Alex Rins is looking forward to the Portimao test that will start this Saturday, March 11. The Catalan will have the opportunity to continue to learn about his new motorcycle for this 2023, the Honda RC213Va prototype very different from the motorcycle that the latter have ridden in MotoGP, the Suzuki GSX-RR.
The number #42 left the last Sepang test far from the first, classified in the 19th position of the combined of the three days; in Portugal, Rins hopes to end the work plan that his team left halfway in Malaysia, and among his plans for this Saturday is the comparison of a new chassis, more tests with the rear swingarm and to finish deciding the aerodynamic configuration with which to face these first races.
“We have many things to prove, but at the same time we have to prepare for the first race.”, Rins said today in Portimao just a few hours after the start of the test. “So on the first day we will try to test as many parts as possible. On the second day we will focus on the next grand prix to find a suitable set-up.”
As the Barcelonan has commented, he has “different chassis to test that we could not test in Sepang”and in addition Honda has also delivered “some electronic parts and various rockers” to finish assembling your package.
For the first time since he was in MotoGP, Alex Rins will have the opportunity to check the data of a team other than his own, specifically those of Marc Márquez and Joan Mir, a telemetry that can give him an important advantage: “Definitely, having the data of the two official motorcycles can be an advantage that we did not have before at Suzuki“, says about it.
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Although some riders have already recognized that the one in Portimao will be a test that they will take advantage of to prepare for the first grand prix of the year, Rins will still have to spend a lot of time on the track to outline various details of the RC213V, a situation that would not have occurred. follow on Suzuki: “If you had asked me this last year, when I was at Suzuki, I would have said yes. But this year, with a new bike and team, I think we will need to do more testing.”
The man from Barcelona has spent the last six seasons under the umbrella of the official Hamamatsu team, receiving full support from his factory. Now, Rins is a member of a satellite team, LCR Honda, and does not hide that “Of course you notice the differences. When you entered the Suzuki box, there were always a lot of people waiting there. Now it’s just my crew chief and a Honda employee.”
Read also: Espargaró: “In Portimao there will be great innovations, so the other factories will not copy them”
In any case, Álex is delighted with the atmosphere found inside the box of Lucio Cecchinello’s team: “Working with the team is a lot of fun. If you go from one team to another, you are the new one. You have to get used to their way of working, but the team tried to understand and adapt my way of working. They trust me and that’s a good feeling“concludes the Catalan.