After a well deserved week off following three weeks in a row of track action, Tech3 KTM Factory Racing is getting ready for a new week of action at the iconic Phillip Island circuit for the eighteenth round of 2022. It will be a special week for rookie Remy Gardner who is set to ride on home turf for the first time in three years.
There is no doubt that Australian Remy Gardner will be highly expected by home fans as he returns to Phillip Island as the Moto2 World Champion and MotoGP rookie. After a week off back home enjoying Australia, he will be eager to hit the iconic layout for the first time on a MotoGP machine, with high hopes to provide a good show and grab a good result at home. Teammate Raul Fernandez will also discover Phillip Island as a MotoGP rider, and will be eager to score points with his KTM RC16 after reaching the top 15 at the last round in Thailand.
After a busy media day on Thursday, the action will start on Friday at 9:55 (GMT+11) with the first free practice session followed by FP2 in the afternoon at 14:10 local time. Remy and Raul will get back on their machines on Saturday with Free Practice 3 at 9:55 for forty-five minutes, before the final chance to practice with FP4 at 13:30. Qualifying sessions will follow immediately from 14:10 (GMT+11). The Animoca Brands Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix is scheduled on Sunday at 14:00 (GMT+11), for twenty-seven laps.
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Remy Gardner
Championship: 23rd
Points: 9
"I am really looking forward to this week in Phillip Island for my home race! Racing here in Australia on a MotoGP bike is a childhood dream, so I cannot wait to get on track on Friday. Hopefully we can do something good in front of home fans."
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Raul Fernandez
Championship: 24th
Points: 9
"This weekend will be different from the two previous rounds in Japan and Thailand. This time it will be my second time in Phillip Island, and first on a MotoGP bike. I am really looking forward to trying the bike on this layout as I have good memories from the last time I raced there. It is a beautiful track, Australian fans are incredible, so I hope that I will have a good weekend and enjoy it."
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Hervé Poncharal
Team Manager
"The Tech3 KTM Factory Racing team is very excited to be back in Australia for the first time in three years after a well deserved week off. Phillip Island is an iconic circuit always providing incredible MotoGP races, so I am sure that it will be the case again this year.
It will be a special week for our rookie Remy Gardner who will race in front of his home crowd for the first time as a MotoGP rider, so I hope that it will give him an extra boost for the weekend and hopefully he can do something good here. Raul Fernandez reached the top 15 at the previous round in Thailand, and I think that he will be competitive too here, so the target will be to score points again.
The weather forecast seems a bit uncertain at the moment, so we might have mixed track conditions to adapt to throughout the weekend, but we have good experience in the wet now following Japan and Thailand, so I think that either way we will be competitive. We are all motivated to do well in Australia, and I hope that we can provide a great show."
