The Hamamatsu brand skipped a physical launch event this year to post a YouTube video showing the GSX-RR bike in the colors of 2019 alongside racers Alex Rins and Joan Mir.
Apart from slightly larger yellow and gray elements on the front fairing and on the side of the bike, the new paintwork hardly differs from the 2018 variant.
Former Moto3 champion Mir replaces Andrea Iannone at Suzuki after a single season in Moto2, while Rins, who finished his 2018 season with three podiums in the last four races, is entering his third year with the team.
Rins is chasing his first premier class win after finishing second three times last year. The team itself has been without a win since Maverick Vinales triumphed at Silverstone in 2016.
“The first goal is to build a competitive bike that wins the race,” said Rins. “We need to keep gaining experience but I think we are ready to win now.
“I think we had a good package with the previous bike. We managed to build a very good machine and in 2019 we tried to build a bike that was a little bit better in all aspects: braking , Accelerate and top speed. “
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Meanwhile, I am following in the footsteps of Vinales and Rins, who won a place at Suzuki after only one year in the intermediate class, and will try to make the same big impression as his compatriots in 2015 and ’17 respectively.
“Realistically, this year’s goal is to improve gradually, start with a good performance in Qatar and improve the year race after race,” said Mir.
“I have to adapt to the bike, the team, the category and start to close the gap with the riders in the front. That is the most important thing.”
The 21-year-old’s crew chief for his debut campaign will be Francesco Carchedi, who worked with Karel Abraham on the Angel Nieto team last year, while Rins will stay with Jose Manuel Cazeaux for 2019.
Alex Rins, Team Suzuki MotoGP, Joan Mir, Team Suzuki MotoGP
Photo by: Suzuki