At the end of an Italian Grand Prix marked by a pole position narrowly missed by Maverick Viñales, a best time from the latter during the warm-up, but an overall result marked by a sixth and a ninth place which leaves on his hunger, the Suzuki troops went to do tests near Valencia. It was about finding traction and grip with, in particular, two new chassis configurations. One of which apparently gave satisfaction.
However, no time has been communicated on the services of Maverick Vinales andAleix Espargaró. We must therefore rely on their feelings, and they were not bad, far from it: “ the Suzuki factory sent us quite a few parts to test and also new configurations which allowed us to improve the chassis and settings » commented the future teammate of Red at Yamaha. “ These tests were positive. We have received interesting feedback which will allow us to move in the right direction. ».
« The GSX-RR is already basically a good motorcycle and even very good in certain sectors. This is the case in fast curves and in terms of handling. It also has weaknesses and we are working on a better general balance to be more efficient, particularly in the area of traction. ».
Since the start of the season, the drivers have preferred to ride with last year's chassis. For Valencia, Suzuki brought two versions of the chassis, geometry solutions and electronic developments. So many new features that pleased one Aleix Espargaró who still does not know what tomorrow will bring: “ one of the two chassis offered gave me very good sensations so that we really progressed during these tests. Of course, we still need to validate certain things. We will continue the work in Barcelona. It's really good to have all this support from the factory and we're constantly progressing ».
It will be recalled that, like Aprilia, the Suzuki factory can do as many tests as it wants, its only limit being its annual tire allocation. For 2017, no one is confirmed within the official team while rumor insists on a satellite GSX-RR. The names ofAleix Espargaro,alex rins and Johann zarco are in the decision maker's pipeline Davide Brivio.
