Team Suzuki Press Office – April 6.
Team Suzuki Ecstar’s riders Alex Rins and Joan Mir have headed 7000km north from Termas de Rio Hondo in Argentina to tackle the second race of a double-header in Texas.
The Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is a huge facility boasting a technical track layout and a capacity of 120,000. Since joining the MotoGP™ calendar back in 2013 it has become a stand-out stop thanks to its larger-than-life atmosphere and challenging races. The state capital of Austin is just a stone’s throw from the track, and the vibrant city is famed for its music festivals, cultural events, cuisine, and business technology hubs.
In 2019 Alex Rins took a memorable and mesmerising victory at COTA; his first ever win in the MotoGP™ class which helped him on his way to a campaign which left him fourth in the championship. He has also celebrated wins in Moto3™ and Moto2™ here. In 2021, after a year out of America due to the pandemic, Rins took a fourth place in Austin and he is keen to return to the podium in 2022.
Mir has less premier class experience at COTA and he will be aiming to collect data and learn more about the track before pushing his GSX-RR towards the top.
Team Suzuki Ecstar come into this fourth round of the championship leading the Teams’ standings, something which was achieved last time out following Rins’ podium in Argentina and Mir’s fourth place.
Alex Rins:
“I love the vibe in Texas and I always enjoy coming here, even more so after my debut MotoGP win in 2019. That was such a special day and it’s impossible to forget. Last year I was fourth, but I want to do more this year, especially as our GSX-RR has improved and I’m feeling good after the podium in Argentina. It’s not an easy track, but it’s really fun to ride so I’ll give my all for the fans and my team.”
Joan Mir:
“I don’t have many good memories from Texas, my best result is fourth, and I’ve only ridden here in the top class twice, but it’s an amazing circuit. It’s pretty technical and quite different from other tracks we go to. Last weekend I got some really good feelings with my bike and I can’t wait to jump back on it to try and build on that promising progress.”
Livio Suppo – Team Manager:
“Both our riders had a successful race in Argentina last week with third and fourth. That first podium of the season was important to us and of course it’s given us a boost. We come into this race in Texas leading the Teams’ Championship and we’d like to build on that. The forecast looks good for the weekend, and although COTA is a highly technical circuit, I feel confident that we can do well. Alex is especially excited to come back here, and Joan is ready to get his best finish.”
