Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Alex Marquez and Joan Mir are eager to shine on the Adriatic coast this weekend to make up for the disappointment of the cancelled British Grand Prix.

Alex Marquez heads to the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli this weekend fully motivated to be a leading contender for success in round 13 of this year’s Moto2 World Championship.

The Spanish rider has excellent pedigree at the 4.2km track after taking podium finishes in the Moto3 category in 2013 and 2014.

His sights are now set firmly on a first Moto2 top three finish at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli to banish the painful memory of his last experience at the track one year ago.

Marquez was forced to miss last year’s race after he suffered a left hip injury resulting from a violent high-side crash when he was top of the timesheets in FP1.

Joan Mir can’t wait to be back on track this weekend, with the Spanish star aiming for a third successive podium finish at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Sunday’s 25-lap race.

Mir charged through from 15th to third on his first World Championship appearance in San Marino in 2016 and in treacherously wet conditions last season he started and finished a superb second.

The Moto2 action kicks off with FP1 on Friday morning at 1055am local time, with Sunday’s race scheduled to begin at 1220pm.

Alex Marquez: 3rd in the overall standings on 113-points

“I have always been able to get strong results in the past”

“Last year in Misano was very difficult for me because I had a very big crash in FP1 and I wasn’t able to take any further part in the weekend. It is a track that I like and apart from last year I have always been able to get some strong results there in the past in Moto2 and Moto3. I’m looking forward to going back to Misano with a lot of motivation after the frustrating weekend at Silverstone where unfortunately we couldn’t race.”

Joan Mir: 6th in the overall standings on 103-points

“I hope to be fighting for the podium again this weekend”

“Misano is a track that I really love to ride at and I was always very strong and competitive there on a Moto3 bike. In my first full season in the World Championship in 2016 I was on the podium and I could repeat that last season in very tricky conditions. I hope to continue the sequence again this weekend and to be fighting for the podium in Moto2. It’s always a special feeling to race in Italy because there are a lot of fans who are very passionate for racing.”

Track facts / Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli (Misano Adriatico, Italy)

Length: 2.626 miles

Width: 45.93 ft.

Corners: 6 (left) + 10 (right)

Longest straight: 1738.85 ft.

Moto2 Race: 25 laps (65.8 miles)

Best pole: Johann Zarco (1:36.754 – 2015)

Circuit record: Jonas Folger (1:37.422 – 2015)

Top speed: Johann Zarco (153’4 mph – 2013)

2017 race winner: Tom Luthi (51:41.109)