In «Indian GP» mode, Joan Mir didn’t hide his sadness at not having the bike tested at Misano at this MotoGP round in Dankaur, and took the opportunity to send a message to Honda: the bike tested, although a slight improvement on the current one, is not the bike he wants to have, as it is still far behind the competition in terms of performance.
Already in India with the team, the rider recalled the tests at Misano just after the last race: ‘The first bike, the prototype we tested at Misano was a little better than what we had. It’s true that it’s not where we want to be, the engine was still the same but it’s a first step in the right direction but we need a lot more’.
On whether he would be willing to use the tested bike this year, the spaniard said: ‘Yes, but not here. We didn’t get it here, honestly I was hoping for that but we don’t have it so we’ll do the weekend like the previous ones: we will struggle and that’s it’.
And then he explained how the test gave him a better feeling: ‘The truth is that in the test I was a bit more optimistic because I could ride in a more comfortable way, and when you’re more comfortable, especially with a used tyre, you can see a difference and my pace improved. It’s true that the tests on monday are always difficult to understand because sometimes you “hide” problems, the grip is fantastic, all the bikes corner well, but apart from that, we were able to see some improvements, some potential in the bike. It’s a shame we won’t have it here but I hope to have it in Japan, and I hope we can have it to see if we’re going in the right direction, as that would be very beneficial for Honda’.
He also regretted the absence of this version this round, something he had asked Honda for but was unable to fulfil: ‘It’s a shame not to have it here, but I hope to have it in Japan so I can ride more. If the direction is right, it will be very useful for Honda. They said they had problems with the transport to Japan, because they wanted to send it to Japan and then here’.
Mir saw some progress in this prototype: ‘The chassis was different, the rider’s position was different… I would say that, because of my height, I could be a bit more comfortable. This is always a big step forward, because the bike and the chassis work in the same way. But if you’re comfortable on the bike, you turn more, you have a more natural grip, because you’re in that position on the saddle. So I think this is positive for me. But there’s no point talking about it here, because we don’t have it’.
And he concluded with a red alert at the japanese manufacturer:
– Although it’s a step forward, it’s not the bike I want for next year. We’re expecting an improvement from an engine point of view for the Valencia test. The package has improved and, with the new engine, we’ll see how it works and how it reacts. We’ll talk about it later. I hope so, but at the moment I don’t have any hopes, I’m just trying to manage what we have. I have to do a good job, give good feedback and, when I have a good package, we’ll be where we want to be.