Video: Marquez and Pedrosa at the Red Bull Ring

Learning a new racetrack is always a thrill for a racer, and MotoGP riders Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa are no different. Recently the Repsol Honda pair were given the opportunity to ride on the newly refurbished Red Bull Ring in Austria on a pair of Honda RC213V-S production street bikes. The Red Bull Ring will host a round of the 2016 MotoGP World Championship on August 14, marking a return of Grand Prix motorcycle racing to Austria after a 20-year absence.

The original 3.7-mile circuit known as the Österreichring was built in 1969, but safety concerns with the ultra-fast course prompted a complete redesign in 1996, with the circuit shortened to 2.7 miles in length and renamed the A-1 Ring. The circuit hosted a round of the World Motorcycle Grand Prix Championship in 1996 and 1997. Unfortunately the grandstands and ancillary buildings soon became outdated, and the facility fell into disrepair until the property was purchased by billionaire Red Bull energy drink owner Dietrich Mateschitz in 2004. The facility was completely rebuilt, and reopened in 2011. The "new" Red Bull Ring was apparently impressive enough to warrant a return of F1 to the circuit in 2014, with MotoGP now following suit this year.

Click on the play button above and listen to Pedrosa narrating an onboard camera lap of the 2.7-mile, nine-turn racetrack.