Team Suzuki News Press Office – August 8.
Less than one week after the tumultuous Czech GP, and days after an important test in Brno, Team SUZUKI ECSTAR are already preparing to return to racing once again, this time at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. These back-to-back rounds are just 340km apart, but the two circuits are very different, with Brno’s lush forests being replaced by Austria’s picturesque alps.
Unfortunately, the Team head into the race weekend without the presence of Joan Mir. The young rookie suffered a high-speed crash during testing at Brno on Monday, which resulted in a pulmonary contusion. On Wednesday he returned to Barcelona for further tests and recuperation. The Team wish him a quick recovery, and all look forward to seeing him again soon.
Alex Rins comes into the Austrian GP following a strong 4th place finish in the Czech Republic and a positive day of testing. Rins finished 8th last year in Spielberg and feels that the track’s fast and ‘full gas’ nature could be even more suited to the current GSX-RR.
The Red Bull Ring is nestled in the foothills of the Styrian Alps, and since its introduction to the MotoGP calendar in 2016, it has become well-liked for its stunning setting and state of the art facilities. The circuit itself has a lot of hard acceleration and braking, and many sweeping corners, as well as an altitude variation of 65m.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“We’re heading straight for Austria following an interesting weekend in Brno. Perhaps the Red Bull Ring isn’t our favourite track, but I’m still feeling quite confident. The bike has improved compared to last year, and so has the overall package. We are very interested to see how we can perform compared to the previous years. Last year we struggled in Brno, but we managed a good race last weekend, so you can’t always predict or pre-judge how the race will be. We’re ready to get on track and give it our all. Alex is in good shape and always ready to fight at the front. Of course, we’re really disappointed not to have Joan with us this weekend, and we hope he’ll be feeling 100% again soon.”
Alex Rins:
“Spielberg is a really different layout to Brno, and it’s possible that we might struggle a little bit on the long straights and the hard braking, but the bike has evolved a lot since last year and the new fairing we have with the new aerodynamic package is really good, I’m certain that will help us in Austria. I’m looking forward to the race weekend and I hope I can bring home a good result for the team. I want to send my best wishes to my team-mate, Joan, and hope to see him back soon.”
TECHNICAL HIGHLIGHTS OF RED BULL RING
Manuel Cazeaux – Alex Rins’ Crew Chief:
“Austria is really different to any other circuit on the calendar, and because of that you need a special set-up there. The key point is that the majority of the time is spent with the bike straight – both on acceleration and under braking. The riders don’t have the bike leaned over much and Sector 2 is the only place where they’re really turning the bike. It’s not easy because you need to sacrifice some of the cornering capabilities when you’re optimising the bike for good straight-line performance. Another key area is anti-wheelie, because you need to get the best possible drive.”
