Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Jack Miller and Tito Rabat are ready to get the second half of the 2017 MotoGP season underway this weekend in Brno, after a long summer break spent mainly on two wheels.

Miller, who currently lies 12th in the championship standings with 41 points, split his time between two continents during the four-week break, travelling to Japan to test an EWC specification Honda at Suzuka before heading home to Australia.

The 22-year-old returned to Japan last weekend to contest the Suzuka 8-Hour race for the first time, riding alongside Takaaki Nakagami and Takumi Takahashi. The trio battled for the race lead in the opening hours, but dropped back to eventually finish a creditable fourth following a crash for Nakagami.

Miller will be back on the more familiar Honda RC213V this weekend at Brno, determined to start the second half of the season with a strong result, as he looks to reclaim a top ten position in the championship standings.

There was no globetrotting for Miller's Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS teammate Rabat, who stayed home in Spain to train alongside former 125cc World Champion Julian Simon during the four-week summer break.

Unsurprisingly their training plan revolved almost exclusively around motorcycles, with the pair competing against each other at motocross, flat track and supermoto before switching to four wheels and continuing their friendly rivalry on the kart track.

Rabat heads to the Czech Republic this weekend confident that the strengths of 2017 Honda RC213V will give him the opportunity to start the second half of the season with a good result at the fast and flowing Brno circuit.


Jack Miller:

"It's been a busy four week break. After Sachsenring I flew straight to Japan for five days of testing for the Suzuka 8 Hour, then it was home to Australia for my brother's wedding before heading back to Japan for my first Endurance World Championship race. So a lot of riding during the break but I'm fit and feeling good and now we're here in Brno ready to race MotoGP again. The goal is to get the second half of the season started in the same way we started the first half, with some top ten finishes and a good points haul."

Tito Rabat:

"I've ridden a lot of different bikes over the summer break, but I'm looking forward to getting back on the Honda RC213V this weekend, because nothing compares to racing a MotoGP bike! Brno was difficult for me last season but I think our bike this year is much better suited to the characteristics of the track, which is a bit like Mugello with very few hard accelerations, so that gives me some confidence going into this race. We still need to keep improving, that is clear, but we worked hard during the first half of the season and I'll continue to push together with my crew during the second half, starting this weekend in Brno."