Miller and Rabat aim to keep momentum rolling in Assen
Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Jack Miller and Tito Rabat have set their sights firmly on another strong double result when the MotoGP World Championship resumes in Holland this weekend.
Buoyed by brilliant performances in Barcelona, Miller and Rabat have taken full advantage of a welcome two-week break to further convalesce from injuries suffered earlier this year in advance of the legendary Dutch TT at Assen.
Miller has undertaken an intensive training schedule, which included a cycling stint on the Isle of Man, to further build strength in the right leg he broke in two places back in late January.
The Australian is now raring to go for round eight of the 2016 campaign after he finished inside the top 10 for the first time in his premier class career at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The two-week break gave Rabat the perfect opportunity to return to 100% fitness after his courageous and controlled ride to 14th in Barcelona came just 15 days after he broke his left collarbone in a Mugello practice crash.
Rabat has continued with an exhaustive rehabilitation to be in prime physical condition for the challenge of racing on the 4.5km Assen track where he finished runner-up in Moto2 12 months ago.
This weekend’s race is the 250th MotoGP encounter to be staged since it was introduced as a replacement for the 500cc two-stroke class and marks a momentous break in tradition for Assen. All previous 85 Dutch TT’s have been held on a Saturday, but for the first time in its distinguished history, the only race to have featured in each World Championship campaign since 1949 will be staged on a Sunday.
Jack Miller:
“It was a good weekend in Barcelona, but we can't get ahead of ourselves off the back of one good result. We found some direction in Barcelona and we need to keep working to improve both our qualifying performance and our race pace. I'm looking forward to getting to Assen and giving it a go round there. I like the track; last year I had really good speed there on the open bike, so I'm looking forward to trying the factory bike there this time around.”
Tito Rabat:
“The race in Barcelona definitely gave my confidence a good lift and I needed it after the injury problems from Mugello. It was good to have the two-week break because I needed it to help my left shoulder fully recover. I have been working really hard to get back to my peak level of fitness and I feel going to Assen I will be able to push at 100% again. I really like Assen and it will be great for me to ride a MotoGP bike for the first time at such an iconic venue. It is important that I can build on the point scoring finish in Barcelona with another strong challenge for the top 15 again this weekend.”
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“For us Barcelona was the high point of the season so far and we need to carry the same momentum into this weekend's race at Assen. Jack secured his best ever result in MotoGP last time out, which was a welcome boost to his confidence after what has been a tough start to the season. Hopefully he can build on that this weekend, at a track at which he went well last year. Tito heads to Assen with another two weeks of recovery and training under his belt, so I'm sure he'll be back to full fitness and looking to continue his progress with the Honda RC213V this weekend.”