Jack Miller looks to continue strong form at COTA

Sitting in seventh overall and with COTA a track rated as one of his favourites, Miller is confident heading to Round 3

Jack Miller, Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS MotoGP rider, heads to the Circuit of the Americas in Texas USA this week, for round three of the 2017 MotoGP World Championship.

Miller lands in Austin off the back of top ten finishes in both Qatar and Argentina, and the Australian is keen to repeat his run of form this weekend at the Grand Prix of The Americas, having been forced to withdraw from the race in the same location 12 months ago following a crash in free practice.

Prior to that he took the third position on the podium in 2014 while competing in the Moto3 category, while 2015 in the premiere class saw Miller take a respectable 12th place.

The 22-year-old Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider has spent the time since Argentina training hard in California and is looking forward to returning to action this weekend at the Circuit of The Americas; a track he rates as one of his favourites and one that he is confident will suit well the characteristics of the 2017 Honda RC213V.

Jack Miller

“Argentina was a difficult weekend, but we managed to put it together in the race and I was inside the top ten, which is my goal this season. I was a little further back from the leaders than I’d have liked and that’s something we need to work on next time out in Austin. I feel good heading into the Texas weekend; it’s another track I really enjoy and one at which we can normally expect good things from the Honda. I’m looking forward to getting there and seeing what we can do.”

After points scoring finishes in the first two races of the 2017 season, teammate Tito Rabat heads to Austin looking to close the gap to both his Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS teammate and the series frontrunners. The 27-year-old Spaniard is now fully recovered from the injuries sustained in a testing crash in Sepang.

Tito Rabat

“I like the Circuit of the Americas a lot, even if my memories of the track aren’t the best because I struggled a lot there last year. This time around though we’re in a much better position; I have a much better feeling with the bike and I’m looking forward to getting on track in Texas this weekend. COTA is a demanding circuit, but one that should suit our Honda, especially the first section. I think we can do a good job at Austin and closing the gap to Jack is our first goal this weekend.”

The Circuit of the Americas is one of the most physically demanding tracks on the MotoGP calendar and throws up a tough challenge for both man and machine, with 20 corners, a 1200m straight and jaw-dropping elevation of 41 metres from the grid to the first corner.

Michael Bartholemy – Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Team Principal

“It’s been a solid start to the season for us, with Tito twice finishing in the points and two top ten finishes from Jack, but there is still work to be done. We missed out on an opportunity in Argentina when conditions in qualifying were tricky, as that’s when Jack is normally strong, so we need to ensure we take advantage in the future. Jack is looking to continue his run of top ten finishes in Texas, which I’m confident he can do, while Tito is looking to close the gap even further on his teammate. He’s managed it in practice and qualifying, but Jack always seems to have something extra for the race and Tito now needs to find the same.”