In his fifth season in the world championship, the second in the premier class, Joan Mir became MotoGP world champion at 23 riding a Suzuki. This result was not achieved by the House of Hamamatsu since 2000, when Kenny Roberts Jr. won the world championship. Only four other drivers had managed to achieve this since the championship was born in 1949: Barry Sheene (1976 and 1977), Marco Lucchinelli (1981), Franco Uncini (1982) and the legendary Kevin Schwantz (1993).
Mir’s achievement was incredible, also considering the particular circumstances in which the 2020 season was played, conditioned by the pandemic. A year after the title won, Mir thinks that the right value that this milestone deserved has not been given and that his life has barely changed since then.
“Life hasn’t changed me as much as it could have, because either I had the good fortune, or bad luck, to become world champion in the year of Covid and from the media it didn’t feel like a normal year”, explained Mir in a ‘ exclusive interview with Motorsport.com.
“This year we have somewhat recovered to normal, but not completely. It is clear that I have experienced an important but not impressive rise in fame. And that makes me happy in some way ”, reveals the Majorcan. Though he realizes he’s a public figure, Mir is jealous of his private life, and his social media posts are more related to business deals than a desire to become a celebrity.
“I know that if I win again or continue other years at the highest level, the recognition will increase, but more in terms of more fans in the stands. Last year I was very sorry to win the world championship without people on the circuit. It’s something that I carry inside, ”he admits.
It was a ‘behind closed doors’ world championship that certainly took away the pomp and recognition. From the outside, the feeling is that Mir has not been treated as a MotoGP world champion deserves by the same championship, rivals, media, fans …
“From everyone, yes, but not from the fans. It is something that will take on value over the years, but the fact that Suzuki has won a world championship after twenty years has not been given value. Winning doesn’t take on value, but if we fight to win the second title, maybe I’ll get more recognition ”. The second title with Suzuki, however, did not arrive in 2021 and, given the season, it will not be an easy task in the short term.
“I am 23 years old, every season I have made progress and I have a long career ahead of me. I failed to be champion in the last part of my sporting life, I arrived in MotoGP and boom! I mean there is some leeway, but it’s important that I see Suzuki wanting the same thing. If I believe Suzuki wants the same as I do, I will continue to stay here. If I stop hearing this, I’ll leave immediately. Because for me it is important that we both go in the same direction and that I believe in the project “, clarifies the Majorcan, who after a year of making the decision not to use the number 1 during the season in which he was the man to beat continues to believe it was the right choice.
Joan Mir, Suzuki MotoGP Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
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