Losail, Qatar – 19 March 2016: Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Jack Miller and Tito Rabat are confident they can race to positive results in tomorrow’s season opening MotoGP round under the Losail International Circuit floodlights in Qatar.
 
Miller and Rabat encountered turning issues on a frustrating third night of track action in Doha, with both unable to show their full potential in a difficult FP4 and 15-minute Q1 session.
 
Australian Miller’s night started with an early crash but he was able to restore some confidence to push to a best lap of 1.56.620 that placed him 18th on the grid for tomorrow’s 22-lap race.
 
It was an equally tough evening for Rabat, who was hampered by a lack of front-end feel that prevented him from improving his time of 1.57.108.
 
The Spaniard makes his MotoGP debut from 19th on the grid, but despite tonight’s difficulties, Miller and Rabat remain optimistic that they can start 2016 with point scoring finishes.
 
Jack Miller: 18th – 1’56.620
“It had been a positive weekend up until today started! I had some big problems as soon as I went out in FP4. I wasn’t even pushing on my out lap when I lost the front at turn 15 and that definitely knocked my confidence a little bit. A bike that felt perfect last night just turned into something that was very difficult to ride to the limit tonight. Conditions were not easy with cooler temperatures and a big wind blowing around but I only got one qualifying lap in. At least we found something at the last moment and if I get a decent start tomorrow I think I can have a good race.”
 
Tito Rabat: 19th – 1’57.108
 “I am quite disappointed because we changed a few things on the bike and we kept arriving at the same point. It was difficult to improve the lap time and I didn’t have a good feeling with the bike. All we can do is work hard and try to find a better way. It is so strange and I can’t be happy. The bike doesn’t turn and to be honest I think I was clever not to push any harder because I think it was easy to crash given my feeling with the bike.”
 
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“Tonight was very disappointing and probably not an exaggeration to say it was a disaster after a positive start to the weekend. To be so far down the grid is clearly not where we want to be and Jack and Tito both seem to be complaining about the same issues. We can talk all we want but at the moment we don’t have a solution and that is frustrating. Jack and Tito are very motivated and I hope they can show more of their true potential in the race.”