MIR FORCED TO SIT OUT FINAL DAY BUT RINS COMPLETES PLAN

Team Suzuki Ecstar have wrapped up a challenging but rewarding three-day test in Indonesia. The next stop will be the opening round of the season in Qatar on March 6th.

Suzuki Racing

MotoGP

MIR FORCED TO SIT OUT FINAL DAY BUT RINS COMPLETES PLAN


Team Suzuki Press Office – February 13.

Alex Rins: 6th – 1’31.477 (+ 0.417)
Joan Mir: No Time Set

Team Suzuki Ecstar have wrapped up a challenging but rewarding three-day test in Indonesia. The next stop will be the opening round of the season in Qatar on March 6th.

After a difficult day two in Mandalika for Joan Mir, things unfortunately got worse for the final day of testing; upon arrival at the track he experienced stomach pain and vomiting and he was diagnosed with food poisoning by Dr. Michele Zasa of the Clinica Mobile. Despite taking medication to try and ease the situation, he remained too unwell to ride.

However, thanks to the work done during the first days in Mandalika and the last pre-season test in Sepang, Mir feels confident that he will arrive in Qatar with a strong set-up and a well rounded GSX-RR.

Alex Rins, the sole Suzuki rider on track, was able to complete a useful test programme on the final day. He worked on chassis comparisons and long runs, and he feels well prepared for the season opener next month.

Alex Rins:

“We’re feeling quite ready to start the season now. I don’t want to make any big predictions like ‘we’re going to win in Qatar’ because everything is unknown, but we’re certainly well prepared to kick off the year. The bike works well, and we’ve done a good job in both Sepang and Mandalika. There are definite improvements to our GSX-RR compared with last year and, even though there are a few things still to fine-tune, this test has given us confidence and overall my feeling is good!”

Joan Mir:

“This morning when I woke up I felt something strange in my stomach, like everything was moving. After having some breakfast I went to the track, but once I was there I started to feel much worse and I started to throw up. Then the doctor came to my office to try and help me, but in the end I had to go back to the hotel because I was completely exhausted. My physical condition has stopped me today, I had no power to ride the bike and this also conditioned our plan. I felt very bad today but these things happen and in the end I have some good conclusions from the first and second day. I think we will arrive quite ready for the first race in Qatar despite all the inconveniences we found during the last two days here in Mandalika.”

Shinichi Sahara – Project Leader & Team Director:

“Today marks the end of all the winter testing, two days in Malaysia and three days here in Indonesia, and we’ve completed it without any big problems. It was pity for us not to have Joan for the last day of testing due to his stomach issue, but these things can happen and the rider’s health is important. From a technical point of view, it wasn’t a big problem for us because we already checked and confirmed all the test items yesterday. I’m feeling very positive about the step we’ve made from last year to this year, so I’d like to thank all the people involved in the team and factory. We’ll continue to work, and we’ll also have time to investigate the data from these tests to be as strong as possible for Round 1 in Losail next month.”

Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager:

“Unfortunately Joan’s physical condition today was not good, so we cancelled testing for his side of the garage. This is a shame, of course, but we don’t feel that the loss of this final day will impact us too badly. The team have worked very hard over all five pre-season test days, they’ve done a great job, and we’ve learned a lot. We are very happy because we’ve found the base settings to start the season, and I can’t wait for Qatar now.”

MANDALIKA TEST DAY 3 RESULTS:

1 Pol Espargaro Repsol Honda Team 1:31.060
2 Fabio Quartararo Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ 1:31.074 0.014 0.014
3 Aleix Espargaro Aprilia Racing 1:31.385 0.325 0.311
4 Franco Morbidelli Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ 1:31.416 0.356 0.031
5 Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo Team 1:31.436 0.376 0.02
6 Alex Rins Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1:31.477 0.417 0.041
7 Maverick Viñales Aprilia Racing 1:31.478 0.418 0.001
8 Johann Zarco Pramac Racing 1:31.488 0.428 0.01
9 Brad Binder Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1:31.574 0.514 0.086
10 Alex Marquez LCR Honda Castrol 1:31.603 0.543 0.029
11 Miguel Oliveira Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1:31.620 0.56 0.017
12 Luca Marini Mooney VR46 Racing Team 1:31.665 0.605 0.045
13 Takaaki Nakagami LCR Honda IDEMITSU 1:31.687 0.627 0.022
14 Marc Marquez Repsol Honda Team 1:31.793 0.733 0.106
15 Jack Miller Ducati Lenovo Team 1:31.870 0.81 0.077
16 Andrea Dovizioso WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team 1:31.890 0.83 0.02
17 Marco Bezzecchi Mooney VR46 Racing Team 1:31.901 0.841 0.011
18 Fabio Di Giannantonio Gresini Racing MotoGP™ 1:31.915 0.855 0.014
19 Enea Bastianini Gresini Racing MotoGP™ 1:32.010 0.95 0.095
20 Jorge Martin Pramac Racing 1:32.544 1.484 0.534
21 Remy Gardner Tech3 KTM Factory Racing 1:32.860 1.8 0.316
22 Darryn Binder WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team 1:33.049 1.989 0.189
23 Raul Fernandez Tech3 KTM Factory Racing 1:34.896 3.836 1.847
36 Joan Mir Team SUZUKI ECSTAR NO TIME SET


Mandalika Image Gallery: CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS




For more stories about Alex Rins, Click Here. For photos, Click Here.

For more stories about Joan Mir, Click Here. For photos, Click Here.

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Mark McGhee (608)

I was born a century too late, or maybe too early.
I like to ride motorcycles and write about that.

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