Team Suzuki Press Office – October 6.
Alex Rins: 5th (+ 11.449)
Joan Mir: 7th (+ 18.729)
• Alex Rins fights through to important 5th place.
• Joan Mir impresses in rookie run to take 7th.
A packed crowd filled Chang International Circuit for Round 15 of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship, where Joan Mir and Alex Rins made solid starts from their 8th and 10th grid spots. The SUZUKI ECSTAR pair were battling for the top 7 positions from the first laps onwards, and both got stuck into a fight with Rossi. The Italian was running ahead of Mir and Rins, but with 16 laps to go, Rins made a pass and was swiftly followed by his team-mate.
Rins was keen to continue his progression through the pack, and he steadily chipped away the gap to Morbidelli and Dovizioso in front of him. With 11 laps left, he had passed the Yamaha rider and was closing in on the Ducati. Alex managed the remainder of the race well, taking 5th place at the line and securing useful points.
Meanwhile, Joan Mir put in an impressive performance on his first appearance at Buriram with the GSX-RR, gapping Rossi and settling himself into a consistent and controlled race pace. He finished in 7th place, his best result since returning from injury.
Team SUZUKI ECSTAR would like to congratulate Repsol Honda Team and Marc Marquez for the World Title they won today in Thailand.
Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager:
“It’s a pity we couldn’t fight for the podium today, but Alex did well to gain five places back from grid. Joan’s target was to keep up a consistent pace and get a good finish, which he achieved. So, both riders did well today, even if we would have liked slightly higher positions, so we have to come back to fight for better positions as soon as possible.”
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“In the end it’s been a positive day. Alex did a good job and recovered a lot of places, and it was difficult to get a better result in such a spread-out race considering the starting position. Joan had strong pace and he stayed with the top riders and fought well, so it was a positive step for him, especially as a rookie. We’re looking forward to going to Japan next, the home race for our factory.”
Alex Rins:
“Today’s result is important for the championship, because I managed to get up to 5th and get good points. It was difficult to over-take Dovizioso, but I’m pleased to have recovered some places from my grid position. I’m focused on the next race and bringing a good result to the Suzuki workers in Japan, and in front of all the fans.”
Joan Mir:
“I’m really happy about the work we’ve done this weekend. We are getting closer to the top guys all the time. I struggled a bit with the heat today; my fitness is still suffering a bit after missing training during my injury. But I’m pleased to bring home 7th place. The atmosphere in Motegi is special, I want to do well there and take another step forward.”
GP of Thailand – Race Classification:
1. Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 39’36.223
2. Fabio QUARTARARO Petronas Yamaha SRT +0.171
3. Maverick VIÑALES Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP +1.380
4. Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team +11.218
5. Alex RINS Team SUZUKI ECSTAR +11.449
6. Franco MORBIDELLI Petronas Yamaha SRT +14.466
7. Joan MIR Team SUZUKI ECSTAR +18.729
8. Valentino ROSSI Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP +19.162
9. Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati Team +23.425
10. Takaaki NAKAGAMI LCR Honda IDEMITSU +29.423
11. Francesco BAGNAIA Pramac Racing +30.103
12. Cal CRUTCHLOW LCR Honda CASTROL +33.216
13. Pol ESPARGARO Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +35.667
14. Jack MILLER Pramac Racing +39.736
15. Andrea IANNONE Aprilia Racing Team Gresini +40.038
16. Miguel OLIVEIRA Red Bull KTM Tech 3 +40.136
17. Tito RABAT Reale Avintia Racing +44.589
18. Jorge LORENZO Repsol Honda Team +54.723
19. Karel ABRAHAM Reale Avintia Racing +56.012
20. Hafizh SYAHRIN Red Bull KTM Tech 3 +1’01.431
Not Classified
41 Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
82 Mika KALLIO Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
MotoGP World Championship Standings:
1. Marc MARQUEZ Honda 325
2. Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati 215
3. Alex RINS Suzuki 167
4. Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha 163
5. Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati 162
6. Valentino ROSSI Yamaha 145
7. Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha 143
8. Jack MILLER Ducati 119
9. Cal CRUTCHLOW Honda 102
10. Franco MORBIDELLI Yamaha 90
11. Pol ESPARGARO KTM 80
12. Takaaki NAKAGAMI Honda 74
13. Joan MIR Suzuki 58
14. Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia 46
15. Francesco BAGNAIA Ducati 34
16. Andrea IANNONE Aprilia 33
17. Miguel OLIVEIRA KTM 29
18. Johann ZARCO KTM 27
19. Jorge LORENZO Honda 23
20. Tito RABAT Ducati 18
21. Stefan BRADL Honda 16
22. Michele PIRRO Ducati 9
23. Sylvain GUINTOLI Suzuki 7
24. Hafizh SYAHRIN KTM 7
25. Karel ABRAHAM Ducati 5
26. Bradley SMITH Aprilia
27. Mika KALLIO KTM
