MotoGP: Miguel Oliveira targets return to action at the Circuit of the Americas

Miguel Oliveira will travel to the Circuit of the Americas, Texas, this weekend with the CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team in the hope of being passed fit for the American Grand Prix.

The Portuguese rider missed the second round of the season in Argentina after being left injured following an incident with Marc Marquez. The latter clattered into Oliveira after locking up under breaking on the run into turn three.

Initial scans at the medical centre were positive in that there were no fractures or extensive damage caused to Oliveira’s body, however further scans later that week revealed that Oliveira had sustained damaged tendons in his right leg.

Oliveira will now need to pass a fitness test on Thursday in order to be passed fit to ride.

“I’m obviously excited to start the trip to the US,” Oliveira said. “It was a shame for me to have missed the Argentina GP, but I’m really looking forward to start working with the team again and discover the bike again on this track. It has not been an easy track for me in the past, so I hope that this year I can start turning things around and start the weekend strong.

“To score points in both the sprint and the main race would be really nice and of course important after not being able to do anything the last three opportunities basically. So, overall, I’m very excited.”

Oliveira was one of four riders to initially be ruled out of the Argentina round. Marquez was also missing having undergone surgery on a fractured first metacarpal on his right hand, whilst Enea Bastianini was ruled out with a broken collarbone.

Pol Espargaro is out of action indefinitely after sustaining fractures to his back and jaw, and damage to his lungs in a huge crash during FP2 at Portimao.

Joan Mir also missed the Grand Prix race due to cranial and cervical trauma sustained in a crash during the sprint race. This left just 17 riders on the grid.

The schedule for this weekend’s US Grand Prix is (UK Time):

Friday April 14

Practice 1 – 16:45-17:30

Practice 2 – 21:00-22:00

Saturday April 15

Free Practice – 16:10-16:40

Q1 – 16:50-17:05

Q2 – 17:15-17:30

Sprint – 21:00

Sunday April 16

Warm Up – 15:45-15:55

Race – 20:00