Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS makes its third of four visits to Spanish shores this weekend when Franco Morbidelli and Álex Márquez tackle the state-of-the-art Motorland Aragon track for round 14 of the Moto2 World Championship.

Italian Morbidelli heads to the 5.1km track located close to the historic town of Alcañiz in a rich vein of form, with three top five finishes in the last four races moving him firmly into contention for a top three finish in the final World Championship rankings.

With five races of a thrilling 2016 campaign remaining, Morbidelli trails third placed Tom Luthi by just 16-points in what is shaping up to be a fascinating battle behind main title contenders Johann Zarco and Álex Rins.

Morbidelli is one of five riders with ambitions of claiming a top three overall finish this year, and the 21-year-old knows another strong result in Sunday’s 21-lap race will do his prospects the power of good heading into the flyaway triple-header in Japan, Australia and Malaysia.

Márquez is equally determined to shine this weekend, with the Spaniard optimistic that his long quest for a maiden Moto2 rostrum can be ended in front of a large and passionate home crowd.

Márquez finished on the podium at Motorland Aragon when he was in Moto3 back in 2013 and 2014 and he is eager to build on a solid top 10 finish last time out in San Marino to showcase the podium pace he demonstrated in dry conditions in Brno and Silverstone.

Motorland Aragon joined the World Championship schedule in 2010 and was an instant success. It’s ultra-modern facilities and a flowing and challenging layout saw it awarded the prestigious IRTA Best Grand Prix of the Year in its inaugural season and it is now established as the penultimate round of the crucial European phase of the campaign.

Franco Morbidelli:
“I go to Aragon this weekend with the clear goal of continuing my strong run of recent results. Since coming back from the summer break I have performed well and been fast and consistent in all tracks. I have a lot of experience of testing at this track in the past but it is one of four races that I missed last season with my broken leg. I really like the track and I am looking forward to this weekend to build on the momentum of recent races. I’m also determined to keep myself right in the hunt for third overall in the World Championship, so a strong weekend will be important for that.”

Álex Márquez:
“I am really looking forward to this home race this weekend. I always get great support in Aragon and a lot of family and friends come to watch from my hometown, so it is a special event. I really like the track a lot and I am confident that I can put up a strong performance throughout the whole weekend. It looks like the weather is going to be very good and that makes it less complicated to find the best set-up with the bike. Racing at home means you always find that little bit extra and I go there full of motivation and confident I can be in the battle at the front on Sunday.”