Team Suzuki Press Office – August 5.
Alex Rins: 4th – 1:55.837 (+ 0.221)
Joan Mir: 7th – 1:56.164 (+ 0.548)
Alex Rins working on new fairings and various parts.
Joan Mir suffers heavy fall but finds useful settings.
Team looking ahead to Austria next week.
Following an eventful race weekend at the Automotodrom Brno, Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s riders took to the Czech track again on Monday to complete a one-day official test.
Joan Mir, ever keen to continue his learning curve, spent the first half of the test day trying out the same new aerodynamic fairing used by Rins during the race weekend. He also spent time working on general settings. Unfortunately, the young rookie endured a high-speed crash towards the end of the day and needed to go to the medical centre for a check-up. Joan was initially diagnosed at the circuit with a pulmonary contusion. A CT scan and further checks at the local hospital confirmed that there is no further damage, but he will need to be monitored over the next days while he rests and recovers.
Fresh from his 4th place finish on Sunday, Alex Rins was ready to continue working on the new fairing which was debut on Friday afternoon in Brno. The Spaniard tried a back-to-back comparison between the old fairing and the new design fairing, he reported positive feelings and expects to continue with this new aerodynamic package next weekend in Austria. Rins also tried a new swingarm during today’s test.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“Joan crashed at the end of the test, which unfortunately means that the day wasn’t all positive. Up until then we were going well and checking lots of different items. Joan tested the new aero package and we received positive feedback from him, so I think we’ll be using it again in the coming races. We also had the chance to test a chassis which we first tried with Alex during the Catalunya test, and now we need to analyse our findings from that and discover the benefits and possible downsides. We took a lot of information from today and we’re pleased about that. Fingers crossed for Joan.”
Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager:
“Despite the test taking pace just a day after the race when the riders are tired, they both worked very hard and we’d like to thank them for that. Alex did a great job and he put in many laps which allowed us to try a lot of different things, this will help us going into the Red Bull Ring next weekend and in the future. Joan also did very well today but unfortunately he had a crash towards the end and I’m sorry for him. Our Testing Team will stay here and continue testing for the next two days, we look forward to hearing their feedback and seeing the improvements made.”
Alex Rins:
“Today was very positive, and I completed a good testing program. I compared the new fairing – with the new aerodynamic package – to the old one, and it helped me to confirm my good feeling with the new fairing. I also tested a new chassis and swingarm, and the difference isn’t as obvious as it is with the fairing, so we need to do a bit more analysis. I’m pleased with the work done, and I’m looking forward to going to Austria.”
Joan Mir:
“The crash was a scary one, but finally it looks like everything is more or less OK. I had some pain and struggled to breathe initially, but then the situation got better and better and I received excellent assistance and support from the medics at the track. It will take a couple of days to recover, I need to take it easy and take my time, but at the moment I feel relieved that everything is OK, and I hope I will be 100% ready to race in Austria in just a few days.”
Brno Test – Final Results:
1 QUARTARARO, Fabio Petronas Yamaha SRT 1:55.616
2 VIÑALES, Maverick Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 1:55.628 0.012 0.012
3 MORBIDELLI, Franco Petronas Yamaha SRT 1:55.755 0.139 0.127
4 RINS, Alex Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1:55.837 0.221 0.082
5 CRUTCHLOW, Cal LCR Honda CASTROL 1:55.940 0.324 0.103
6 ROSSI, Valentino Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 1:56.015 0.399 0.075
7 MIR, Joan Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1:56.164 0.548 0.149
8 MARQUEZ, Marc Repsol Honda Team 1:56.237 0.621 0.073
9 BAGNAIA, Francesco Pramac Racing 1:56.248 0.632 0.011
10 PETRUCCI, Danilo Ducati Team 1:56.345 0.729 0.097
11 NAKAGAMI, Takaaki LCR Honda IDEMITSU 1:56.370 0.754 0.025
12 DOVIZIOSO, Andrea Ducati Team 1:56.391 0.775 0.021
13 MILLER, Jack Pramac Racing 1:56.514 0.898 0.123
14 ESPARGARO, Pol Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1:56.681 1.065 0.167
15 OLIVEIRA, Miguel Red Bull KTM Tech 3 1:56.811 1.195 0.130
16 ESPARGARO, Aleix Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1:57.058 1.442 0.247
17 RABAT, Tito Reale Avintia Racing 1:57.417 1.801 0.359
18 ABRAHAM, Karel Reale Avintia Racing 1:57.452 1.836 0.035
19 SYAHRIN, Hafizh Red Bull KTM Tech 3 1:57.610 1.994 0.158
20 ZARCO, Johann Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1:57.769 2.153 0.159
21 IANNONE, Andrea Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1:58.032 2.416 0.263
NC GUINTOLI, Sylvain Team SUZUKI ECSTAR
