The Honda RC213V machines of Tito Rabat and Jack Miller will sport a special commemorative livery this weekend at Misano, as Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS commemorate the 50th anniversary of long time partner Elf.

Rabat arrives in Misano for round 13 of the MotoGP World Championship with his confidence restored, after making a significant step forward with the set up of his Honda RC213V in the Silverstone race, where he finished 12th after fighting his way through the field from the back of the grid.

The set up changes eliminated the problem with a lack of rear grip that the former Moto2 World Champion has struggled with since the start of the season. Rabat is confident that if the changes work equally well at Misano then another points scoring finish is a realistic goal on Sunday.

A lack of rear drive grip also caused issues for Rabat's Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS teammate Miller last time out at Silverstone. The Australian finished outside the points for the first time this season and now heads to Misano determined to rediscover the early season form that saw him finish the first three races inside the top ten.

Tito Rabat:
“In Silverstone we made a step forward with the bike by finding a solution to the lack of rear grip that has held us back since the start of the season. I was able to race rather than just ride the bike and that was good for my confidence. Of course, we still need to confirm the changes at another track, but if everything works as expected in Misano then I'm confident we can put in a good performance and then finish the rest of the season strongly.” 

Jack Miller:
“I'm looking forward to Misano, it's a track I like and one at which I hope we can recover from the slump we've been in since returning to action after the summer break. The track is a little bit different to Brno, Austria and Silverstone and I think it's one that will suit our Honda RC213V better. There is one long acceleration but the rest of the track plays to the Honda's strengths and we need to take advantage of that this weekend. The last few races have been tough, but we'll come out fighting again this weekend in Misano.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“Elf have been a long time partner of the Marc VDS Racing Team so it is a real pleasure for us to be able to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of the brand with a special livery on our MotoGP bikes and pit box this weekend in Misano. Silverstone was a bit of a turning point for Tito, but we need to confirm that the improvement he found with the bike there works at other tracks. If it does then I expect to see Tito close to the top ten again this weekend. Jack struggled with a lack of rear grip in Silverstone, so we need to address this issue and get him back up to speed here in Misano. He's capable of a top ten finish every week and we need to give him the package he needs to achieve that.”