Joan Mir concluded the MotoGP test day in Valencia with the 13th fastest time. More important than the classification, were the improvements in the bike that the Repsol Honda rider felt.
The Spanish rider said that the new RC213-V gives him, for the first time, the feeling that something has changed for the better: ‘Honestly, I am very happy; it is the first time that I can feel a difference since I arrived, that something really works, works better. The results, the lap times, are there. I was able to have a good pace, on every exit I was able to be strong. It seems that the grip, which is something we complained about all year, is better. The bike is also lighter, that also helps a bit in the corners and braking – everything that can help a lighter bike. This is simply an advantage‘.
On the work done this Tuesday and the performance shown, Mir detailed: ‘Honestly in the morning I was worried because with all this wind it is sometimes difficult to try to make a proper comparison. But even with this wind I was able to feel an immediate improvement. And that is very good, honestly. I know there is still some room for improvement in Sepang, but in the final part of the day we focused on trying to make an adjustment, we tried some things on the front of the bike. That’s why we spent a lot of time in the garage, changing these things. And then the last outing was also very good, always with the used tire in the low 1m30s. It makes me happy because it is the lap time you have to do to be at the front. It’s fantastic‘.Finally, the Mallorcan commented: ‘We didn’t make a real attack on the clock, we just did our day the best we could. The time was not enough to do all the things, but we have to be happy with the lap times, with the pace‘.
