Team Suzuki Press Office – June 17.
Alex Rins: 4th – 1:39.334 (+0.367)
Joan Mir: 8th – 1:39.670 (+0.703)
Sylvain Guintoli: 23rd – 1:41.243 (+2.276)
• Alex Rins continues great pace around Montmelò as he tests chassis.
• Joan Mir working on fine-tuning settings and building confidence.
• Team end the test on a high following positive findings.
Following a successful race day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in which Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s riders brought home 4th, 6th, and 13th places, it was time to get back on track on Monday morning for a one-day test.
The three riders present at the test had three slightly different agendas for the day.
Test Rider, Sylvain Guintoli, continued working with the chassis he used throughout the Catalan race weekend, and he also tried some different set-up configurations. The Frenchman felt much quicker than during yesterday’s race and he gave positive feedback about the modified chassis.
Alex Rins left the pit box feeling confident and comfortable with his GSX-RR, and he set some quick laps early in the session, topping the time sheets for much of the day. He then had the opportunity to try the chassis which Guintoli debuted, and he also found an improved feeling with the bike, especially under braking.
Rookie, Joan Mir, concentrated his time on fine-tuning his settings around the technical track, before turning his attention to electronics. Joan reported that his confidence is building lap-by-lap and he was happy to spend more time on his bike at a circuit he likes.
Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager
“We gained a lot of information today with Sylvain and Alex both trying our newly modified chassis. During a race weekend it’s difficult to properly test new parts and settings, so test days like these are really important and useful for us. All three riders felt improvements today, and that means we’ve worked well.”
Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“It’s been a good test day, especially following a good race weekend. Alex and Sylvain tried a modified chassis and we found it quite helpful. We think it will improve braking stability; it could be useful in some circuits so Alex will probably try it again in Assen. We also tested electronics, ergonomics, and a tyre from Michelin. Overall a positive test with good pace from Alex. Joan tried some different settings, including suspension, but also he was just working on his riding style and some basic things.”
Alex Rins
“Today I found that the modified chassis had a lot of positive points, but also there are some things about it that I would like to improve. There’s not a lot to change with it, but we will evaluate it further to try and get the best from it. I’ve done quite a lot of laps today and in general I think we can feel very positive about the way things are going.”
Joan Mir
“I’m happy because I’ve improved my general pace and my fast lap pace. We’ve worked well all day, improving every area of the bike a little bit. We didn’t focus on any one thing really, more just my overall feeling with bike and building my experience up.”
Sylvain Guintoli
“I’ve done quite a bit of work today, continuing to test this modified chassis we have – trying to adapt it and find the strongest points and the weaker points. We also made some good discoveries with the bike in general, so we feel it’s going well. I was much quicker than yesterday, so I improved my pace. It’s great to test following a race because I already felt comfortable with the track and the conditions so I could put in quicker laps right from the start of the day.”
CATALUNYA, 1 DAY TEST – CLASSIFICATION:
1. VIÑALES, Maverick Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 1:38.967
2. MORBIDELLI, Franco Petronas Yamaha SRT 1:39.014 0.047 / 0.047
3. MARQUEZ, Marc Repsol Honda Team 1:39.257 0.290 / 0.243
4. RINS, Alex Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1:39.334 0.367 / 0.077
5. QUARTARARO, Fabio Petronas Yamaha SRT 1:39.428 0.461 / 0.094
6. BAGNAIA, Francesco Pramac Racing 1:39.466 0.499 / 0.038
7. NAKAGAMI, Takaaki LCR Honda IDEMITSU 1:39.555 0.588 / 0.089
8. MIR, Joan Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1:39.670 0.703 / 0.115
9. MILLER, Jack Pramac Racing 1:39.745 0.778 / 0.075
10. CRUTCHLOW, Cal LCR Honda CASTROL 1:39.903 0.936 / 0.158
11. PETRUCCI, Danilo Mission Winnow Ducati 1:39.917 0.950 / 0.014
12. DOVIZIOSO, Andrea Mission Winnow Ducati 1:39.925 0.958 / 0.008
13. RABAT, Tito Reale Avintia Racing 1:39.938 0.971 / 0.013
14. ROSSI, Valentino Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 1:39.968 1.001 / 0.030
15. ZARCO, Johann Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1:40.197 1.230 / 0.229
16. ESPARGARO, Pol Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1:40.201 1.234 / 0.004
17. LORENZO, Jorge Repsol Honda Team 1:40.357 1.390 / 0.156
18. SMITH, Bradley Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1:40.564 1.597 / 0.207
19. IANNONE, Andrea Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1:40.606 1.639 / 0.042
20. OLIVEIRA, Miguel Red Bull KTM Tech 3 1:40.862 1.895 / 0.256
21. ABRAHAM, Karel Reale Avintia Racing 1:41.100 2.133 / 0.238
22. SYAHRIN, Hafizh Red Bull KTM Tech 3 1:41.162 2.195 / 0.062
23. GUINTOLI, Sylvain Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1:41.243 2.276 / 0.081
24. BRADL, Stefan Team HRC 1:41.429 2.462 / 0.186
25. PEDROSA, Dani Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1:41.824 2.857 / 0.395
