MotoGP: Suzuki Ecstar Gear Up For Their 2022 Championship.

The Manufacturer from Hamamatsu unveiled their new GSX-RR Machines for their season campaign.

Suzuki who won the 2020 World Championship with Joan Mir along with two victories that season were unable to replicate that success in 2021 with both riders getting a best finish of second place. With most of their time in 2021 being spent on development for this season, they’ll be looking to return to the top step of the podium.

Joan Mir had a tough but successful 2021 season, taking third place in the championship with six podiums, including two second place finishes and four third place finishes. The 24-year-old will be looking to go two better this season and reclaim the title.

Alex Rins had a rather disappointing 2021 season finishing in 13^th position, however speed was not a problem for the Spaniard from Barcelona but when fighting for podium finishes he suffered costly DNF’s which mounted up to six non-scoring finishes and missing his home round in Catalunya after suffering an injury during that week. Rins finished fourth in 2019 and third in 2020 so he knows he can do it; he just needs to improve his consistency to mount a title challenge.

Joan Mir
I took some time during the winter to relax and shut off after a tricky 2021 season. I was happy to finish 3^rd in the championship but I’m hungry for more, and it was important to reset so that I could focus 100% on achieving my maximum. My pre-season training has gone well and I’m feeling fit and ready to attack. I’m looking forward to getting back on my bike, the tests that took place at the end of last year showed an improved performance that I’m happy with, so now it’s time to show the new livery and put more laps in ahead of the season start in around one month’s time.

Alex Rins
The new GSX-RR looks amazing, and it also performs well! I’m really happy to be nearing the start of a new season. I’ve done a lot of training during the break, not only in the gym but also on my GSXR1000R street bike. However, nothing compares to our race bike at the circuits. It’s nice to reunite with the team, we are all focused on the same goal and I trust in them, we’ve all shown that we’re ready to achieve great things. The test days will be important, but we can’t wait for the first race in Qatar!

Shinichi Sahara – Team Suzuki Ecstar Project Leader and Team Director
The off-season has been a very busy one with a lot of hard work, both in Europe and in Japan. Everybody has been putting in a huge effort to prepare for a new season where we hope to be more competitive. We have a lot of trust in our project, and in our two riders, and we are keen to get started – not only in testing but racing. Our GSX-RR looks impressive and with support from our key sponsors, fans, and team members we want to put it on the top step as soon as possible. During the last test in Jerez we saw great potential in the new components, and the feedback from our test rider Sylvain Guintoli as well as Joan and Alex, was pretty positive. Because of this we started the winter break with some nice vibes and in good spirits. Let’s see what we can show in this exciting new season.

Ken Kawauchi – Team Suzuki Ecstar Technical Manager
I must start by thanking the entire team and factory for the work they’ve done during this short winter break. Our 2021 machine was balanced and competitive, but it was important to take a big step forward in 2022 to meet our goals. As we’ve seen, MotoGP is incredibly close with many fast riders and teams, and we want to secure our place on the podium. The 2022 GSX-RR has a similar base to last year’s bike but with a few crucial updates, especially in the area of engine performance. We wanted to maintain the manageability of our bike, which has always been strong in cornering and stability, while improving the power delivery. With help from all the engineers in Japan and Europe we feel we’ve achieved this, so now it’s time to test it on track with our riders.