Team Suzuki Press Office – May 29.
The superb surroundings of Mugello Circuit will soon be ready to host the sixth round of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship, bringing with it the usual thrills and feeling of adrenaline for all the riders, team members, and also the fans who will liven up the stunning location.
Team SUZUKI ECSTAR arrive in Tuscany hoping to recover from the unlucky race in Le Mans, and with the awareness that the current GSX-RR package is now giving Alex Rins and Joan Mir the possibility to fight consistently at the top.
Mugello is certainly one of the most special tracks on the calendar; its magnificent location isn’t the only thing which makes it stand out, it is also one of the most demanding circuits, and this is something that Rins has in mind as he approaches the Italian GP. The young Spaniard is fighting consistently among the top riders and the little trip up in Le Mans hasn’t affected his fighting spirit or positivity.
It’s a unique track with elevation changes, fast and flowing curves, slow turns, and a straight where riders can reach speeds in excess of 350km/h. This is something which thrills rookie Mir, who is definitely eager to get rid of the bad luck he has had so far, and to have the chance of showing his full potential.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“The last race in Le Mans wasn’t one of our best, but on the whole we are putting together a positive championship so far, so we head to Mugello feeling hopeful and aware of our potential. We have to recover from Le Mans and keep our heads up. I believe this will be an important race because, despite being towards the beginning of the Championship, it will still be an indicator of the general form among the field. Although the track layout is very demanding in technical terms, last year we had a good race with both riders close to the podium, and this year Alex has already proven he is capable of staying at the top on varying tracks. Joan has had some bad luck, it was a great start in Qatar, but then many small incidents prevented him from displaying his full potential. Mugello will be important for us, trying to get back at the top and continuing our chase for the top places in the Championship.”
Alex Rins
“The Mugello circuit is one of the most demanding but yet most thrilling tracks of the whole Championship, it’s always exciting to ride and compete in that setting, especially surrounded by the incredible crowd of people who light up the whole weekend. In Le Mans we rode a defensive race, and we managed to get some important points that keep me up in the classification, but for sure we must learn from our small mistakes and become more consistent and efficient. Mugello will be an important test of this, we have to start very well from the qualifying onwards and try to get all the advantages we can with our technical package, which is a good base and one I fully trust.”
Joan Mir
“I like the layout of Mugello very much, it is exciting and gives you a lot of adrenaline, I can’t wait to experience it with the full power of a MotoGP machine! I’ve had time to recover from the disappointment of Le Mans and I’m ready to get rid of all the bad luck we’ve had so far. I feel confident with my team and the GSX-RR, Mugello will be tough for us but our working method is solid and allows us to be optimistic. The fans will be surrounding us, giving us a further push.”
TECHNICAL HIGHLIGHTS OF MUGELLO CIRCUIT
Frankie Carchedi – Joan Mir’s Crew Chief: “Mugello is probably the fastest track on the calendar, which means you need good top speed, good aerodynamics, and a good gearbox. In fact, the gearbox is one of the hardest things to set-up, because a lot of the corners are only second or third gear, but you need a lot of acceleration for the long start/finish straight. There are fast chicanes and corners which flow into each other, that plays to our strengths. So, although some other manufacturers might have more top speed, it’s important to be strong all the way around the lap – and our strengths lie in other areas.”
