Team Suzuki Press Office – September 11.
Team SUZUKI ECSTAR are still on a high as they head for Round 13 of MotoGP™, thanks to Alex Rins’ stunning win at Silverstone and excited to head to Misano after the positive test held at the Marco Simoncelli circuit two weeks ago.
The entire team are also bolstered by the much-anticipated return of Joan Mir. The youngster from Mallorca has endured a lengthy recovery since his crash in Brno on August 5th. However, Mir returned to his GSX-RR for a couple of days at the end of August during the Misano Test. This has allowed him to calmly reacquaint himself with the bike, and also to enter the race weekend with added confidence and better fitness.
Meanwhile, Rins used the days after the Misano Test to reflect on his victory and to relax and train ahead of the Grand Prix. Having regained third place in the championship standings whilst in the UK, Rins is very focused on the next races; keen to keep up his excellent pace, and to secure more points in the competitive championship battle.
The San Marinese GP is often one of high drama and an electric atmosphere. First constructed in 1972, it’s been an important site for motorsport events ever since, despite undergoing many modifications over the years. Renamed the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in 2012, it has been a steady feature of the MotoGP calendar since 2007. Both Rins and Mir have enjoyed podium success over the years here, with Rins taking two victories in the Moto3 class. Nestled between the Apennine mountains and the beautiful Adriatic coast, and packed with passionate fans, it’s always a stand-out race.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“Misano could be a good circuit for us, last year we put in a positive performance, with Alex capable of keeping a very fast race pace and finishing in a strong 4th place. It’s also great to have Joan back with us this weekend. We’ve arrived here with the emotions of Silverstone still fresh in our minds, and we have to try to keep up that type of performance – hopefully having a good end to the season and fighting for the podium at every race.”
Alex Rins:
“I’m feeling really good about coming to San Marino GP after the great race in Silverstone. After the victory we were back to work with two days of testing in Misano, where we worked on a few little improvements with the bike. I’m really motivated to attack this weekend, especially after a little bit of time to relax and train since the British GP.”
Joan Mir:
“It’s great to finally be back! I’m feeling stronger and really looking forward to getting on track on Friday morning, and hopefully having a positive race weekend. Misano is a track I like, and I’ve had some good results there in the past. It also helps that we were there testing at the end of August, so I feel a bit familiar with taking on the circuit with my GSX-RR.”
TECHNICAL HIGHLIGHTS OF MISANO
Manuel Cazeaux – Alex Rins’ Crew Chief:
“Misano is a track where you have a little bit of everything – fast corners, slow corners, hard braking, flowing sections. That means that the setup must be balanced, and you always have to compromise in some areas to get the advantage in other areas. When you’ve got good settings on the bike, then you need to choose the right tyres and adapt to whatever the track conditions are. There is a lot of hard acceleration, which can be wearing on the rear tyre, so traction is important too. Anti-wheelie is another key aspect, so the aerodynamic package plays a bigger part here. Our bike is strong in flowing parts of the circuit, and my favourite part of Misano circuit is sector 3 – there you have to close your eyes and give it full gas!”
