SUZUKI PROVE THEY ARE IN TITLE MIX
Rins is at the sharp end as the GSX-RR comes of age in Qatar ‘Small changes have had a big effect’ ‘The bike is getting faster on long straights’
Suzuki’s GSX-RR looks set to become a MotoGP title contender in 2019 in the hands of Alex Rins, after yet another impressive test in Qatar ahead of the first race of the season. Once again fast not only over one lap but on longer, race distance, runs and both the Spaniard and the bike seem to have made the step they needed to become regular race winners. Already a regular visitor to the podium in the final races of 2018, lifting himself from outside the top ten to fifth in the championship in only four races, Rins seems to be improving at a rapid rate. Lapping the Losail circuit at a pace consistently fast enough to dip under the lap record, he says that it’s not a result of any huge step forwards but more thanks to Suzuki’s approach of continuous development.
He said: “Compared to last year, our bike has improved and we’ve changed the braking area, which is one thing I was asking from Suzuki in the latter half of last year. They’ve made a small step there, but in general the bike is similar to last year. There have been no big steps, but the small changes that they’ve made have had a big effect. We made a small step, but a productive one. ”
With a bike that does everything well even if it’s not a stand-out contender in any one particular area, Suzuki are gaining on their more experienced rivals. They made another step forwards at Losail in the one area that has been their weak spot, testing a new Akrapovič exhaust that helps coax more power from their engine.
Rins said: “Compared to Honda, to Ducati and maybe to KTM we’ve always been a little bit behind on the straights, and it looks like the new exhaust is working a little bit better on the long straights. That’s important for us, and we’re on a good path now.”
And with that extra capability in hand, and a development programme that seems to be moving at a faster pace than that of their opponents, Rins is confident for the future. But, level-headed despite his relative youth, the 23-year-old is adamant that he won’t get sucked into making the mistake he made too many times last year and push too hard too soon.
He said: “We hope that the bike will be a regular race winner, because that is Suzuki’s target. We are in a good place though, and we are starting the season targeting race wins. Last year I took a lot of podiums, and we have 19 races where we have the potential to win this year. Everyone wants to win the first race in Qatar or to finish on the podium, but we’ll just take things step-by-step and see what happens.”