Team Suzuki Press Office – August 21.
After one weekend off without racing, Team SUZUKI ECSTAR get down to business for Round 12 of the MotoGP World Championship. Silverstone Circuit, in the heart of the English countryside, will play host as the riders continue with this busy section of the season.
Following his heavy crash and injury at the Brno Test on August 5th, which caused him to miss the Austrian GP, Joan Mir has once again been ruled out of action for the British GP. The youngster is recovering well but has been advised by doctors to avoid risk and continue his rehabilitation. Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s Test Rider, Sylvain Guintoli, will ride in his place; the Frenchman coming directly from the two-day test at the KymiRing in Finland.
Alex Rins, off the back of strong finishes in the Czech and Austrian GPs, is ready to take on Silverstone with renewed vigour after improvements made with the bike in recent weeks. The Spaniard has enjoyed podiums and a victory in the past at the fast British track when racing in the smaller classes, and in 2017 he took a 9th place finish in his debut MotoGP season.
Britain has hosted a GP since the World Championship’s creation in 1949. Initially held on the Isle of Man, the races switched to Silverstone Circuit in 1977. After a hiatus of 23 years in which the GP was held at Donington Park, Silverstone returned to the calendar in 2010. A well-balanced track with 8 left corners and 10 right, Silverstone has become a real favourite among riders, especially as it’s one of the fastest tracks on the calendar. Resurfaced ahead of the 2019 GP, the new tarmac will hopefully ensure the races go ahead…whatever the weather!
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“It will be interesting to go back to Silverstone, especially as they have put a lot of effort in with resurfacing the track – reducing the bumps and increasing the grip in wet conditions – so we will find a different circuit to what we knew before. It’s a shame that we won’t have Joan with us this weekend, we were looking forward to having him back on track, but his health must come first. It will be nice to have Sylvain here and giving us useful feedback, as always. Alex is riding very well at the moment and he is in good shape, and we will try to keep his good feeling going. We’re ready to try and fight for the top positions.”
Alex Rins:
“I’m heading to Silverstone with a lot of motivation, I will aim to give my maximum there because it’s a track that I really enjoy and my current feeling with the bike is positive. It will take some time to check the new surface, and of course the weather can have an impact on the race weekend, but I think I can secure a good result either way. I’d like to send my best wishes to Joan as he is still recovering from his injury.”
Sylvain Guintoli:
“I’m arriving to Silverstone straight from the KymiRing, the new track in Finland. Discovering a new track is a great experience – suddenly all references are gone, and it makes you realise just how fast the MotoGP bikes are! It’s a challenging track and it’s great taking the GSX-RR through its paces. Unfortunately, Joan is still recovering so I will replace him in Silverstone. It’s actually very close to my house so it’s an easy one for me. I like this track, it’s a good one, I haven’t raced there for a bit so it will be good to be back there with the British fans. I want to wish Joan all the best for his recovery and all the Team look forward to seeing him back at 100% soon.”
TECHNICAL HIGHLIGHTS OF SILVERSTONE
Frankie Carchedi – Joan Mir’s Crew Chief:
“Silverstone is one of the most difficult tracks, it’s very long with a lot of corners which vary greatly. You have some very slow sections, and some really fast ones. There is trail braking and fast braking – it really has a little bit of everything. This means that it doesn’t really favour one particular manufacturer or bike. Obviously, being in the UK the weather can play a big part, so finding a good wet and good dry set-up is often important. Overall, you need a well-balanced bike to be able to perform well at this track.”
