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MotoGP, Puig: "Austin has shown that the Honda has good potential"

“The bike has made progress in the last few races and Rins has shown that he is fast. And Mir is the same. Everyone inside HRC is giving their all to get back on top and our hard work is paying off.”

MotoGP: Puig: "Austin has shown that the Honda has good potential"

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One swallow doesn’t make a summer, but Alex Rins' victory on the Circuit of the Americas was undoubtedly a breath of fresh air for Honda, which has returned to success again for the first time since the 2021 Emilia Romagna GP. The first victory achieved in the last five years by a rider other than Marc Marquez. A sign that the Japanese manufacturer seems to have taken the right path, to put an end to the difficulties of the last few seasons.

“If we look at the result of the weekend and we must make a judgement, it is undeniable that it was a very positive weekend. A Honda bike won the GP, and this is the goal we set ourselves every weekend - commented Alberto Puig, summing up the Texan weekend - In recent months our potential has been called into question, but we have shown that our bike has good potential”.

A potential that it managed to fully express in the hands of the Spaniard of the LCR team, a great interpreter of the Austin track.

“We really appreciate Alex Rins' commitment during the GP. His riding, concentration and performance were what was needed - commented the team manager - He clearly demonstrated that he is a very fast rider, and we must also acknowledge and be satisfied with the progress and evolution that the bike has made in just a few races”.

To offset Rins' performance, however, there are the difficulties of Joan Mir, who finished 12th in the Sprint Race in Texas, then notched up his third retirement of the season. Despite having shown potential astride the factory RC213V, something still seems to be missing for the 2020 World Champion, who has not yet managed to score points with his new bike.

“It is true that Joan has much more potential. He must continue to improve his rapport with the bike and deepen his understanding and week after week he is making progress - underlined Puig - A few crashes have complicated things, but we at HRC believe that his potential is at least equal to that of Rins, because they have been racing together in the same team for many years and you can see the results they have achieved together. Sooner or later, Joan will find what he is missing to really understand the bike. He is working a lot on the riding position and took a step forward in America”.

On the other hand, Marc Marquez was notably absent from COTA; he might be back at the round in Jerez de la Frontera, which will be held on the last weekend of April.

“Marc continues to follow the plan set out by his doctors and is making progress. He will do another check before the Spanish GP to confirm the situation of the bone in his hand - explained Puig - From that moment we will be able to fully understand how his recovery is proceeding. The results of this weekend will certainly have pleased him. We still need to improve the bike, but the potential is there”.

Although the work at Honda is not yet complete, the Japanese manufacturer's efforts are starting to bring encouraging results.

“The last, and crucial, message of the weekend is confirmation that the hard work put in by everyone in Japan and Europe is paying off. Everyone within HRC is giving their all to get back to the top and everyone from HRC Japan to the LCR and Repsol Honda teams are working hard with this single goal in mind - concluded Puig - Today, thanks to the effort of Alex Rins, we were able to get the rewards of victory and show that we are still here, that we continue to work and that we are still in the competition”.

 

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