America is the land of dreams and Alex Rins achieved his goal … to win in MotoGP. He did it by beating his childhood idol. Valentino Rossi.
“I am very happy as this victory was achieved with so much effort and sacrifice, but above all with hard work,” he began. “When I saw that Valentino was a second and a half ahead, I said to myself: ‘Come on Alex, now you have to do something spectacular. ‘I know he has a lot of experience and ends up being strong at hand-to-hand combat. But two laps before the end I made a mistake and in that moment I thought: ‘Now he’s going to take me out on the street and walk past me.“Instead, he made the same mistake. So I decided to go to the end without looking back.”
How long did this last lap seem?
“Very. When there were two laps left, I didNext to me, I knew I had a rider as strong as Rossi behind me, but I never wanted to give up. This win is something incredible for Suzuki. Last year we were very competitive and we managed to improve. So I also hope that I can be on the same level in the next few years. “
Would you have thought that after Friday free practice you would get such a result?
“On Friday I didn’t have the confidence I was hoping for, especially in tight corners. In the race, however, I was able to hold my own, especially when braking. But I had to defend myself against Rossi, especially at Turn 11.” where he was quick. “
Do you think this victory can increase your ambitions in the fight for the world championship?
“I fight with the strongest drivers and I feel competitive. You have to work to win and I’ll do anything to be ahead. It won’t be easy because the MotoGP level is very high, but we are on the right track and we have to keep going. “
The holes were difficult for everyone here at COTA. What is your opinion on this?
“I suffered a lot at Turn 2. In fact, I risked losing the front wheel and falling. We have to discuss this problem in the safety commission, but it is not easy to find a solution to the problem.”
The next race will take place in Spain in Jerez. What are your expectations
“I don’t know what’s going to happen and I say that sincerely. I’m happy to have won here in Austin as I’ve also won Moto3 and Moto2. I thank everyone on the team for the support they have shown. What did you sing to me under the podium? It’s the refrain of a Taki Taki song. “
Suzuki has confirmed that it is a top bike.
“We have a very balanced bike that adapts well to the tracks. I feel strong and the sensations are great. We were able to take a big step forward and I honestly thought it was our time to be won. It was nice to be able to achieve the result on a track like this. “