Rins increased by “unbelievable” Suzuki speed on used tires

Rins was runner-up on both test days so far, but the Spaniard, who had reliably improved in races last year, drew more attention to his constant speed.

“Hello – yesterday too,” said Rins after running on Thursday. “I am very happy.

“Because of the [Valencia 2018] Racing bike so far we are improving. Of course we improve – we don’t improve a second, but we improve a few tenths that in the end it is very important.

“The bike gives me confidence when I get on it [the corner] faster and I drive a good cornering speed, I try new things myself every lap that I turn.

“The rhythm with 20-25 laps on the tire was incredible.”

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Rins claims that the GSX-RR’s new spec has improved acceleration – and while braking and top speed remain their weaknesses, Suzuki has made advances on the latter.

This was ensured by “a little more power from the engine”, but also by a new fairing that Rins tried out on the second day, which gave him better grip on the front tire.

But after finishing in the top six for the last seven races of 2018, Rins pointed out that no drastic changes were needed in the off-season.

“We don’t have to try, I don’t know [putting] the rear wheel at the front, the front wheel at the back, “he said.” Just small adjustments that give us more information, more consistency.

While Rins starred in the first two days of testing, his rookie teammate Joan Mir was outside the top 20 on both occasions.

But although he feels “tired” at the end of Thursday, the Moto2 graduate insists that he is satisfied with the way the test has gone so far.

“We worked a lot on the new bike – tried the good things, the bad things, tried a lot of things,” said Mir. “I am very happy about today because we have the path that we have to take and that is really the most important thing.

“For tomorrow, I hope to continue in this line, hopefully time off to see what’s going on.”

Additional reporting from Oriol Puigdemont

Joan Mir, Team Suzuki MotoGP

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Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Joan Mir, Team Suzuki MotoGP