Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Jack Miller finished the season in the points with a determined ride into 15th place in Valencia today.

The 30-lap race at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit completed a roller-coaster season for Miller with the thrill of his maiden MotoGP victory in Assen combined with some debilitating injuries.

The gritty Australia rider expected more from the final race but struggled with grip and shifting issues and was unable to improve upon his starting position of 15th on the grid.

Miller lost ground early on with a full tank of fuel and conceded a gap to the group of Scott Redding, Stefan Bradl and Danilo Petrucci in the battle for 12th place.

A single championship point in the final race of season gave Miller a tally of 57 points for the season and 18th in the standings.

Tito Rabat completed his rookie MotoGP season with Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS with 17th place after finding an impressive burst of extra pace in the race.

Rabat has been unfazed by the pressure of his first year in MotoGP and took some valuable lessons away from Valencia in a tight battle with Eugene Laverty over the final laps. At the finish Rabat was just three seconds behind teammate Miller.

Rabat finished the season on 29 points and 21st in the standings. 

Preparations for the 2017 season begin at Valencia on Tuesday with Miller and Rabat scheduled for the end-of-season two-day test.

Jack Miller: 15th
“This is not the result I wanted but I struggled right from the beginning of the race with a full fuel load, I just couldn’t push as hard as I wanted. The guys ahead got a gap and by the time I got some pace mid-race it was too late. Towards the end I struggled with wheelspin and also the downshifts into turn one. But I’m happy to bring it home in the points and go to the test on Tuesday and try some new parts for next year.”

Tito Rabat:  17th
“My priority was to not crash and finish the race so it has been a positive end to the season for me, I have learnt a lot. I had good feeling after a couple of laps and was able to make a good pace but as the tyres went down I lost some feeling. But I had a good battle with Kallio, Baz and finally Laverty and we touched a couple of times in the final laps. But I stayed calm and confident and understood where I can make improvements in the future. Now I’m looking forward to the test here on Tuesday to begin preparations for next season.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“A very difficult race for both our riders today and the result is a little disappointing because I was hoping for a better result for Jack. The main positive from today was that Tito made the same lap time as Jack and the riders in front of him. This was impressive considering he had struggled for pace all weekend.”