Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Tito Rabat and Jack Miller both declared themselves satisfied with progress, after completing a comprehensive test program during the second of three days of testing at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar.

Rabat, who is still recovering from the injuries sustained in his Sepang testing crash, completed 48 laps of the 5.38km Losail circuit, as he worked to improve acceleration out of the turns. The former Moto2 World Champion posted a time of 1'56.214, an improvement of two tenths over his fastest lap from yesterday, to finish 1.759s from the top spot in P18.

Miller completed a total of 59 laps today, more than any other rider, as he continued to refine the set up of his Honda RC213V to better suit the characteristics of the latest specification engine. The 22-year-old Australian had a minor tumble early on in the session when he ran wide at turn one and lost the front, but remounted to return to the pit box.

Tito Rabat:  18th – 1'56.214
“It's been a very positive second day for me here in Qatar. Most importantly we are working in a good direction with the bike and each change we make brings some improvement. While I'm happy with today and I think we've done a good job, we need to continue in the same way tomorrow. Our biggest issue at the moment is getting the bike to turn and drive from mid-corner to exit. We focussed on this area today and we will continue to work on this tomorrow, as this is where we can win the biggest gain. My physical condition is still a limiting factor right now; the knee is a little painful after five or six laps but the biggest problem is that I lack upper body strength. This is a result of not being able to train properly since the Sepang crash, but the good news is that this is easily remedied between now and the first race.”

Jack Miller: 19th – 1'56.251
“Today has been a busy day, which you can see from the number of laps we completed, because we had so much to test on the bike. Basically the team are working to get the bike to work the way I want it with the latest engine while at the same time I'm adapting my riding style to get the best from both. The change in the bike now compared to the bike I was testing before isn't huge, but there are differences, such as how you've got to open the gas, so it's just a case of adapting. Overall it's been a positive day, even with a fall at turn one early on when I ran onto the dirty part of the track and dropped the front. I didn't get to set a lap time today, but I was happy with my pace, especially on the last 14-lap run when I was consistently in the 1'56 bracket. Tomorrow we've got a couple of soft tyres to throw into the bike, so we'll see what we can do in terms of the lap time then.”