The new king of MotoGP
2020 was only Joan Mir’s second campaign in MotoGP. In fact, it’s only his fifth Grand Prix season across all classes. So it’s safe to say, Mir is a rider who adapts quickly. Very quickly. He also became Moto3 champion at his second attempt in 2017.
Mir is a talented rider who has been fast-tracked to MotoGP, and Suzuki have been proven right in their decision to promote him from Moto2 after a single year.
Sure, the GSX-RR is a fantastic machine, but it was Mir who was able to take full advantage of arguably the best all-round bike on the grid.
It didn’t start well. The 23-year-old crashed in two of the opening three rounds and any thoughts of the title remained just a pipe dream. However, what happened next was ultimately what won Mir the title.
In a year full of unpredictably and inconsistency, with five first-time winners and a total of nine different victors, the Spaniard was able to string together a run of strong results. In the next nine races Mir picked up seven podiums, including his maiden win at Valencia 1, delivering a level of consistency his rivals couldn’t match. Mir scored 171 points from a possible 350 (48.85%), the second lowest return for a champion in 72 years of premier class racing. And the first to take the title with one victory. Those facts don’t actually matter. Mir was the most consistent rider all year and ultimately scored the most points and his name is cemented in the history books after an utterly captivating 2020 season.