10 MotoGP Quotes: Circuit Of The Americas Pre-Race Press Conference

Marc Marquez has never lost a MotoGP race in America. Counting Circuit of The Americas, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, the 24-year-old Repsol Honda rider has racked up 10 victories, with four of those wins coming in Texas.

Maverick Vinales will likely provide the greatest challenge this weekend to Marquez's unparalleled supremacy. The 22-year-old Movistar Yamaha newcomer has a perfect record thus far this season, having won the opening two races in Qatar and Argentina.

Marquez has the most wins and Vinales leads the points standings, but 38-year-old, nine-time world champ Valentino Rossi has made the most starts—21—in America. The Italian is second in points. This weekend also represents the 30th GP held in this part of the world.

Maverick Vinales, Movistar Yamaha: "I have always been really strong here. There are many accelerations and we are really strong in that area. We have to work for the last 10 laps of the race because that is really important here. If we do our 100 percent, we know we can be there, fighting for the victory."

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda: "In the past, this has been a really good circuit for me. But every year is different—conditions, tires, bikes—and the result can change. We will try to work hard on Friday and Saturday. We don't have the best base setup, and that's something we must improve. On Sunday, we will see where we can arrive."

Valentino Rossi, Movistar Yamaha: "Marquez is very, very strong at this track. From the first time we tested here, he is able to ride very fast. But we have to concentrate on ourselves. For me, this track is not fantastic for the results. Last year and in 2015, I was quite competitive. Unfortunately, last year I did a mistake and crashed, but I had good speed."

Cal Crutchlow, LCR Honda: "I look forward to the challenge of this track. It's a difficult track to ride because there are so many corners. Halfway through the lap, you already have 12 corners. I expect another difficult start to the weekend, but hopefully by Saturday and Sunday, we are able to be competitive."

Alvaro Bautista, Pull&Bear Aspar Team: "From the first test I did with the Ducati, I felt really good. It's a bike that, in past, the factory riders fought for the victory or the podium. In Qatar, I was riding well, but I crashed. In Argentina, I also had a good feeling with the bike. I was very competitive in the race, especially in the last half."

Valentino Rossi, Movistar Yamaha: "We try to understand here if what we learned about the bike in Argentina can help us also on Friday and Saturday. The track here is very particular, one of the most difficult for everybody because it is very long and has a lot of corners—a lot of different corners. It's also very demanding for the tires and for the riders."

Johann Zarco, Tech3 Yamaha: "Leading the first six laps in Qatar has been good for my confidence. I was disappointed [with the crash], but the target is not to fight for championship. The confidence from Qatar helped me fight in Argentina. Fifth position was good for the team. Let's see what I can do in Texas."

Cal Crutchlow, LCR Honda: "We are taking advantage of our best ammunition, which is our braking. But we take it past the limit. We know over the years the Honda has been so strong in the braking zone. But this is our big ammunition, so we take more and more every time—we're greedy. Hopefully, it will come a little easier when we get a better base setting."

"Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda: "We take risk at the point where we don't have any control—the brake point. From one circuit to the other—Qatar to Argentina, in this case—we changed a lot of stuff. When you change the setup, you are always looking for the best lap time, but also the feeling of the limit changes a little bit and it's more difficult to find."

Johann Zarco, Tech3 Yamaha: "After Qatar, I could see that I had become more famous. People speak more about me after six laps leading MotoGP than two world titles in Moto2. It's always good, and we must take it as positive, but I say to them, 'Don't forget the small categories. They are so important.'"