Gosselies, Belgium – 5 August 2014: After a three week summer break the Moto2 World Championship battle resumes this weekend in Indianapolis, with Tito Rabat and Mika Kallio both determined to start the second half of the season with a strong showing in America.

Rabat heads to Indianapolis with a 19-point advantage over Kallio at the top of the Championship standings; a lead he is keen to extend this weekend at a track where he won convincingly last season.

However, the 25-year-old Spaniard will have a fight on his hands, as Kallio enjoyed a strong finish to the first half of the season and heads to Indianapolis determined to finish round 10 of the Moto2 World Championship ahead of his teammate once again.

But it’s not just each other that the two Marc VDS riders will have to contend with this weekend. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been extensively revamped over the past 12 months, with five of the 16 turns reconfigured to offer more passing opportunities, while the whole of the infield circuit has been resurfaced.

Jorge Navarro will join Rabat and Kallio in the Marc VDS Racing Team for the first time this weekend. The 18-year-old Spaniard replaces Livio Loi and will campaign the team’s Kalex-KTM Moto3 machine for the remainder of the season. Navarro heads to Indianapolis off the back of his first win of the season in the Spanish Moto3 Championship, in which he’s currently second in the series standings. 

Tito Rabat:
“I’m happy with how the first half of the season went, but now we must focus on the second half, starting this weekend in Indianapolis. My approach for these last nine races will be the same as for the first nine; work hard, put in 100% every time I get on the bike and fight to win races. On paper the Indianapolis track layout has changed a lot, but tracks always look different from the seat of the bike than they do on paper, so we’ll see just how big a change there’s been when we get there.”

Mika Kallio:
“I like Indianapolis, the atmosphere and the history of the place make this race a little bit special. Unfortunately, my history in Indianapolis isn’t quite as good as I’d have hoped for, while Tito has been strong there in the past. Previously we’ve had to use the harder option tyres at Indy and the changes in the tarmac have been an issue, so it will be interesting to see what impact the resurfacing and reconfiguration of the track have on tyre choice. Whatever we find when we get there the aim remains the same. If I want to fight for the championship then I need to finish in front of both Tito and Maverick Viñales again this weekend.”

Jorge Navarro:
“This will be my first race with the Marc VDS Racing Team and I’m very happy to be given this opportunity. Everything is new for me this weekend; the team, the bike and the championship, so we just need to work hard and progress step-by-step. This is a great opportunity and I hope that I can finish my first race for the team in a good position.

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“I suspect the battle between Tito and Mika is about to hot up, starting this weekend in Indianapolis. Tito won here last year, but Mika was the rider on form immediately before the summer break, so it will be an interesting weekend indeed.  The fact that the track has changed significantly since last season will also add some interest, as it will be new to everyone. There is no pressure on Jorge this weekend. Because we had to send the bike direct from Germany to Indianapolis, it wasn’t possible for him to test during the summer break, so this weekend will be all about him familiarising himself with both the bike and the team. Jorge has been competitive in the Spanish Championship this season, winning last time out at Albacete, but the step up to the World Championship is a big one and expectations must remain realistic. Most important for me is that he enjoys racing our bike this weekend.”