Pedrosa, Márquez, Lorenzo, Crutchlow, Espargaró and Miller lead the way in Australia

The Motorcycle World Championship Grand Prix in Australia has kicked off at Phillip Island Circuit with the traditional press conference held before track action, with the stars of the event being Marc Márquez, Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa, Cal Crutchlow, Pol Espargaró, and Jack Miller.

Without a doubt this meeting on the Australian track is among the most exciting, as it marks Márquez’s first match ball: he arrives as leader for this race with the chance to become Champion, although both Lorenzo and Pedrosa will fight to prevent that outcome. The 93 has spoken about this possibility and about this MotoGP race, which is expected to be extremely intense and exciting.

It’s true, it will be the first opportunity, but I think it’s going to be very, very difficult, because Jorge was very fast here last year. He finished second, but we know how Casey was going here. The most important thing is to try to achieve it, no matter when it comes. I’m going to try to concentrate this weekend, stay focused on the work, and then we’ll see if on Sunday I can fight for the victory, for the podium, or simply add points to the championship.

Márquez has never ridden at Phillip Island with MotoGP, so the start will cost him a little, but he is very eager to try this layout with the top-class machine. We’ll see how it goes. Also remember that the circuit has been resurfaced, so we’ll see everyone’s feelings.

I’m looking forward to riding a MotoGP bike here. It will be very exciting and very interesting to ride through the fast corners. I’ve watched some videos from last year and Casey in particular made some incredible lines, so we’ll see what Phillip Island is like on a MotoGP bike.

The next to speak was Jorge Lorenzo. The Yamaha rider has to give his maximum in this event to stop Márquez. Without a doubt, there will be plenty of action for all the riders of the premier class on a track that promises a great battle between the protagonists of the season.

The last two results were not the best. We wanted to win and finish ahead of Marc. We tried everything in Aragón, and afterwards I finished worse than I expected in Sepang. But that’s already done. We can’t think about the past. We are in Phillip Island, under different conditions and on a different track. We are going to try to do our best and aim to win the race.

Behind them, it was Dani Pedrosa’s turn, the winner of the Sepang event, arriving with renewed strength and plenty to say to his teammate and to Lorenzo. So we’ll see a 26 with great determination, fighting on a track that until now was Stoner territory.

Yes, last week we did a good job throughout the whole weekend, and we got a good win and some good points. There is new asphalt here. Last year I didn’t go so well; I had an early crash on cold tyres. Here it is crucial to do good practice sessions and achieve a good time, especially in qualifying. Let’s see if we can have a good weekend.

The next to speak was Cal Crutchlow, who in 2012 finished on the podium at this event and who wants to repeat that position and result. Without a doubt, the Briton wants to have a 100% end to the season.

It will be difficult to repeat last year’s result, but we can be competitive this weekend. The cold and the fast corners can be points in Yamaha’s favour, and I want to do well here to make up for the recent results. It’s a difficult circuit, really difficult,” continued the Briton of the Monster Yamaha Tech 3. “You could say I’ve had good results here in the past, in World Superbikes and with my podium last year in MotoGP. I like this track. It’s not one of my all-time favourites, but it certainly suits my style, so there’s no excuse for not going well here.

After the MotoGP riders, Pol Espargaró spoke. The Moto2 rider is coming back strong and has a lot ahead of him in the races still to be run. Right now the gap to Scott Redding is 9 points, so between the two of them, and with Tito Rabat also in the fight, the end of the year is expected to be extremely exciting.

There is pressure on both [Scott Redding]. This is a good circuit for us, I like it a lot, but it has been a difficult year, very different from last year. We are fighting… the goal is to be ahead in Valencia.

Closing the press conference we had Jack Miller from Moto3, the young rider who has been one of the revelations of the season in the smaller class, showing how, with an inferior machine, the Honda, he could give trouble to the KTMs and the rest of the bikes on the grid.

It has been a difficult year, with Honda, especially on the straights. It has been a good learning year, but in terms of results it has not been exceptional. I am satisfied with the move to the new team next year; it is a team that has produced several world champions.

Source | MotoGP Official website