As with other Honda riders in recent MotoGP races, the Dutch Grand Prix at Assen ended in the gravel for Joan Mir. Faced with the RC213V's persistent flaws, Mir crashed more and more often while trying to compensate for his bike's weaknesses.
On the starting grid of Dutch Grand Prix, Joan mir was 20th, just behind his distinguished colleague John Zarco. During the Sprint race, he managed to position himself as the best driver Honda with a 14th place. On Sunday, the Spaniard looked set to pick up valuable points for Repsol Honda. However, on lap 6, when he was in 15th place and the best Honda rider at the time, Mir dropped.
« Initially I had made some progress and was with the group fighting for the top ten. I was happy with my speed and the gap with the drivers behind, and my feeling improved with each lap, " said Mir. He explained that in sector 1 he was trying to make up for lost time in other parts of the track.
Mir described his accident as atypical: “ When I accelerated into turn 3, I was leaning perhaps one degree too much, which is why I slid on the front wheel. It was unpredictable in this form. During the race, I followed Bezzecchi, Quartararo and a few others and I moved away a little from our pursuers. The bike was difficult to ride due to full tank, which is why I didn't feel 100% comfortable at first. But the sensations improved and my lap times improved."
Joan Mir: “ I'm a rider who will always try to do more and sometimes that means we fall »
Unfortunately, his optimism cost him dearly: “ I then tried to take a little more advantage of sector 1 of the route. There, I gained the time that I often lost on the rest of the lap, but this time I slipped on the front wheel. This has happened to us several times. I am a rider who will always try to do more and sometimes that means we fall. This ended our race."
Mir also pointed out general issues with the RC213V, including cornering balance: “ normally the balance shifts more towards the rear tire when accelerating. That is why you should not fall on the front wheel in these situations. You actually have drops like this when you release the front brake. We need to analyze this because the bike is very difficult in these situations."
He ruled out changes in grip on the rear wheel as a likely cause: “ we don't have grip, so that shouldn't be our problem. " According to Mir, the current geometry of the bike is probably the main cause.
Without significant development, the pilots Honda must compensate by taking more risks. “ We ride with the same package as in previous races and we are actually fast. But the rest of the peloton has improved a lot. For us, it's amazing how much they can accelerate out of corners. This makes me angry! he concludes.
MotoGP, Assen: classification of the Dutch Grand Prix:
