“For me it is very difficult to understand where the limit is with this bike”

2023-09-20 11:47:00

Joan Mir is a mirage of the rider he was during his time with Suzuki. The 2020 MotoGP champion has only been able to score points in one race so far this seasonspecifically in the inaugural event in Portugal, where the Spaniard added the only five points that even today, 11 races later, he still has in his locker, a terrible income that makes him the worst Honda rider overall, tied on points with HRC tester and occasional wildcard Stefan Bradl.

The one from Palma de Mallorca cannot get anything positive from his first year with the Repsol Honda Team; The terrible dynamics that he has had since the preseason has even led to generate rumors about a possible early departure from HRC, specifically about one of the Ducati that were still free with a view to 2024. However, Joan is not willing to throw in the towel, and despite the fact that 2023 is being a disastrous year in sports, he wants to fulfill his contract with the Japanese firm and , who knows, aspire to fight for the title on the RC213V in the future.

In a recent talk with the official Motogp.com portal, Mir explained that “The first time I tried the bike I already realized that there were many things to improve. During the first part of the season the suffering has always been there, the problems are the same all the time. The sensations have only gotten worse and worse. I have not been able to feel comfortable at any time. Every time I try to do something else, I’m on the floor.”

Motorcycling can be a very cruel sport; Just three years ago, Joan tasted glory by taking home his first MotoGP title, and now he finds it difficult to even finish races sitting on his bike: “This year I am only experiencing the most difficult part of this sport. The suffering, the pressure, the falls, the injuries… and without any reward at the moment, just fighting against the bike, trying to make this project bigger so that things work well. “We are experiencing the worst moment for this team and this brand, it is the biggest challenge I have had to face in my entire career.”

Mir has already fallen a total of 15 times since the course started; He is only surpassed by his boxing neighbor, Marc Márquez, with 17 falls, figures that show how critical this version of the RC213V can be: “For me it is very difficult to understand where the limit is with this bike. Sometimes you can fall because you are asking the bike for more than it can, but I have also had many falls where you don’t know why. “That’s what we’re trying to understand.”

After making clear the bad moment he is going through at a sporting level, Mir opens the door to hope and sends a positive message to his factory, reminding them that they will only get out of the hole if they really introduce radical changes in the development of the motorcycle: “I think Honda is giving everything to give us a better package. I don’t think we need an evolution, what we need is a revolution, trying different concepts (…). I want to win another title with Honda. I think we can do it, you can do it. I really believe in this project. If I decide to go to another factory, I would think that I have failed in my goal. My decision is to continue here.”

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The Spaniard does not lack motivation, although he recognizes that there was a point in the season, when he injured his hand in Italy, that made him rethink many things: “After Mugello my motivation was very low. When you go through such a bad time, you always think, is it really worth it? After the break, when I returned to Silverstone, my motivation was much higher. I spent time at home, there I rested and disconnected. Now I’m in a completely different situation,” concludes Joan Mir.