Alex Rins had a special season in MotoGP which could have turned into a disaster if it had not been for this resounding victory with a Honda on the Austin track. Otherwise, we would only be talking about this double fracture of the tibia fibula contracted after a fall during the Italian Grand Prix, which kept him away from the paddock, to the point of forcing him to undergo three operations for convalescence which is still in progress. course. Fortunately, the best part had been done, which allowed him to have a short window of opportunity to target a factory driver position. Yamaha arrived at the right time, and the agreement between the parties was signed in circumstances that were, to say the least, original. About all this and other things, Alex Rins tells us about it in an interview given just before enjoying the Holidays...
Riders who changed horizons to open a new episode in their career in MotoGP, alex rins is perhaps the least talked about. But also the one who could then assert himself the most. Winner at Suzuki, and also on Honda after only one campaign which was disrupted by a serious injury, the Spaniard joined the duo composed of Jack Miller and Maverick Vinales as a contender to go down in history as a driver having achieved success with three different manufacturers.
An opportunity that his victory in Grand Prix of the Americas helped, to the point that Yamaha came to the hospital to hire him. On Todocircuito, he remembers this period: “ it's surprising to remember where we signed the contract. It was in a hospital in Madrid, just before undergoing surgery. My manager and I had been in contact with them since Suzuki closed last year. But they had a contract with their two pilots. They were in contact throughout last season and at the start of this current one, until I received an offer. Finally, when you are in a satellite team and an offer comes from an official team, it is difficult to refuse it ».
In Valencia, he discovered for the first time his Yamaha , but he recognizes that he was not yet at the top of his form: “ we are about to reach 100% on the physical level, we will really discover the bike in February during the pre-season tests in Sepang and the truth is that I am really looking forward to it. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they bring and seeing how the bike performs on the track. It's a completely different bike and I can't wait to see the real options we have ».
On these differences noted, he mentions: “ I noticed several changes. The most notable on a physical level was the position on the bike, I felt less pain on this bike than on the other. It was the biggest physical change. You get on a totally different motorcycle. There was a lot of difference in the electronics, in the engine management. In the team, working with new people. I saved a telemetry guy I had at Suzuki, I took him to Yamaha. It helps, he knows how I work, and when it comes to tuning a motorcycle, that's a plus ».
Alex Rins: “ with Fabio Quartararo I think we can be a very strong couple when it comes to developing the bike »
More alex rins admits that he cannot objectively say more about what we can expect from him on an M1: “ everyone asks me this question. It's early to think about it. I remember my time with Suzuki, from 2017 to 2022. If during my third or fourth year at Suzuki I had been asked this question, depending on my level of preparation, I would have been able to answer clearly. You ask me this question now, I'm changing teams, it's a new bike, which is improving, it's very difficult to answer clearly ».
He nevertheless said a word about his teammate, fabio quartararo : " Fabio is a very talented rider, he is very fast and knows the bike very well. Since he joined MotoGP, he has been with Yamaha, he knows it perfectly. I think we can be a very strong couple when it comes to developing the bike, bringing both his knowledge and mine, from having worked in other brands and seeing the differences ».
alex rins ends by giving his idea of the next season: “ what happened this year will happen again. There are eight Ducatis on the grid with very strong riders like Pecco, Martín, Bezzecchi… It will be quite similar. I hope that we will take a step forward, both Yamaha, which is the team I am part of, and Honda, which has already taken a small step forward during the Valencia tests. I will try to fight to be as much at the forefront as possible ».