Rabat to sit out Phillip Island MotoGP test

Rabat has failed to recover from his crash at Sepang, from which he suffered a distal fracture of the radius and a fracture of the fifth metacarpal in the right hand, along with a fracture to the distal phalanx in the right foot.

However the biggest problem is a laceration to his left knee, which has been deemed too fragile for the Australian test. 

"Tito has worked hard to be fit for the Phillip Island test, after sustaining quite debilitating injuries in Malaysia,” said team boss Michael Bartholemy.

“While the fractures have healed nicely and wouldn't have stopped him from riding in Australia, the knee injury is a different story altogether. Despite intensive physiotherapy he still doesn't have the necessary extension in the joint and he risks popping the stitches – with the associated danger of infection – if he participates in the Phillip Island test.

“This is why we made the decision together with Tito to give him more time to recover ahead of the Qatar test, rather than risking everything for little gain by having him ride injured in Australia.”

Jack Miller will therefore be the only Marc VDS rider in action at his home circuit, the Aussie looking to build on a productive outing in Malaysia.

"We arrive in Australia off the back of a successful three days in Sepang and the aim is to continue to build on what we achieved there,” said Miller.

“The lap times in Malaysia didn't really reflect the step forward we made with the front, because I didn't get a chance to throw in a soft tyre and go for it at the end, but the improvement was significant. Finally I had the front end feel that I've been missing and that was a massive boost to the confidence.

“Now we have to make the next step and close the gap to the quick guys at the top of the time sheet.

“I’m feeling fitter than ever after more training at home and I'm looking forward to the next three days at what is definitely the best track on the MotoGP calendar."