During the Japanese Grand Prix, the Suzuki Ecstar team brought some new technical features.
Among these, a more advanced version of the aerodynamics was available to all pilots, but only Sylvain Guintoli had the task of testing numerous developments with a view to finalizing a pre-version of the 2019 GSX-RR before the next test in Valencia.
On the program was, in addition to a more powerful engine, a chassis which no longer included the carbon reinforcements still present on the machinesAndrea Iannone et Alex Rins, appeared during the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello.
The team manager of the Japanese structure, Davide Brivio, was kind enough to expand a little on all these subjects.
Aerodynamics...
“Here we have new aerodynamics for regular riders, which we are testing on Saturday. If it works, we will use it in the last races. But that’s not an incredible development… Plus, we have Guintoli as a wildcard here. He is already testing components in preparation for 2019. For the first time, we have all the new parts at the same time on the bike. This is the new base for 2019… We are preparing with him the bike that our riders for next year, Alex Rins and Joan Mir, will test in Valencia on November 20.For us, it's about figuring out how to put all the new pieces together. This is an exciting time for us. It's the start of winter testing, we have a lot to do. Because our goal is to have a competitive package at the beginning of 2019.”
The chassis without its carbon reinforcements…
“It’s kind of a standard chassis again. Because using carbon was a quick solution to make the chassis stiffer. Now that we understand which direction we need to go, we now know how much stiffness we need. We therefore applied this rigidity directly to the aluminum chassis. The carbon was just a way to try different stiffnesses. It was only a temporary solution.”
The new engine...
“Guintoli uses an engine evolution. We're trying to have a little more power. He recently tested this engine here in Motegi and had a good impression. We will see how this engine performs in the race here and this weekend.”
As a reminder, due to the different podiums ofAndrea Iannone et alex rins, Suzuki will lose all the advantages linked to regulatory concession points, leaving them to KTM and Aprilia.
The most drastic change will therefore be a frozen engine throughout the season, and we saw this year to what extent this could have handicapped Yamaha: Suzuki does not want to make the same mistake, especially since they have already experienced some errors in this area…
