In 2018, after taking pole position onboard the Pramac Racing Team’s Ducati Desmosedici GP, Jack Miller was the only rider not to change tyres on the grid from slick to rain compounds before the start. As the rest of the field couldn’t start all together from pit-lane, Race Direction opted to separate the Australian from the rest of the grid by a few empty rows. In the aftermath, the starting regulations were further optimized.
• In 2018, both Moto3 (Bezzecchi) and Moto2 (Pasini) had an Italian winner. From 2014 to date, the Italian flag was waived five times on the top of the podium at Termas de Río Hondo.
• Arthur Wheeler won the GP of Argentina in 1962 in the 250cc class at age 46, becoming the oldest rider to ever win a race in the world stage.
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