Last weekend saw Team Suzuki Ecstar test the GSX-RR at the Pertamina Mandalika circuit in Indonesia for the first time. The three days on track proved to be eventful thanks to poor surface conditions, a crash for Mir on day two, and then a bout of food poisoning for the 2020 champion that left him unable to ride on day three. Despite having to cut his weekend short, he still completed 105 laps across the first two days, While Rins completed 191 laps, his fastest only four tenths of a second off the fastest time.
The team’s initial focus on the first day of testing was learning the layout of the circuit, this was important for the riders - who were trying to get to grips with the racing line - and the crew as they worked to establish the gearing and base settings. The morning of the opening day started off wet and later the riders struggled with dust and dirt on the track, which resulted in a long stoppage to allow the track to be cleaned.
The first day of testing finished with Rins reporting great feelings about the track, despite the conditions, and completing 72 laps. Mir completed a total of 58 laps, noting that he was impressed with the layout.
Day two of testing got off to a rocky start with members of Mir’s team testing positive with Covid-19, with this bad luck only exacerbated when Mir lost session time after a small crash. Despite this he completed 47 laps, with his fastest lap sitting fifth in the rankings, close to the top time. Meanwhile, Rins improved his pace with his GSX-RR and felt that he and the team had taken a further step forward, with a total of 73 laps completed.
Mir’s bad luck continued into day three of testing, with the former world champion struck down with food poisoning. Despite taking medication to try and ease the situation, he remained too unwell to ride. Rins, the sole Suzuki rider on track, was able to complete his test programme on the final day at Mandalika with 46 laps. He worked on chassis comparisons and long runs and feels well prepared for the season opener next month.
Reflecting on the weekend, Rins said, “We’re feeling quite ready to start the season now. The bike works well, and we’ve done a good job in both Sepang and Mandalika. There are definite improvements to our GSX-RR compared with last year and, even though there are a few things still to fine-tune, this test has given us confidence and overall my feeling is good!”
Speaking on his eventful weekend, Mir commented, “My physical condition has stopped me being able to complete the test, I had no power to ride the bike and this also affected our plan. I felt very bad today but these things happen and in the end I have some good conclusions from the first and second day. I think we will arrive quite ready for the first race in Qatar despite all the inconveniences we had during the last two days here in Mandalika.”
The next stop for Team Suzuki Ecstar is the Losail International Circuit in Qatar for the season-opener.