You are here

MotoGP, Vinales won't give up: I must close the gap to Dovi and Marc

van der Mark: "If I don't race, I'll support Valentino over the weekend and watch him in action"

MotoGP: Vinales won't give up: I must close the gap to Dovi and Marc

Share


There are five races left to run and Maverick Vinales cannot allow himself to throw any more points away. The Aragon round is therefore the ideal setting in which to relaunch his battle for the title. The Yamaha rider will be racing in front of his home crowd this weekend and this will provide added motivation: “I'm very happy to head to Aragón because for us it's like a second home Grand Prix and we know that we can do a good performance there with the M1. It's one of my favourite tracks because of its lay-out, in Aragón we can be very fast" commented the Spaniard.

Maverick knows that mistakes are no longer permitted: "We are 16 points behind and we need to close that gap as soon as possible. For that reason, it's very important to push and believe that we can do it. In Misano we made a big step and I'm sure that we will do another important step this weekend. It's very important to stay focused."

On the other side of the garage, Valentino Rossi's physical condition remains to be seen. If the Doctor is forced to wave the white flag, Michael van der Mark will be ready to take the reins, following his recent podium finish with the R1 at Portimao: ​​​​​​​Though it remains uncertain if I will get to ride the YZR-M1 this weekend, I’m still looking forward to it - stated the Dutchman - I'll either get to make my MotoGP debut or, should I not be able to ride, I will get to see Valentino live in action as he makes his comeback. While I would like to get to step aboard the YZR-M1, I'm also fully supporting Valentino making his return. If Valentino ends up withdrawing from the Aragón GP, I will have to jump in at the deep end at the start of the next session and just try my best. However, after securing my first WorldSBK podium of the 2017 season in Portimão, I’m having a good momentum to step up to the challenge. I’m sure it will be a good experience either way."

Translated by Heather Watson
__

Related articles