You are here

MotoGP, Mir: "I stayed with Suzuki to bring it to the top, like Schwantz did"

"I hope Rins and I will push each other to grow. The GSX-RR is not an easy bike, but it's really unique to ride."

MotoGP: Mir: "I stayed with Suzuki to bring it to the top, like Schwantz did"

Share


A few days ago, Joan Mir announced his renewal with Suzuki for another two years, and today he commented on his choice during a virtual press conference. Until the end of 2022, he'll be pairing with Rins, and their common goal is to bring the GSX-RR to the top.

The Spanish rider never had any doubts as to what his future was.

I had already known about the renewal a few months," he confessed. "My manager had another offer, but I didn't speak to another constructor. Changing bikes would have meant spending another year adapting, and I didn't want to waste that time."

Joan is in a hurry.

"I don't think you can finish your job in just two years ," he explained. "Last season, I debuted in the MotoGP. I needed it to gain experience. I have to start getting results in this. In the end, I would have only been there one year, and that's not enough to show one's potential.”

There are those who say that he and Rins are the classic two roosters in the same henhouse: both young and eager to dominate.

Clearly, Alex was number one last year, I was a rookie, " Joan said. "Now I don't think it's like that, and I don't think Suzuki thinks it either. We both want to bring Suzuki to the top positions, repeat what Kevin Schwantz did. I hope I'll be able keep up with Rins, because we can push each other and grow on this bike."

Like his teammate, he doesn't agree with those who say that the GSX-RR is the easiest bike on the grid.

How can you say that from the outside without having tried the other bikes?" he replied. "Suzuki is similar in character as the Yamaha, but it's not the same, it's more aggressive. All the riders in the first year struggled a bit to adapt because the GSX-RR must be ridden in a special way. I wouldn't call it an easy bike, others seem more natural for a rider."

Mir fully understands this, and the winter tests confirmed it.

"My weak point last year was being too aggressive," he revealed. "I improved in this test. Now I ride with a softer style. The first season helped me learn. In the winter tests, my goal was to stay in the top five, and I was successful, but now it's hard to say what my position will be when we start again. Jack Miller will probably be the fastest because he's the only rider who can ride a motorcycle every day,"  he said, jokingly.

Freezing development doesn't worry him at all.

"I'd say it's good news for us," he said, "because we have a good foundation. The new bike did very well in the tests in Sepang and Losail. I think this freeze in development could be a disadvantage for others, but it's difficult to say."

Now Joan mostly tries to keep fit and keep his motivation high.

It's not easy," he admitted. "Usually, a sportsman knows what his program will be, when it'll have to be 100%, but we still don't know the date of the first race. It's difficult to find reasons to train. I try to have a routine, keep myself busy, and not have too much time to think."

His desire is to get back on the bike.


Here in Andorra, for the moment, we can only use the trial bike for a couple of days a week ," he explained. "It's good training and, after two months without riding, you have to start slowly so as not to risk being injured. I hope that we'll be allowed to go the Spain in the coming weeks so that we can train with cross or minibikes. In this sense, the Italians are more advantaged because they can already do it."

Translated by Leila Myftija
__

Related articles