Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Franco Morbidelli and Álex Márquez are confident they can roar back to podium contention when an intriguing Moto2 World Championship resumes in Austria this weekend.

Morbidelli and Márquez were busy during the three-week summer break, which included a positive test at the Brno track for the Spaniard, immediately followed by an equally successful first visit by both riders to the technically challenging 4.318km Spielberg circuit in Austria that is back on the World Championship schedule for the first time since 1997.

Morbidelli and Márquez made good progress with improving their Kalex machinery in both tests, heightening optimism that both will be leading contenders in Austria’s 25-lap clash on Sunday.

Both are keen to return to competitive action to make up for the disappointment of a rain-hit Sachsenring encounter.

Morbidelli was leading the race when he was one of numerous high profile casualties of the treacherous conditions in Germany.

The Italian though can take great heart from battling for the podium in the last two races, and after combining a period of relaxation and intensive training during the summer break, he is determined to fight consistently for the top three in the second half of the campaign.

Márquez too is in positive mood and keen to tackle the fast Spielberg track, which is set in the breathtakingly beautiful Murtal region of Styria in Austria.

The Spaniard was putting up a strong fight for the podium in Germany before he fell out of contention.

But his liking for fast and flowing tracks means the next sequence of races at Spielberg, Brno and Silverstone gives him the perfect opportunity to make a positive start to the second half of the campaign.

Franco Morbidelli:
“Racing at a new track always make it interesting and I am looking forward to the challenge. We were fortunate to test during the summer break there and I liked the track. We worked well during the test and I had a good feeling on the bike, so I go into this weekend confident I can be strong and close to the top. The key to being fast at Spielberg will be working closely with the team to get the best set-up as quickly as possible when we have such little experience of this track. It looks like the lap times will be very close and with the long straights I don’t think it will be possible for anybody to escape at the front because of the slipstream. It should be a great fight and I am ready to be part of it.”

Álex Márquez:
“After the two good tests in Brno and Austria I’ve had chance to relax and enjoy the summer break. I still trained a lot and I think I am physically stronger now than I was going into the summer break. The track in Austria is really nice and really fast and I think it could be good for my riding style and I enjoyed it a lot at the test. I am convinced we can go there and achieve a strong result and that will be important to start the second half of the season in a positive way. At times it was difficult in the first part of the year with too many crashes but I have also shown a good level. I like the next tracks and with so many races in a close period of time it will be crucial to build up some momentum.”