---
title: "Valentino Rossi: Circuit of the America’s Track Conditions Fitting for ‘Motocross’"
description: "Nine-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi believes the track conditions at COTA are a 'disaster.'"
date: "2018-04-21"
modified: "2018-04-21"
authors:
  - name: "Jerry Perez"
    job_title: "Deputy Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/20296/valentino-rossi-circuit-of-the-americas-track-conditions-fitting-for-motocross"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "Racing"
tags:
  - "Cal Cruchlow"
  - "Circuit of the Americas"
  - "cota"
  - "MotoGP"
  - "motorcycle racing"
  - "motorcycles"
  - "racing"
  - "Racing News"
  - "Valentino Rossi"
---

# Valentino Rossi: Circuit of the America’s Track Conditions Fitting for ‘Motocross’

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/04/ripshaub_2018_motogp_cota_track-3.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

It's not often that MotoGP riders complain about track conditions at a world-class racing venue, especially one that hosts [Formula 1 cars](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/18735/heres-how-the-2018-formula-1-liveries-shouldve-looked>) every year, but that seems to be the case with Austin's Circuit of the Americas Grand Prix track.

[Yamaha's Valentino Rossi](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19829/motogps-valentino-rossi-gets-a-taste-of-the-ferrari-488-pista>) has voiced his opinion about several bumps found at the Texas track, and it's safe to say that he and several of his peers aren't happy with the racing track's managing body. According to [*Motorsport*](<https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/rossi-worsening-austin-bumps-disaster-crutchlow-1028571/>), Rossi's gone as far as saying that the situation in Austin had become "critical," and that there is so much dust on several areas of the track that visibility has also been compromised.

![message-editor%2F1524335872200-ripshaub\_2018\_motogp\_cota\_track-2.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1524335872200-ripshaub_2018_motogp_cota_track-2.jpg>)
*Rip Shaub*

![message-editor%2F1524335879663-ripshaub\_2018\_motogp\_cota\_track-5.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1524335879663-ripshaub_2018_motogp_cota_track-5.jpg>)
*Rip Shaub*

[Grand Prix of Argentina's winner](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19982/lcr-hondas-cal-crutchlow-wins-explosive-2018-motogp-grand-prix-of-argentina>) Cal Crutchlow and Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro agreed with the Italian, both saying that race organizers had done a "terrible job" and that conditions were downright unacceptable.

"With our bike, it’s difficult because you have a lot of bumps on the straight, so the bike moves very much at more than 300 kilometers per hour and it’s a critical situation," said Rossi. "Last year we asked to do some improvements, they did something but unfortunately it didn’t work."

![message-editor%2F1524335911135-ripshaub\_2018\_motogp\_cota\_track-4.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1524335911135-ripshaub_2018_motogp_cota_track-4.jpg>)
*Rip Shaub*

![message-editor%2F1524335918368-ripshaub\_2018\_motogp\_cota\_track-6.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1524335918368-ripshaub_2018_motogp_cota_track-6.jpg>)
*Rip Shaub*

"Back straight, after the hole, you go up, you go over the crest, \[in\] fifth and sixth \[gears\] the bike moves a lot because of big bumps. There are a lot of bumps in the braking \[zone\] also," Rossi added. "Maybe the biggest one is Turn 18, before the last two lefts, the bodywork touches the ground, [so it’s like motocross](<https://www.thedrive.com/motorcycles/18425/yamaha-introduces-yz65-youth-motocross-bike>). Personally, I like very much this track, but the bumps start to be a problem."

In most cases, when a nine-time MotoGP world champion speaks, things happen, so we can only hope that COTA's bosses are listening and they do what needs to be done—and do it right.

## Author
Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/drive_jerry/>)