Gosselies, Belgium – 26 May 2014: The iconic Mugello circuit plays host to round six of the Moto2 World Championship this weekend. Mika Kallio and Tito Rabat head to Italy determined to continue the Marc VDS Racing Team’s 100% podium record in 2014.

It’s a big ask for the two Marc VDS teammates as neither has ever finished on the podium at Mugello before. However, with four race wins and three podium finishes between them so far this season, that’s a situation both Kallio and Rabat are confident of rectifying this weekend in Italy.

Kallio is the rider on form at the moment, having taken back-to-back wins in Jerez and Le Mans to close to within seven points of his Marc VDS teammate at the top of the championship standings. But the Finn knows he will have a fight on his hands this weekend, as Rabat, who celebrated his 25th birthday on Sunday, looks to reaffirm his position as championship favourite.

The Marc VDS Racing Team’s Moto3 rider, Livio Loi, showed his potential with fourth place in Argentina, but the suffered the disappointment of finishing outside the points in Jerez and Le Mans. The 17-year-old Belgian heads to Italy this weekend looking to rediscover both his confidence and his pace aboard the Kalex-KTM Moto3 machine.

Mika Kallio:
“I don’t know what it is about Italian tracks, especially Mugello, but I never seem to get the results I was expecting there. I like the track a lot, with the changes in elevation and the fast corners, but many times in the past we’ve had problems at Mugello. I hope this time will be different, as I feel more confident going into this race off the back of the two wins in Jerez and Le Mans. We just need to continue working as we did during the last few races and, hopefully, I will finally be able to add Mugello to the list of tracks at which I’ve finished on the podium.”

Tito Rabat:
“We go to Mugello with the same aim as we’ve gone to every race so far this season; to win. I like the track, it’s one of my favourites on the Grand Prix calendar, but it hasn’t always been so kind to me in the past. This year is different though, as I feel better prepared than ever and we head to Italy off the back of two race wins and two podiums, which means the confidence is high. Mika has had two good races and has closed the gap at the top of the standings, but it’s still too early to be thinking about the championship. With 13 races still to go, we need to remain focussed on the race by race approach that has worked well for us so far this season.”

Livio Loi:
“In Argentina the feeling with the bike was good from the first practice and that gave me the confidence to push in every session and in the race. The situation in Jerez and Le Mans was different, as the feeling with the bike just wasn’t there and we ended up chasing a set up all weekend. It knocks your confidence when this happens, and confidence is all-important. When the feeling with the bike is good even a small improvement has a big impact on lap times, because you’re confident enough to push harder. This is what we’ve been missing the last two races and, hopefully, it’s something we can rectify this weekend in Mugello.”