After spending much of the MotoGP campaign last year battling a dislocated and broken shoulder in the first round, Alex Rins probably breathed a sigh of relief as he kicked off the 2021 season in Qatar with a solid fifth place in the left early overall.
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Little did the Suzuki driver know that it would be two and a half months before he scored another point.
Rins saw the worst streak since making his Moto3 debut in 2012, crashing for the next four races and then breaking his wrist when he encountered a stationary van while texting a bike training session at the Circuit de Catalunya.
It was a costly lesson for the Spaniard: “If you watch the phone, don’t watch the cars or the road. I’d rather hit a van like me than hit a person. Was even worse. So that was a clear one Example.”
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Rins returned after surgery and finished eleventh at the Sachsenring, but looked much stronger a week later in Assen, where he moved up to fifth early on the first lap.
But the contact with a rough pass from Johann Zarco sent Rins far and into the back field. Although Rins was able to make up eleven places, he could only achieve his eleventh place from the Sachsenring.
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All of this left Rins with a score of just 33 out of a possible 225 points by the summer break and a low 14th place in the world championship.
That’s 68 points less than teammate and reigning world champion Joan Mir (fourth overall), a driver who overqualified Rins in seven of the eight races they both competed in.
“It’s hard to judge [this first half of the season]because we have good speed, good pace, but it’s also difficult for me to finish a race, “said Rins.
“I have a very good team behind me. My personal team, my racing team, we work pretty hard all days and certainly didn’t get the results in this first part of the season. But especially [Assen] I felt pretty good. “
The three-time MotoGP race winner announced that in response to his falls, the team decided to switch to their 2020 GSX-RR setup in Catalonia.
The bicycle wrist injury meant that he had to be moved to the Sachsenring, where he was still sore from the operation. Nevertheless, the results so far are positive.
“I’ve felt really good since the Sachsenring, where we went back to last year’s set-up,” confirmed Rins.
“I think I was sixth before the rain came [in the German GP] and [at Assen] I was well positioned [until the Zarco incident]. It’s hard to understand, but I think we can do a good second part of the season. “
Due to the late comeback last season, the # 42 climbed from twelfth to third overall in the last five laps, including a win in Aragon.
Officially there are ten laps left this season, but the 123 point deficit on Fabio Quartararo means that Rins’ title hopes have already been dashed.
There is also speculation that Rins, who has a contract until the end of 2022, may find his seat under pressure from Maverick Vinales in the future.
“Maybe Maverick will return to Suzuki,” Suzuki legend Kevin Schwantz told Speedweek.com.
Former Suzuki race winner Vinales will be leaving Yamaha at the end of this season.