The final phase of this year’s Moto2 World Championship gets underway this weekend, with Elf Marc VDS Racing Team riders Tony Arbolino and Filip Salac ready to face the fearsome Phillip Island track.

• Round 17 in Australia is the first of four races to take place in the final five weeks of the campaign, with Arbolino and Salac both confident they can be in the hunt for podium success at arguably the most spectacular venue on the World Championship calendar.
• The action gets underway at 935am local time on Friday morning for an extended 55-minute FP1, with the race action Down Under due for lights out on Sunday afternoon at 1215pm over 23 laps.

/// TONY ARBOLINO

• Italian Arbolino is within striking distance of the top five in the overall rankings and is eager to get back to challenging for the podium this weekend at the Phillip Island track he adores.
• The 24-year-old was in a class of his own last season as he superbly mastered bitterly cold and wet conditions to win by the huge margin of over 15 seconds in a race red flagged after nine laps.
• After tumbling out of second two years ago in Moto2, Arbolino’s other points finish at Phillip Island came when he finished ninth but only 1.6s off the podium in a Moto3 thriller in 2019.

“We have the speed and potential to be very strong”

“The first triple header was very intense but now we are ready for another one after a good break where I was able to prepare myself very well both physically and mentally for the busy end to the season. I felt we were competitive and capable of a strong result in Japan but the tricky conditions made it a very strange race. We have the speed and the potential to be very strong once again in Australia. We have no pressure, so we can try to enjoy these last four races. Phillip Island is an amazing track and beautiful place to race. I won there in 2023 and would love to do the same again but I hope we have better weather than last year!”

/// FILIP SALAC

• A stunning ride to a first Elf Marc VDS Racing Team podium at the previous round in Japan was the perfect boost as Salac targets another big weekend in Phillip Island.
• The Czech rider was firmly in the hunt for a podium in a wet and wild Australian Grand Prix 12 months ago when he crashed out of third place on lap four.
• A succession of recent strong results means Salac arrives in Australia full of motivation and determination to score points for the first time at the picturesque Phillip Island. 

“We want to battle at the front again”

“Phillip Island is a truly stunning track and one that I always look forward to racing at. In the past I have always been fighting for a good result without finishing and with a bit more luck I feel I could have already finished on the podium there. So this year I’m really fired up to get the job done and get this triple header off to the best possible start. The podium in Japan was not just a great boost for me but also the whole team, so I think everybody is ready to head to Australia to see if we can be in the battle at the front again.”