As MotoGP nears its third-consecutive appearance at Circuit of the Americas just outside of Austin, Texas, the track released a teaser video to amp up anticipation. Only man was needed for the job – 1993 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz, who is partially responded for COTA’s existence.During the video, titled “Two Minutes at COTA with Kevin Schwantz,” the 50-year-old Texan explains the many challenges that are present at the 3.426-mile circuit containing 20 turns and multiple elevation changes.
Schwantz knows COTA well; he spearhead the creation of the circuit, and assisted in the design. Kevin says COTA encompasses everything that’s challenging in racing, and he believes it’s layout makes it “one of the most physical tracks to race at anywhere in the world.”We concur; we spent a day testing the 2015 BMW S1000RR, and the track was by far the most physical on the body and mind. After riding at COTA, it quickly gives you a new respect for the talent in MotoGP – or any other road-racing series that competes there.In the video above, Schwantz pilots a Suzuki GSX-R1000 around the circuit, explaining its layout. He then mentions how great the circuit displays the true talents of MotoGP pilots like Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Marquez – three riders that will surely be battling during this year’s COTA GP, which is scheduled for April 10-12.For a review of last year’s race, visit 2014 Circuit of the Americas MotoGP Results.Suzuki’s Kevin Schwantz
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This week, in the first segment Editor Don Williams talks to us about the new Kawasaki Versys 650 LT. It’s the middleweight ADV style machine that uses the same 650 parallel twin motor as the Ninja 650, so it’s an excellent performer in a user-friendly, good looking package.
In the second segment, I chat with one of my dearest industry friends—now retired Honda PR executive, Jon Seidel. Jon’s fascinating career spans some 30 years with Big Red, and gave him some great experiences with some incredible machines. I was fortunate enough to be invited on many of the press launches that he organized. His new project is documenting and saving many of the old archives from years gone by—and incidentally, if you have anything that may be of value to the project, please contact us by email at producer@ultimatemotorcycling.com and we’ll pass it all on to Jon.
So on that note, from all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!