Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS drivers Jack Miller and Tito Rabat will be able to take advantage of the summer break after two positive days of testing on the Spielberg circuit, in Austria, which will have given them confidence.
These two days of testing which took place in ideal weather conditions allowed Miller and Rabat to discover the Spielberg circuit which is making its appearance on the MotoGP calendar this year. 4,318 km long, this circuit has seven right turns and three left turns with significant variations in terrain.
New for Rabat, Spielberg is not new for Miller. The Australian is in fact one of two drivers to have already raced on the Austrian circuit. It was in 2011 in the German 125 championship.
For Miller, these two days were an opportunity to make up for the time lost at the start of the season when, injured, he was unable to prepare properly. The Australian took advantage of the mild weather to complete 151 laps while evaluating different settings on his Honda RC213.
Rabat also worked on fine-tuning his Honda RC213V in order to get the most out of its Michelin tires, but also on his driving, while familiarizing himself with the Austrian track.
The former Moto2 world champion set his best time in the last session after finding solutions which allowed him to improve his feeling with the front axle. Enough to start the winter break on a good note and build new hopes for the second half of the season.
Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS will return to the Speilberg track in August to attack the second part of the 2016 MotoGP championship.
Jack Miller: 151 laps – 1'24.555
“I like this circuit and I enjoyed driving during these two days. This test was important for me after the days I missed at the start of the year due to my injury. It was good to be able to work freely while having time to ride and pilot the bike. I had a lot of fun. Yesterday we managed to make progress with the settings and we started from that today to improve our performance and comfort on the bike. We will now have a little break to breathe but I am already looking forward to the second part of the championship next month. »
Tito Rabat: 221 laps – 1'54.760
“These two days represented a lot of work for the team and for me. In the end, the result is very interesting. We now understand better how to operate the front tire, and this has allowed me to regain the feeling that I was missing and causing me problems in the last races which were difficult. My understanding of how the tires work has progressed and the team has taken a step forward with the settings. The result is positive. I will now take advantage of the break to analyze this first part of the season before returning to the competition with my batteries well charged. »
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“Jack is feeling confident after his victory at Assen and his good race at the Sachsenring. This confidence further grew during these two days of testing during which he and the team managed to progress in the settings of his Honda RC213V. He will be able to make the most of the summer break and I think he will be in great shape for the restart. This test was also positive for Tito. He has further progressed in his understanding of motorcycles and tires by better understanding how they work. I know he expects more from his results and is sometimes frustrated, but he must be positive and satisfied with the progress made since the beginning of the year. I think he will do even better during the second half of the championship. »
