In a quick turnaround after the Japanese GP this past weekend, Estrella Galicia 0,0 riders Aron Canet and Enea Bastianini move on to Australia and the legendary Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit for the antepenultimate round of the season.
After finishing fifth in a difficult wet race at Motegi, Canet now returns to the track at which last year he claimed his first Grand Prix podium -from 21th on the grid. The Spaniard is third in the World Championship standings with 184 points, and is still in with a chance of catching current second-placed rider Romano Fenati.
After podium finishes in Great Britain and Aragon, Bastianini continued his hard fought end of season progress in Japan. However, in the race itself he was hindered by the intense rain and finished in a discrete sixteenth place. In Australia, the Italian will have another chance to fight for a podium position that has eluded him on his previous three visits to Phillip Island. Bastianini is currently in ninth place in the overall standings, with 103 points.
The first Free Practice session for the Moto3 Australian Grand Prix will begin on Friday at 9am local time, with FP2 scheduled for 12:35am.
ENEA BASTIANINI – “There is usually quite a lot of wind in Australia, so we will have to work hard to deal with that”
“I really like the Phillip Island circuit, even though I have not been fast there in the past. There is usually quite a lot of wind there, so we will have to work hard to deal with that. It will be important to start well from the outset, and perhaps we will take advantage of references from the riders who go fast and understand what we need to do to improve at this track. There is no doubt that we will work hard in Australia.”
ARÓN CANET – “It would be nice to be fighting for the podium again”
“We go to Australia in third position in the championship, which I think is very important. It is also a circuit that brings back some good memories. After the podium in last year’s race, I think I experienced the best five minutes of my entire career. I went to parc fermé crying like a madman and the hairs on my neck stand up on end when I remember it. It would be nice to be fighting for the podium again and even to try to take victory at such a special circuit for me. I love Australia; it seems like a completely different world.”
