The breathtaking Phillip Island circuit in Australia is ready to welcome the weary travelling circus of the MotoGP World Championship this weekend as they tackle the third race in as many weekends across Asia and Oceana. The fresh sea air of the Bass Strait could be just what the riders need to keep their focus in check as they take on 4.448km of fast and flowing tarmac, located on the stunning cliff edge of the island. Phillip Island has provided a fitting backdrop to the crowning of many a MotoGP World Champion in the past and it could well do so again this Sunday as Jorge Lorenzo defends a 23-point advantage going into the penultimate round of the season. Dani Pedrosa will most likely require a sixth win from seven races if he is to keep a remarkable challenge alive until Valencia but he will have to contend with the 'King of the Island', his team-mate Casey Stoner, who has won his home race for the past five years.
With two races remaining the quest to finish as the best CRT rider in the championship is a closed book between the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar pair of Aleix Espargaró and Randy De Puniet. The odds are now heavily stacked in favour of the Spaniard, however, after two 'victories' in the last two races combined with two 'zeros' for his French team-mate. The goal for Aleix is to manage his advantage going into his home race in Valencia in two weeks' time whilst Randy needs to take some risks and recover as many points as possible.
Aleix Espargaró:
“Australia is a country I love and Phillip Island in particular is beautiful. The atmosphere there makes for a completely different Grand Prix to anywhere else in the world. We stay in houses for the weekend with the team and spend a lot of time together, which just brings us closer together and makes for a special race. The flyaways have been great to us so far – we have qualified and finished as the top CRT in both races. Now we have a ten-point gap over Randy but we have to keep working hard and try to enjoy the weekend to make sure that the situation remains in our favour. Phillip Island is a tricky circuit and it tends to be quite cold so we have to stay focused because it's easy to crash and injure yourself.”
Randy De Puniet:
“We haven't had any luck in the last two races so we need to work hard to turn the situation around. It was a tough weekend at Sepang, the track conditions were not good and we struggled to get the set-up right. Then the race was wet and we ended up crashing out. We have lost a lot of points in the last two races and Aleix has taken advantage of it in the CRT standings so we have to do whatever we can in Australia to cut the gap. Phillip Island is a very interesting circuit but it is tricky too so we have to work hard from Friday. There are two races left and we need to perform to our full potential if we want to finish as the top CRT in Valencia. We are not ready to give up yet.”
Power Electronics Aspar Press Release
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Source: http://www.zimbio.com/MotoGP/articles/TDkH6_np3L6/Another+CRT+Battle+Aleix+Espargaro+Randy+De
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