Team Suzuki Press Office – November 6.
Combined practice times:
Alex Rins: 6th – 1’33.157 (+ 0.629)
Joan Mir: 10th – 1’33.405 (+ 0.882)
MotoGP track action resumed today at Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia for the European GP – the first in a triple-header series which will close the 2020 championship.
The riders were met with a wet and wintery start to proceedings at the Spanish circuit, meaning they opted for a calm and careful approach to FP1. This strategy paid off, and the Team Suzuki Ecstar pairing were able to collect useful wet-weather data whilst avoiding unnecessary risk.
In FP2 the weather began to clear up, making for better track conditions and meaning lap times could begin to drop. Alex Rins and Joan Mir set about getting themselves into Top 10 contention. Both riders chipped away, putting in decent laps and rising through the ranks. Rins topped the session with 15 minutes to go, while Mir was close behind him in third. At the end of FP2 they had secured sixth and 10th on combined, bringing their laps down by more than 10 seconds compared to the morning, which stands them in good stead ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“The weather played a big part today, it was pretty wet this morning and it never got completely dry in the afternoon. However, we kept both riders in the Top 10 which is really important for tomorrow in case the weather is bad in FP3. We collected information and did some useful work, so we’re pleased with what we’ve achieved today.”
Alex Rins:
“The conditions were really difficult, it seemed like the track was fully wet for FP1 but there wasn’t actually much standing water so we struggled a bit with finding the grip level. In FP2 the conditions were also mixed, so it was quite hard to push. But my target was to be in the Top 10 and I achieved that with sixth place, so let’s see what happens tomorrow. I really like riding here, so I’m aiming for a good result.”
Joan Mir:
“I’m coming into this weekend focused on my goal and today we got a lot of work to do in preparation for the race. It was quite tricky because the conditions of the track weren’t easy, so it was a bit difficult to set fast lap times and instead we worked on setup. I’m already inside the Top 10, so if it’s wet or cold tomorrow morning I could go directly to Q2, but either way I’m satisfied with 10th place today and we’ll keep working – I’ll just keep doing my best.”
GRAN PREMIO DE EUROPA – Combined Classification after DAY1:
1. J. MILLER – Pramac Racing – 01:32.528
2. A. ESPARGARO – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – 01:32.620 – +0.092
3. F. MORBIDELLI – Petronas Yamaha SRT – 01:32.804 – +0.276
4. T. NAKAGAMI – LCR Honda IDEMITSU – 01:32.866 – +0.338
5. P. ESPARGARO – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – 01:32.952 – +0.424
6. A. RINS – Team SUZUKI ECSTAR – 01:33.157 – +0.629
7. B. BINDER – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – 01:33.259 – +0.731
8. A. DOVIZIOSO – Ducati Team – 01:33.292 – +0.764
9. F. QUARTARARO – Petronas Yamaha SRT – 01:33.337 – +0.809
10. J. MIR – Team SUZUKI ECSTAR – 01:33.405 – +0.877
11. M. VIÑALES – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – 01:33.410 – +0.882
12. C. CRUTCHLOW – LCR Honda CASTROL – 01:33.463 – +0.935
13. M. OLIVEIRA – Red Bull KTM Tech 3 – 01:33.483 – +0.955
14. S. BRADL – Repsol Honda Team – 01:33.504 – +0.976
15. F. BAGNAIA – Pramac Racing – 01:33.515 – +0.987
16. A. MARQUEZ – Repsol Honda Team – 01:33.570 – +1.042
17. J. ZARCO – Esponsorama Racing – 01:33.739 – +1.211
18. D. PETRUCCI – Ducati Team – 01:33.775 – +1.247
19. G. GERLOFF – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – 01:34.107 – +1.579
20. L. SAVADORI – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – 01:35.661 – +3.133
21. T. RABAT – Esponsorama Racing – 01:36.690 – +4.162
