After a three-week break, Jack Miller and Tito Rabat are ready to begin the most intense period of the 2016 MotoGP world championship. The two riders from Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS will begin it this weekend in Austria.
This Austrian Grand Prix, which will kick off a series of nine races organized over fourteen weeks, will take place on the fast and technical Spielberg circuit, 4,318 km long.
After three top tens in a row, including a famous victory at Assen, Jack Miller hopes to continue the momentum. This summer, the Australian was able to benefit from a two-day test session on the Spielberg circuit, which allowed him to rediscover a track on which he had raced in 2011 as part of the German 125 championship.
At the end of this test, the Australian driver was satisfied with the work carried out on the settings of his Honda RC213V to adapt it to the specificities of the German circuit which only has around ten turns negotiated in barely more than eighty seconds.
The good weather conditions encountered during this two-day test session also allowed Tito Rabat to familiarize himself with the Spielberg track. After a promising first half of the championship, the Spaniard, who is making his MotoGP debut this year, took the opportunity to improve his confidence in the front end of his Honda.
This weekend's race will mark the 25th running of the Austrian Grand Prix. The last one took place in 1997 on the same circuit which was then called the A1-Ring.
Situated in a unique setting, Spielberg is expected to become the fastest circuit on the MotoGP calendar, ahead of the Phillip Island track with an average 5 km/h higher than the Australian track.
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| Jack Miller rides Spielberg |
Jack Miller :
“I am very impatient to return to competition in Austria after enjoying the holidays. I intend to continue my momentum from the last three races. I finished the first half of the championship really well, and I want to keep this momentum going. I'm happy to have been able to test on the Spielberg circuit before this weekend, especially as I was able to drive at a very good pace. We'll have to see what Michelin has in store for us in terms of tire allocation, but during the tests we had no resistance problems. It will be an interesting race because it is a circuit where horses count. This risks giving the red bikes an advantage over our technical package, but as always I am ready to give the maximum. This is the first race of the season where I will be physically at one hundred percent with a good feeling on the bike. I'm really motivated for this weekend. »
Tito Rabat :
“The summer break was good. I unplugged for a full week to recharge the batteries and I am now ready to go back into battle this weekend in Austria. I really enjoyed the circuit during the tests we did there and it will be interesting to return there with the experience of these tests. The Ducatis are likely to perform very well this weekend, but I have to concentrate on the performance of my Honda to better understand my level. It's the best work session I've done this year and I'm therefore confident for the weekend. I learned a lot during the first half of the championship and my goal is to continue to progress at all levels during the second part. I would like to improve my qualifications and get closer to Q2. I also hope to finish more regularly in the points during the last races. »
Michael Bartholemy : Team Principal
“The summer break allowed us to recharge our batteries in order to best prepare for the second half of the championship. Jack and Tito took the opportunity to relax away from the circuits, but they also trained and were able to reflect on their journey over the first half of the season. Now it's time to get back to work. Jack has shown he has the potential to regularly feature in the top ten and we hope he continues to do so now that his leg injured this winter has healed. For his part, Tito took a step forward during the tests at Spielberg by improving his feeling with the front axle of his Honda as well as with the Michelins. This was a good confidence boost for him and we should see him get closer to his teammate. The break has been good, but we are all now impatient to return to competition. »
