Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Prepare to Push on Phillip Island

“We did our best in Japan, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. Now it’s time to focus on Australia in order to make another important step for the championship. For me, Phillip Island is one of my favourite tracks, I like the lay-out a lot and I love being here, it’s amazing. When I was here in February I was the fastest on my YZR-M1, so I’m really motivated for the race. The championship isn’t over until all the points have been distributed, so anything is still possible and I can’t wait to be on the bike again to give my 100%.”

“I have arrived in Australia after a complicated race, but I’m in a good mood because I want to work in the best way possible with my team and fix the issues we had in Japan as quickly as possible to do nice races again. Phillip Island is a circuit I really like and I hope that the weather here will be good to start working straight away in dry conditions. After the crash in Japan I’m feeling pretty good, just a little bit of pain. Now I hope for good weather for the entire weekend!”

“The team has travelled straight to Australia after the race in Motegi. Last Sunday didn’t go according to plan, but we have another race to look forward to this weekend. We will use the Japanese GP as a source of motivation to get good results at the Phillip Island circuit, which is one of the team’s favourite tracks on the MotoGP calendar. Not only does the sweeping lay-out suit our bike more, but also the atmosphere there – with the track being so close to the shore – is really enjoyable. Earlier this year, we collected quite a lot of data during the pre-season test on Phillip Island and this week we will add on to it. We look forward to putting the free practice time to good use, and hope to hit the ground running on Friday.”

“The Australian Grand Prix is already approaching, immediately after Japan, and Phillip Island is a wonderful track which I think every rider loves. I really like it too because it’s very impressive to ride. I am happy that we tested here at the beginning of the season when I was discovering the bike, but now that I have more experience, I am curious to see how competitive I will be this time. Let’s see what happens with the weather, because it can be very cold in that region during October. So I will take it easy but the race in Japan was good, as was the whole weekend, so I need to stay on the pace and I hope for a nice result in Australia.”

“Of course, I would like to thank the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team for giving me the amazing opportunity to race at my home Grand Prix in front of all of my supporters, fans and family. I am really looking forward to getting on the Yamaha YZR-M1 at Phillip Island and giving it my all!”

“It’s now time for the Australian Grand Prix which will be another interesting round for the whole Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team. After the great qualifying performance and start of the race, by Johann Zarco, I expect another very strong showing. Hopefully, the weather will be dry this time and we know that the Yamaha YZR- M1 is a bike that is always fast at Phillip Island. Therefore, everyone is looking forward to the weekend with Johann. Due to the unfortunate illness of Jonas Folger, we will have another new rider joining Tech3 at this round. He is a local boy from Australia and his name is Broc Parkes, who is already a Yamaha and Monster Energy sponsored rider. He has previously tested the M1 on Michelin tyres at this track so everything will not be completely new for him. We are more than happy to welcome Broc and to give him the chance to show his true potential. Clearly, an Australian rider will bring more media attention to the team and that is something that is going to be exciting for us. Phillip Island is always a very special circuit that many MotoGP riders regard as the best track in the world. It’s just incredible with amazing scenery and there are also a lot of enthusiastic fans here in Australia. So let’s start on Friday and hopefully, the weather will be kind to us.”