RODRIGO AND ROSSI GETTING READY FOR THE FINAL LEG OF THE SEASON
A three back-to-back-event overseas journey begins for Team Kömmerling Gresini Moto3, who will be joined by both Gabriel Rodrigo and Riccardo Rossiin Japan for the first racing weekend, which will be followed closely by Phillip Island (Australia) and Sepang (Malaysia).
On top of the list of priorities there is of course the check of Gabriel Rodrigo’s physical condition, which will be performed on Thursday at Motegi – and will be crucial for his participation to #JapaneseGP. There is obviously a lot of optimism after the successful surgery to the second metatarsal bone of his right foot and with the Argentine rider who is eager to join back the team and jump back on the bike – as the feeling was there before the crash in Thailand.
The Japanese venue is surely a favourable track for the #19: last year he secured position and he also finished in the top-five in the past. Gabriel will have a chance to find back both feeling and race pace in Australia and Malesia, two other tracks he likes: if Phillip Island is his all-time favourite venue (he was on front row and finished fourth in the 2017 edition of the Australian Grand Prix), Malaysia might be a bit more difficult also due to the injury from last year, which forced him to sit out the Sepang event.
Riccardo Rossi will make his debut on all the tracks mentioned. The young Italian has tried to get to know the track “remotely” and all of them would seem to suit well his riding style – particularly the Japanese one, where the 54 wants to start building a final leg of the season to remember.
Three consecutive weekends await riders, teams and fans, with the Moto3 races to get underway at noon, with the time zone for Japan and Malaysia being GMT+9, and the Australian one GMT+11.
GABRIEL RODRIGO #19
“I must say I like all the circuits that make the ‘triplete’ and they all suit my riding style well. I was getting back to 100% and I was starting to feel the bike the way I wanted, so we need to see where we are now. Honestly I think this last injury should not affect me much, because I already feel very well. It might be that I lost a little bit in terms of confidence, but not the pace I believe. We can continue with the work we were doing in Thailand starting from Japan, where there are a lot of important braking areas – which is something good for my riding style. Phillip Island is my all-time favourite circuit so there’s not much to add, while I didn’t race last year in Malaysia so it will be an extra challenge, as we’ll need to find the feeling quickly on a track I haven’t raced in a while.”
RICCARDO ROSSI #54
“Let’s start from the fact that I haven’t ridden on any of these tracks yet, as I haven’t even been in these countries either. Motegi has a lot of braking areas, so it should work well with my riding style. I watch some videos and I should like it. We are charged up after Thailand and we want to keep working this way. About Australia, I think it will be the most difficult track of all, so we will struggle a bit more – but never say never. We will need to be ready for Malaysia because the heat will be similar to Thailand, but it’s a track where I think we can do well. Three tracks to discover, but the work is paying off so we aim at doing very well.”
