At Suzuki, the return to Austria should be one of discovery if we judge by the words of MotoGP project manager Shinichi Sahara. As surprising as it may seem, it was only by opening the crates in Styria that Joan Mir, Alex Rins and others discovered the state of evolution of their GSX-RR. A sensitive subject because the Hamamatsu staff had been clearly criticized for their inertia by the troops in the theater of operations...
The start of the school year is approaching and with it the second half of the season. A period of play where Joan mir gonna need all the weapons that factory Suzuki will be able to offer him to keep his chances of still playing for the crown intact. If, already, the reigning World Champion could have a bike at the same level as that of the others, he could scratch on average three tenths per lap, an estimated loss due to a “holeshot device” still incomplete… But the teammate of a alex rins who, for his part, will have to rebuild his reputation after nine Grands Prix, which were complicated to say the least, will only know in Styria what his GSX-RR will be made of.
So, Shinichi Sahara, the project manager makes this revelation on motogp.com : " our engineers are working hard to close the gap, or rather to develop new updates. We hope to hear from the GSX-RR as soon as possible ". The Japanese adds: “ the numbers we are seeing right now do not reflect our true potential. Overall we have improved, but our rivals have certainly done the same, so it's not easy to maintain a certain level ».
Suzuki has no interest in disappointing its riders when Yamaha is looking for its own
The Japanese takes the opportunity to spare his pilot duo: “ Joan Mir showed good consistency and speed, but he had some unfortunate episodes in qualifying ". He ends on Alex Rins : " he fell several times, but always when he was in the leading group. It's a shame, but he showed that he has the speed and ability to fight for the podium or for the victory. For the second part of the season he will be in good shape again, therefore 100% competitive ».
In a situation where Yamaha will be desperately looking for possibly two drivers, and where it seems easy to prematurely end his contract, Suzuki has every interest in not disappointing its pilots…
