Tito Rabat concludes successful Phillip Island test

The rain again disrupted proceedings on the final day of testing at Phillip Island, but the interruption was a short one and both Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders declared themselves satisfied with progress today.

Tito Rabat and teammate Jack Miller were quickly on the pace this morning, but both crashed shortly before lunch. Miller was the first to go down, sliding off the bike at Siberia without injury. Five minutes later Rabat also went down after losing the front at the ultra-fast Doohan Corner. The former Moto2 World Champion underwent a precautionary examination in the circuit medical centre, but was uninjured and returned to the pit box to continue testing.

The onset of rain just before lunchtime brought a temporary halt to proceedings. However, the track dried rapidly once the clouds had dispersed and the riders were able to return to the track for the final two hours of testing, during which Rabat took a low speed tumble at Honda Corner, again without injury.

Both Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders set their fastest time of the test on their final flying laps during this afternoon’s session, to finish within a second of the fastest time, set by Marc Márquez.

Tito now has just over a week to reflect on these three days at Phillip Island, before heading to Qatar and the third and final preseason test of 2016, which gets underway on Wednesday 2nd March.

Tito Rabat: 16th – 1’30.119
“I’ve learnt a lot here at Phillip Island, both in the wet and the dry, so I’m happy about that. I had two crashes today; one big one at turn one and one small one at turn four, but even these had a positive aspect. The fact that I crashed, but was able to get back on the bike and improve again was good for my confidence. Now I understand a little better the Honda RC213V and the Michelin tyres, but there is still a lot of work to be done. For me it is important we make improvements step-by-step, rather than being pushed into trying to run before we can walk and risking the consequences of a big crash. I leave Phillip Island happy and I can’t wait to get back on the bike in Qatar.”

Source: Marc VDS Racing