Team Suzuki Press Office
Alex Rins: 4th – 1’33.611 (+ 0.337)
Joan Mir: 6th – 1’33.899 (+ 0.625)
The Dutch TT at Assen circuit brought traditionally wet conditions for Friday, but this didn’t deter Alex Rins and Joan Mir as the GSX-RR mounted pair showed their intentions for the weekend with fourth and sixth on combined.
The circuit conditions for FP1 were quite extreme with a lot of standing water and torrential rain, but both Suzuki riders were quick to head out on track and check out the situation. They struck the ideal balance between caution and pushing and finished the morning session with Mir second and Rins seventh. Mir also topped Sector 3 by over two tenths of a second.
Although FP2 started out wet, the classic Assen track soon began to dry out. Suzuki’s riders took advantage of this with Mir putting in a total of 21 laps, and Rins trying out one of the new aero package options. During the last 20 minutes of the session the entire field switched to slick tyres and the leader board was chopping and changing. With Rins and Mir feeling ever more comfortable they continued to drop their lap times and keep themselves in the Top 10. A great last push put Rins fourth and Mir sixth.
Alex Rins:
“Today was pretty good in both wet and dry conditions. This morning in FP1 I felt it was quite risky because the track had a lot of standing water, and the spray was bad. We started FP2 in the wet too, but in the end the track dried out, which happens amazingly quickly! I had a bit of pain in my wrist, but I feel that it’s progressing well. Today I also had the opportunity to try one of the aero packages, which I wasn’t able to try at the Catalan test; it was useful to use it and we’ll check the data.”
Joan Mir:
“It’s a typical day in Assen with a lot of rain, but I feel good! It was useful to have one completely wet session and one slightly drier with slicks at the end. This situation gave us a chance to prepare quite well for the weekend, and I felt comfortable with both conditions. The bike feels strong and staying inside the Top 10 is crucial – especially when you’ve got mixed weather – so that will be our main goal tomorrow.”
Livio Suppo – Team Manager:
“It’s been a good first day with Alex and Joan demonstrating their strength in the differing conditions, and able to be fast on wet and slick tyres. I’m very pleased to see that Alex is in better shape with his wrist so far this weekend and heading into tomorrow with both riders in the Top 10 is pretty solid. Overall, I’m happy with this start to proceedings – let’s continue like this.”
GRAND PRIX OF ASSEN DAY 1 COMBINED CLASSIFICATION:
1 Francesco BAGNAIA Ducati Lenovo Team 1’33.274
2 Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia Racing 1’33.452 0.178 0.178
3 Fabio QUARTARARO Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 1’33.579 0.305 0.127
4 Alex RINS Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1’33.611 0.337 0.032
5 Jack MILLER Ducati Lenovo Team 1’33.833 0.559 0.222
6 Joan MIR Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1’33.899 0.625 0.066
7 Maverick VIÑALES Aprilia Racing 1’33.938 0.664 0.039
8 Brad BINDER Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1’34.127 0.853 0.189
9 Johann ZARCO Prima Pramac Racing 1’34.286 1.012 0.159
10 Marco BEZZECCHI Mooney VR46 Racing Team 1’34.312 1.038 0.026
11 Enea BASTIANINI Gresini Racing MotoGP 1’34.316 1.042 0.004
12 Takaaki NAKAGAMI LCR Honda IDEMITSU 1’34.504 1.230 0.188
13 Luca MARINI Mooney VR46 Racing Team 1’34.536 1.262 0.032
14 Alex MARQUEZ LCR Honda CASTROL 1’34.599 1.325 0.063
15 Andrea DOVIZIOSO WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team 1’34.650 1.376 0.051
16 Miguel OLIVEIRA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1’34.676 1.402 0.026
17 Jorge MARTIN Prima Pramac Racing 1’34.823 1.549 0.147
18 Franco MORBIDELLI Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 1’34.828 1.554 0.005
19 Pol ESPARGARO Repsol Honda Team 1’34.834 1.560 0.006
20 49 Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO ITA Gresini Racing MotoGP 1’34.902 1.628 0.068
21 Lorenzo SAVADORI Aprilia Racing 1’35.081 1.807 0.179
22 Remy GARDNER Tech3 KTM Factory Racing 1’35.222 1.948 0.141
23 Darryn BINDER WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team 1’35.571 2.297 0.349
24 Stefan BRADL Repsol Honda Team 1’35.951 2.677 0.380
25 Raul FERNANDEZ Tech3 KTM Factory Racing 1’36.226 2.952 0.275
Assen Image Gallery: CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS
For more stories about Alex Rins, Click Here. For photos, Click Here.
For more stories about Joan Mir, Click Here. For photos, Click Here.