Jack Miller will be the sole representative of Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 during this week's MotoGP tests at the Phillip Island circuit. Injured in Sepang, Tito Rabat had to abandon his trip to Australia.
The former Moto2 world champion suffers from a distal radius fracture and fractures to the fifth metacarpal of his right hand and right foot. Injuries due to his fall in turn 11.
But it was above all the lacerations to his left knee that forced the Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS driver to abandon the three days of testing at Phillip Island. Although the surgeons managed to close the wound without resorting to a skin graft, Rabat did not regain enough mobility to get back on his motorcycle in Australia.
Rabat is continuing his rehabilitation today in order to regain mobility in his left knee by the third and final preparatory test session for the 2017 season which will begin on March 10 at the Losail international circuit on March 10.
After a positive first test session in Malaysia, Jack Miller is eager to get back behind the bars of his Honda RC213V at Phillip Island. The Australian took a step forward in the settings of his machine at Sepang, managing to improve the feeling with his front axle, something he had struggled to find since his MotoGP debut in 2015.
The Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 driver plans to continue his progress at Phillip Island in order to reduce the gap to the top of the timesheet.
Jack Miller:
“We arrive in Australia after three good days of testing at Sepang, and the aim is to continue to progress from there. The times in Malaysia didn't really reflect our progress with the front axle because I didn't have the opportunity to switch to a soft tire at the end of the session, but the improvement was there. I ended up finding that feeling with the front end that I had been missing for a long time and it really gave me confidence. We must now take the next step by getting closer to the best times. I feel fitter than ever, I've been training hard and I'm looking forward to racing at Phillip Island, the best circuit on the MotoGP calendar. »
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“Tito has worked hard to be ready for Phillip Island after his severe injuries from the Malaysia tests. But if the fractures have already consolidated well, which could have allowed him to ride this week, his knee injury turned out to be more complicated than expected. Despite the work carried out with physiotherapists, he has not regained sufficient mobility in terms of the scars. This could have led to a rupture of the points, with the risk of an infection, if he had ridden this week. This is why we preferred that he continue his rehabilitation and skip Australia in order to best prepare for the next test session in Qatar. It was the best decision for the driver and the team. Jack made progress with the set-up of his bike in Malaysia, but he still has a lot to do to confirm his full potential this season. We need to close the gap to the best and that will be Jack's goal this weekend at Phillip Island. »
