MOVISTAR YAMAHA TEAM AIM FOR GLORY IN AUSTRIA
Having left the Automotodrom Brno on Tuesday, after the Official IRTA test, the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team return their attention to round 11 of the MotoGP World Championship, held at the Red Bull Ring – Spielberg circuit this weekend.
Spielberg (Austria), 9th August 2017
After four days of riding their YZR-M1s in the last week, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi are fired up and feeling confident to take on the competition at the upcoming NeroGiardini Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich.
Viñales took a solid sixth place in Austria last year, but is set on turning his recent third place in the Czech Republic into a podium streak, in order to remain a main contender in the 2017 title chase.
Being in second place in the championship standings, with a 14-point gap to close to the leader, he is as motivated as ever to start working and bring in the results. He booked steady progress in Monday‘s Brno test and aims to build on the steps made there, in order to stand on the Red Bull Ring rostrum this weekend.
Teammate Rossi topped the Brno test just two days ago and is feeling confident that he can continue to show great speed in Austria, though the nature of the Czech circuit and the Red Bull Ring are quite diverse.
The Doctor has ridden at the Spielberg track three times before. He secured his first ever podium at the Austrian venue with a third place in the 125cc class in 1996, and followed it up with a second place in the same class in 1997. Last year he just missed out on the podium, taking fourth place. The Italian is determined to climb the rostrum this time round and decrease the current 22-point gap to first place in the championship rankings.
Last year the Spielberg circuit hosted its first MotoGP Grand Prix in nineteen years. The circuit was originally built in 1969 and was rebuilt in 1996 to the track-layout it still has today. The circuit stands out as it has only three left and seven right corners, a 626m longest straight, and features a 18-metre-high landmark “Bull of Spielberg” in the track‘s centre. The circuit‘s design puts the emphasis on top speed, acceleration and braking stability, allowing the riders plenty of opportunities to fully open the throttle and put on a show for the Austrian fans.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
After the test in Brno, we headed straight to Austria for the next round. We have put in a lot of hours of work in the Czech Republic and the test has put the whole team in a positive mood; we are ready for action at the Red Bull Ring. Last year the race in Spielberg was a really nice event, so the team is looking forward to this year‘s edition. Though the track’s lay-out lays the emphasis on top speed and acceleration, which are not our main strengths, we‘ve made good progress over the last few days and we look forward to starting work on Friday.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP RIDER
After being back on the podium again last weekend, we are more confident and I feel strong going in to the next Grand Prix. On Monday in Brno we also tried many things, like working on the acceleration, that will be very important for the race in Austria. We improved many items during the test and I feel happy and ready for this round. We know that we have to be on the podium at the next races if we want to win this championship, and for that we have to continue this good feeling and go for the victory.
VALENTINO ROSSI
MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP RIDER
Going back to the track immediately is very important to us, especially after a test like Monday’s in Brno, where we tried so many things. During the weekend in the Czech Republic we were fast in every condition and the test helped us to understand a bit more. Now we go to the circuit of Austria, that‘s not very favourable to us, but I hope we can fight for a good result. I’m fine with the YZR-M1 now, I can ride the bike better, I‘m happy and I hope I can fight for the podium at every race. The championship is still open and it will be important to take as many points as possible.