With the farewell of Marc Marquez, Joan Mir is the leader of the HRC project in MotoGP. The Majorcan leads the development of the RC213V which with Honda hopes to get back on top and his first impressions after the day of testing in Valencia were promising: “I’m quite happy, it’s the first time that something that worked has been brought into a test really”, began the 2020 world champion, injured on Friday in the grand prix and rested the weekend to ride in the tests.
“I felt pretty good all day. It was a challenge, after the crash on Friday I thought I wouldn’t be able to test today. Improving a little day after day cost me effort and having sensations after not racing at the weekend was difficult. But I quickly set the times and this bike seems to work better. We had a good pace in all the runs we did, with each outing I improved. We tried many things and there wasn’t time to put on soft tires to try the time attack, but I’m very happy. The potential is another,” she commented.
In addition to new aerodynamics, aesthetically the new Honda seems longer than the one we saw until Sunday: “It is longer and also weighs less. It’s a first step towards having a competitive bike. But the track wasn’t perfect, in the afternoon there was a moment when there was no wind, but right at that moment we were in the pits. We missed having the track in good condition and being able to do laps. In the end there were 15 minutes left, but it wasn’t worth the risk. Today I am happy. The engine isn’t fantastic, it’s not the best they brought, it’s one of the things that need to improve for the Sepang test, but in general I’m happy.”
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Joan Mir, Repsol Honda Team
Having spoken about improvements in general, Mir was asked to specify in which points a step forward had been made: “The grip is better, we suffered a lot in that area and the step forward is evident. Then the handling of the motorbike is also easier because it weighs less. It has become an easier bike to ride. The character of the engine is a bit the same and we need to continue working. When you see that you only need to improve by one or two tenths, you start in another way and this makes me very happy.”
After the disappointment of the Misano tests, the Majorcan congratulated Honda for its ability to react: “It’s clear that these people know how to make bikes, I think it’s only a matter of time before they bring something that really works and improve from the start from there. The bike I rode today is a good starting point to do good things next year, we need to take another step forward, but seeing what I saw, I’m sure they will.”
Mir will play the 2024 season with Marc Marquez’s staff, led by Santi Hernandez, an initiative that is not known who started it: “This is not an answer I will give. But what I can say is that there was an opportunity to take on the staff and I didn’t think twice about it. I’m very happy with the maneuver I did, today I could see a harmony in the garage that I liked, I enjoyed doing the tests and I liked how the team worked.”
It was inevitable to ask Mir questions about Marc Marquez’s debut with Ducati: “It didn’t surprise me, he got a completely evolved bike and no one doubts the talent and ability that Marc has to be fast. However, I don’t think he has revealed all his cards.”
Luca Marini, Mir’s new teammate, was also fast, even more than the Majorcan: “It went well. He put tires on like crazy at the end of the test, but he made a good debut. I need a fast rider close to me,” said Mir, who hopes he has taken over the reins from Honda. “I’ll tell you in Sepang, when I see that they listen to me and bring what I asked for. But the feeling is that yes, I have taken command of the team.”
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