MotoGP

TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR KICK OFF MUGELLO WITH STRONG FORM


Team Suzuki Press Office - May 28.

Italian GP Day 1:

Alex Rins: 2nd - 1’46.218 (+ 0.071)
Joan Mir: 12th - 1’46.847 (+ 0.700)

The lush green hills of Tuscany welcomed Team Suzuki Ecstar and the MotoGP™ World Championship for Round 6 at Mugello circuit.

Alex Rins and Joan Mir quickly found form on the technical and high speed track in the morning, placing themselves in the Top five and bringing their times down lap after lap. The pair closed FP1 in third and fourth respectively, with Rins featuring highly in three out of the four lap sectors.

The afternoon’s FP2 saw the mercury rise and the lap times continue to fall. Rins and Mir maintained their good feelings on board their GSX-RRs and were determined to keep themselves within the Top 10. They managed this well, although towards the end of the session Mir didn’t have the optimum feeling and he also lost a couple of fast laps due to traffic on the track and he was knocked to 12th in the combined standings. Meanwhile Rins was able to top the session, only slipping to second place right at the last moment, and just +0.071 from first.

Ken Kawauchi - Technical Manager:

“Today went well, a better start than some weekends. As you know, this track has a long straight, so we thought we might struggle a bit, but our base settings are working very well and we’re feeling quite confident. Alex got second today and Joan’s performance was also good, but he lost some laps when he was stuck in traffic. We’re looking forward to tomorrow’s FP3, where we’re hoping to get direct passage into Q2.”

Alex Rins:

“Today was a good and productive day in the office! From FP1 I tried to find the flow needed to get the most out of Mugello. I managed to get that feeling quickly and I felt strong when trying different tyre options. I was able to set good lap times in both sessions, especially in FP2, but we will continue to work because it’s sure to be a close race. We’ve made some improvements in terms of electronics and so far the bike feels good and we feel pretty confident about the coming days.”

Joan Mir:

“This track is really special; high speed, hard braking, and fast corners. My feelings are good, and the bike has nice potential here. I feel like I could’ve finished a bit higher today because I had a few small issues with my setup, and I felt like I was fighting against the bike a bit, I wasn’t flowing and smooth. I also lost some laps at the end of FP2 which was a bit frustrating. Tomorrow I’ll try to find a better flow and see what I can do, but overall it’s been a good day.”

GRAN PREMIO D'ITALIA OAKLEY - Combined Classification after DAY1:

1. F. BAGNAIA - Ducati Lenovo Team - 01:46.147
2. A. RINS - Team SUZUKI ECSTAR - 01:46.218 +0.071
3. F. MORBIDELLI - Petronas Yamaha SRT - 01:46.331 +0.184
4. F. QUARTARARO - Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP - 01:46.372 +0.225
5. B. BINDER - Red Bull KTM Factory Racing - 01:46.436 +0.289
6. M. OLIVEIRA - Red Bull KTM Factory Racing - 01:46.584 +0.437
7. T. NAKAGAMI - LCR Honda IDEMITSU - 01:46.593 +0.446
8. M. VIÑALES - Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP - 01:46.593 -
9. A. ESPARGARO - Aprilia Racing Team Gresini - 01:46.655 +0.508
10. J. MILLER - Ducati Lenovo Team - 01:46.688 - +0.541
11. J. ZARCO - Pramac Racing - 01:46.802 +0.209
12. J. MIR - Team SUZUKI ECSTAR - 01:46.847 +0.700
13. M. MARQUEZ - Repsol Honda Team - 01:46.973 +0.826
14. P. ESPARGARO - Repsol Honda Team - 01:46.986 +0.839
15. M. PIRRO - Pramac Racing - 01:47.107 +0.960
16. D. PETRUCCI - Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing - 01:47.129 +0.982
17. L. MARINI - SKY VR46 Avintia - 01:47.154 +1.007
18. A. MARQUEZ - LCR Honda CASTROL - 01:47.326 +1.179
19. E. BASTIANINI - Avintia Esponsorama - 01:47.480 +1.333
20. L. SAVADORI - Aprilia Racing Team Gresini - 01:47.668 +1.521
21. V. ROSSI - Petronas Yamaha SRT - 01:47.719 +1.572
22. I. LECUONA - Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing - 01:47.792 +1.645

Mugello MotoGP 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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