Gosselies, Belgium – 9 February 2014: Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS will get their 2015 Moto2 campaign underway at Valencia on Tuesday 10th February, with the first of three pre-season tests.
The Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Kalex Moto2 bikes will both be piloted by reigning World Champions this year, as Tito Rabat returns for his second season with the team, where he will be joined by new signing Alex Marquez.
Rabat dominated the championship last season and he returns with the number one plate this year determined to do the same. The 25-year-old Spaniard is the first Moto2 World Champion to defend his title and he is keen to get that defence off to a flying start with a strong showing in Valencia this week.
For Marquez the three pre-season tests will be critical, as the reigning Moto3 World Champion makes the transition to the hotly contested Moto2 class. The 18-year-old Spaniard impressed with his pace during post-season tests in 2014, but heads to Valencia determined to close even further the gap to his more experienced Moto2 rivals.
Tito Rabat
“I have been working towards the new season over the winter, training hard in Almeria so that I’m ready to defend my number one plate. It will be good to get back to work with the team. I don’t have any specific plans for Valencia, other than to get a feel for the bike again, improve my performance, improve my riding style, work on the areas that need work while retaining the strong points from last season. I’m sure my Chief Mechanic, Pete Benson, will have some changes to try on the bike after thinking about it over the winter, so we’ll definitely have things to test, but my approach will be like last year; focussing only on myself, my job and working hard to stay at the top.”
Alex Marquez
“The data from the post-season tests showed that my corner speed was good and that I was on the gas early, but at the moment I’m still losing time on corner entry. So, the main focus for me during the Valencia and Jerez tests will be on braking. It’s the biggest difference between Moto3 and Moto2 and it’s where I can find the most improvement. I need to find my braking points on the Moto2 bike, but I also need to build my confidence with the bike, to allow me to brake both later and harder into the turns.”
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“There is no doubt that we head to Valencia with a big target on our back. Not only will we have the defending Moto2 champion riding for us, but the reigning Moto3 champion as well. It means that we’ll be under the microscope and all the title hopefuls will be gauging themselves against our performance. Sometimes it’s good to have pressure like this and I have every confidence that the team, and our two riders, will live up to expectations. We’ve worked hard over the winter to be ready and I’m looking forward to getting the season underway at last.”