Drivers ready to take on the “iconic” Phillip Island
The action down under heats up at the press conference before the event
Thursday October 24, 2019
It’s Thursday in Australia and that means only one thing: animals! But more on that later. First, it’s time to hear a little from the riders in the pre-event press conference where reigning champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) led by Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), Rookie of the Year Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT), hero Jack Miller (Pramac Racing), returnees Johann Zarco (LCR Honda Idemitsu), the newly announced 2020 MotoGP 
rider Iker Lecuona and Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), who won an incredible 400 this weekend, will be accompanied at home Grand Prix start is down.
Marquez spoke first, saying that Phillip Island is all about the feeling. “We came back from another great weekend in Japan a week ago and the goal here on Sunday is to fight for victory. It’s a track that you have to feel, you have to have the feeling that you can because there are a lot of high-speed corners, that means a lot of risk. It’s a track that if you don’t feel like you have to keep calm, try to get on the podium or finish the race. Besides, we have a summer day today, tomorrow maybe a winter day – you never know. Here we will try to work well to fight Yamaha and Suzuki. I think they have a bike that works very well here, very stable on the high speed corners. It will be hard to beat them, but we’ll try. “
Next up was Dovizioso, who was asked if he was optimistic about returning to the island after a solid event last season. Not quite, but almost. “Optimism is a little too much. Last year we drove a really fast and good race so I hope to be on the podium again. I think it’s going to be tough because of course Marc and the Yamaha riders will be strong, and so will Rins, so it’s going to be tough.
“In the last race we were pretty quick in the end and we have to understand that because it has happened too often this season, I think there is a technical reason for that. But here is a completely different track. As Marc said, the conditions are always pretty strange and it will affect everyone. The tires but also the wind, in which direction it is going. We’ll wake up tomorrow morning and look at the conditions! “
Quartararo, who has already been named Rookie of the Year, arrives and is now fighting for the honor of the top independent – against Jack Miller.
“I think the Yamaha is a very good fit for this track, but we’ll see the conditions. As Marc said, the weather today is nice, but it looks like it will be pretty tricky at the weekend.
“We don’t have to concentrate much on winning, just do the same work as at the beginning of the year, step by step, and feel the temperature of the tires. It’s a circuit that I really like, fast corners, the Yamaha looks good, so we’ll do our best and our best will be good enough. “
Next, Valentino Rossi spoke on the other side of the experience spectrum. 400 is quite a milestone and ‘The Doctor’ thinks the place is a good place to host. “It’s been a long, long time; a long way. As you said, hitting 400 here on Phillip Island is good. It’s an iconic place for MotoGP, all riders love the track because it is special compared to the others. So it’s one of the best places. We pray, everyone is praying for a weekend like this one, the blue skies and the fantastic weather, but unfortunately the good weather got too much anticipation, so we have to struggle with the weather on Phillip Island, but it’s still a joy.
Home hero Jack Miller agrees it’s a great place to drive – and says he’s lucky it’s his home race.
“We will try it! It’s a place I like to drive first of all, like everyone else. I think it’s one of the best tracks on the calendar and luckily my home Grand Prix for me. I look forward to getting out of there. As the guys said the weather won’t be ideal, but for me here at Phillip Island there is no point looking at the weather forecast. When the wind changes, we either have beautiful sunshine or freezing cold. So we wait until morning and make a plan from there. We felt really good, it was a shame about the race in Japan, but we had good pace there. I’m looking forward to my weekend at home, I’m usually pretty strong and with the shape we were in this year I think I have a chance to make it to these guys! “
One of those guys this weekend is a familiar face that is returning: Zarco. The Frenchman is making his first appearance on the island as a replacement for Takaaki Nakagami this weekend.
“The smile is there! It’s difficult to set a goal. I want to erase all the feelings I have this year. I got off to a good start in MotoGP for the first two years, but this year was really complicated so it seemed to be finished – my MotoGP story – but Lucio called me to take those three races and yes, I’ll take it because it might be mine last three races. I took a huge risk this summer and canceled my 2020 contract and now I can see that racing is what I want to do. I have a short future at the moment, but I can live it with a lot of intensity and that was what I wanted to do. “
Finally Iker Lecuona spoke. He was confirmed as a rider in the premier class in Red Bull KTM Tech 3 colors as early as the next year and that was of course the main topic of conversation.
“I am of course very happy about this opportunity. For me it’s crazy to be here with Marc or Valentino. As a child, I saw everyone on TV and wanted to ride the track with everyone, finally it’s possible. I would like to thank KTM for this opportunity and Herve Poncharal for giving me this opportunity to compete in MotoGP. “
That’s it from the press conference to find out more about the upcoming Pramac Generac Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, visit motogp.com and tune in for another great race on Sunday October 27th at 3pm (GMT +11) .
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