08/10/2021 |
Christina Bulpett |
MotoGP
Image: GeeBee Pictures
Not least thanks to the new height adjuster, Suzuki Ecstars Joan Mir was in the battle for victory up to the last laps of the Styrian GP on Sunday.
The Japanese brand introduced the addition during FP3 on Saturday, with Mir determined to continue his assessment after positive first impressions during the 27-lap race restarted on Sunday.
Given his performance – which got him into trouble with eventual winner Jorge Martin from the start and set the fastest lap of the race before settling for second place in the last six laps – the reigning world champion was as perplexed as she ever was would create without being mastered.
“That was a really important improvement. Now, to be honest, I don’t understand how we could be so strong at the beginning of the season without it, ”said Mir from Parc Fermé.
“I’m really happy. It’s an important podium, especially important because the team is working really hard in Japan and to finally have that reward with a podium and fight for victory here in Austria is a really big reward for the team I am really happy and proud of her.
“I tried to give the maximum, but Jorge was really strong. I was able to stay there at the beginning, I felt really comfortable in the back. Then I had a few moments where I went too far and when braking I lost all chances in two laps because I was two laps too far, ”he admitted.
“This device is not an advantage over the others, it can only be started with the same conditions as the others. Now we have to improve this device further, because it is only the first prototype. It can be improved and there is margin.
“Then we have to work on the details of the bike. The others have been using this device for a long time, which means we need more information, but to make the race today it’s good information, a good step. We didn’t expect to use it all over this weekend as it’s a new product that couldn’t be tested much in Japan due to lack of time. I had in mind that I wanted to use all the rounds to try to give more information and glad it finally worked.
“When you fight a Ducati it’s always a challenge because they accelerate so fast, they stop the bike really well and our advantage is on the contrary. There are more of these things on this route than the things that normally work for our bike. I tried to give it my all on the first laps, you could see the first / second sector on the straight that I was losing a lot, then I tried to regain the third and fourth sectors. Then at the end, with a used tire, I lost even more acceleration, the tire spun and they got really good grip, so I’ll try to improve a bit for the next weekend.
“You used to think that the Ducati would drop the tire at the end of the race, but today they never fell. So I knew that it would be very, very tough if I didn’t have that speed at the end of the race, because where you gain time, you also save tires during that time because the acceleration is good, the braking is good.
“The first part of the season was the best we could aim for, the best position was third to be on the podium, but now I could be close to victory. That is the most positive thing, more than the position at the end, or the podium, is the performance. Our performance has increased and that is the most important thing.
“Today it was close, but it wasn’t enough. I think we have to keep learning and keep improving on the bike. My skills, our package, everything to be stronger and fight for victory next weekend. “