Red Bull Ring MotoGP Sneak Peek

Repsol HRC MotoGP riders Pedrosa and Marquez preview Red Bull Ring On the RC213V-S

Getting a sight of MotoGP riders at a new circuit is a bit of a rare sight. After all, the calendar visits mostly racetracks that have been used in prior years. This year, the Red Bull Ring has been added to the calendar. As a decent PR stunt, and slight preview of the track for the riders, Alpinestars and Honda made this video of Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez careening around Red Bull Ring on Honda's ultra-exclusive RC213V-S streetbike. No, it's not in the shape of a 250ml can, and no, it's not actually a brand new circuit.

You might have heard of a track called A1 Ring in the late 1990s or early 2000s that hosted Formula 1 racing. This is that same track, which was purchased by Red Bull after falling into disrepair. After reopening in 2011 it began hosting F1 again, and for the 2016 calendar it’s a new circuit for MotoGP. This means learning new braking points, suspension setups, and data acquisition for all of the riders and teams. Cunning of Honda to have a bike like the RC213V-S, which in race trim is the closest to a modern MotoGP bike as a consumer can purchase. This means Pedrosa and Marquez can ride a new track gathering knowledge and track data, all on a streetbike!

The last time Red Bull Ring (then A1 Ring) was used in a motorcycle grand prix racing season? 1997. The winner of the 125cc race in 1997 was Nobby Ueda, a Japanese rider who retired in 2002. Second place on that day in 1997? Valentino Rossi. Maybe Pedrosa and Marquez need all the practice they can get.