Just one week after an atmospheric and exciting season opener at Losail Circuit, Team Suzuki Ecstar and the MotoGP paddock are ready to take to the Qatari track again for round two of the championship, the Doha GP.

Joan Mir made a great comeback during last Sunday’s GP, despite the fact that he started 10th on the grid after struggling to find feeling during qualifying. The World Champion carved his way through the field into a great second place, holding onto it until just before the chequered flag when he was pipped on the line and slipped to fourth. Mir is feeling keen and ready for this weekend’s race in the knowledge that he has what it takes to get the podium.

Similarly, Alex Rins did a great job to work his way up into podium contention in the Qatar GP. He worked hard from ninth on the grid, and a difficult launch, to be running up the front with just a few laps to go - although by then he was suffering with a lack of grip and he had to settle for a decent sixth place finish. Like his team-mate, he’s ready and motivated for an even better result in this new race weekend.

Shinichi Sahara - Project Leader & Team Director:

“We’re proud of the work done last weekend, and we’re pleased with what our riders achieved. Both Joan and Alex were a little bit unlucky because they were capable of more, and they were very close to achieving a podium, but we’re still happy that they got solid results and good points. It’s a good thing that we’re staying in Qatar for another race weekend because we can take what we learned from last week and aim to improve for this Sunday.”


Joan Mir:

“I’m really looking forward to starting a new weekend here in Qatar, and I think it’s a positive thing for us because we’ll start with a better package than we had last weekend, so I think this will help us to improve our speed and to be stronger overall this time out. I’ll give my best and I’ll try to be there fighting for the podium. I’m excited to start because I think it can be a great weekend, let’s see what happens!”

Alex Rins:

“I felt good during the first race in Qatar and I found good feelings, so I’m really looking forward to getting on my bike and starting again this weekend. I’m happy and really ready to go, especially as I like this circuit and I know I can do well. It’s good having two races in a row, because you know what you’re dealing with, but this time I need to have a better start. Last Sunday was a tough race with a lot of quick riders, and this weekend I expect an even higher level of competition but I’m ready for it!”