Joan Mir: “Honda in the s***? We're closer to the best than it seems"
Unexpectedly, Honda claimed their first MotoGP victory in two years last weekend at the Grand Prix of the Americas via 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Alex Rins.
It was a colossal boost to the struggling Japanese manufacturer who, last year, failed to score a point in a premier class race for the first time in 40 years in Germany, and relied upon 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Marc Marquez to be their highest-placed rider in the 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:MotoGP standings despite him missing six rac🏅es and then returning to fitness.
“It looks like we're in the s***, but we're closer t🐈o the best than it seems,” saiꦯd Marquez’s Repsol Honda teammate Mir.
“🔜ꦆWe are going in the right direction, I enjoyed riding this bike here.
“We𓄧 improved braking and cornering speed, but I have the impression that we are always lagging behind in making progress.
“Starting so far back is difficult, bu🎉t I see potential."
The victory of Rins, taking advantage💎 and holding his nerve after Francesco Bagnaia’s unforced crash, came on the LCR Honda bike and should act as motivated for Repsol Honda’s hop💃es.
Marquez, their star man, hopes to return from a hand injury next weekend at the Spanish MotoGP to begin chipping away at a 57-point deficit to the champ🌃ionship-leader Marco Bezzecchi.
Mir has failed to finish three races across the first three roun꧅ds, a less than ideal start to Honda life after moving, alongside R💯ins, from Suzuki, and missed Argentina due to injury.
But Albert💫o Puig, Honda team manager, has backed the 2020 world champion to replicate the form shown by Rins.
“We at HRC believe that his potential is at least equal to that of Rins, because they raced together in the same team for many years and you saw the results♐,” Puig said.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering🐭 everything from Americ🍎an sports, to football, to F1.
