MotoGP

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Jack Miller had a solid start to the Phillip Island test at his home track, as the 2016 Assen GP winner ended Day 1 in the top ten – after proving quick from the outset.

ompleting over 80 laps as engines fired up for the second time in 2017, Miller put in a 1:30.426 to improve towards the end and secure ninth on the timesheets.

The Aussie worked on the front in preparation for his third season in the premier class; the only EG0,0 Marc VDS machine on track as teammate Tito Rabat continues his recovery from a crash sustained at Sepang in the first test of the year.

"We started today with a slightly different set up to Sepang because Phillip Island is a very different circuit," said Miller.

"But the good feeling with the front remained. We managed to improve this further with new front forks from Ohlins and we tried a few things with the front to quicken up the steering, sacrificing a little bit of braking stability in the process, but that isn't so important here."

"The wind was a bit of a problem this afternoon, especially through the faster turns, but it had dropped just enough to allow me to put in my fastest lap right at the end of the session." He added.

"Today we had the pace, but tomorrow we need to improve the consistency if we are to close the gap to the front. Overall, a good day and I'm looking forward to more of the same tomorrow."

 

 

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Forward Racing Team recently presented its riders, colors and sponsors for 2017, with the launch taking place in Milan, northern Italy.

Riders Lorenzo Baldassarri and Luca Marini remain at the helm in the Moto2 World Championship, with Federico Fuligni and another as-yet unannounced second rider lining up in the European Moto2 Championship in the FIM CEV Repsol.

Italian Baldassarri won his first race last season at home in Misano, and is aiming to make a challenge for the title in 2017. Teammate and compatriot Luca Marini is aiming to move forward – and improve consistency over the 18-race campaign. Both Baldassarri and Marini are also part of the VR46 Riders Academy and will remain so for 2017.

Lorenzo Baldassari: “I used the off season to recharge my batteries and to prepare for an exciting 2017. At the end of last year, I had my shoulder surgery and now I’m going through the rehabilitation progress, which is nearly finished as I recovered completely. In my opinion, the right preparation during the winter is vital and now I’m ready for the test in February and the start of the season in Qatar. In 2017 I want to improve further and work on my consistency. This year I really expect us to have the possibility to perform very well and I’ll give it my all.”

Luca Marini: “The preparations for 2017 have been quite similar to the ones in 2016, but now I’ve got one more year of experience under my belt. I knew on which aspects I had to work more, on one hand in the gym, but also in motorsport, motocross or at the ranch. This year, I want to continue to progress, improving my consistency and the results. In 2016 I have learned that this is one aspect that I need to give proper importance to. I think, the key is to score as many points as possible, to get better results and to give always 100%. My goals for 2017 are to run consistently inside the top 10, while I aim to progress further because there is still margin of improvement to be made. A dream would be to make it to the podium this year.”

Giovanni Cuzari, Team Owner: “Obviously, it’s the goal to win the World Championship in 2017 and if you are involved in racing the aim is always to win. Today I want to express a big thanks to all our sponsors for their trust in us, as well as Alessio Salucci and Valentino, because they gave me the opportunity to show the worth of this project, this team. We have two riders of the VR46 Riders Academy in our racing team, which for me means a lot, because they also take care of the riders, when they are not on track. My team is simply marvelous. It’s what I like to define a second family and having decided to follow my dreams with them, I have a more than positive frame of mind about every single member. We want to carry all the positive thoughts about 2016 to accomplish the goals in 2017.”

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Sky Racing Team VR46 have launched their Moto3 challengers for the 2017 season in Milan, Italy, alongside the debut of the team’s new Moto2 project.

The rider line-up in the lightweight class will remain the same, with Andrea Migno and Nicolo Bulega once again flying the flag for the VR46-supported squad after an impressive 2016 season for both.

With a stunning new livery taking inspiration from those of the early nineties - plus some new partners, including Oakley and Monster Energy - the team wants to go one better than frontrunners in 2017, aiming for the top step.

2015 Repsol Moto3 Junior World Champion and 2016 Moto3 rookie Bulega got his first podiums and a first pole position last season, with Migno also making huge progress in Moto3 to equal his teammate with two podiums and a first pole.

Andrea Migno: "The gym has been like a second home to me in my preparation for this season! It's mental preparation as well as physical."

Nicolo Bulega: "Certainly I was missing a bit of experience, when I was in the first five positions and I didn't collect it. This year we've worked more in the gym and I know the tracks, so I hope to do better."

Pablo Nieto, Team Manager: "With these guys I feel more like a brother to them. You have to get to know all four of our riders - because each is different."

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Team Suzuki Davide Brivio is happy with the Hamamatsu factory’s progress following the first Official Test of 2017 at Sepang International Circuit; satisfied with a job done well and a lot of information gathered.

He spoke about the key conclusions from the first sessions of the year – and the team’s two new riders – race winner Andrea Iannone and MotoGP rookie Alex Rins.

“We are happy about this test because as far as we are concerned with Iannone we tested many things to check different combinations of engine," Said Brivio

"Chassis setup, front forks; different things, and we were able to do a good job. We selected the best parts and now we will put the best package together to use in Phillip Island."

"Also, it was important to understand which type of engine would have been better and it looks like we found one way - the new engine is better, so we are going to use this one for the new season."

"So, we are quite satisfied because we could do the plan. Andrea is quite fast and already has a good feeling with the bike, so we are quite happy.

We are also very happy with Alex. We can see from the data how he used the bike, the throttle, and the brakes."

"It's good – I think he listened a lot but also he can do what you tell him to do and this is our job to try and teach him as much as we can and to help him grow in the best possible way, but he is showing good signs and we are positive.”

 

         

 

 

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