MotoGP: Red Bull Ring data ‘as precious as gold’ for Suzuki

The data gathered by the Suzuki MotoGP team at their two-day test before the summer break at the new Red Bull Ring will be ‘as precious as gold’ when the series returns to the Austrian track this weekend, according to Aleix Espargaro.

Struggling in recent races, as has teammate Maverick Viñales, the Spaniard says that they’ll be much better prepared than they have been thanks to the test.

TOP STORIES

• Event: John McGuinness and Mick Grant to appear at new Classic Bike Live show
• This week’s issue: World Exclusive New Norton
• Ulster GP: Joey Dunlop’s son to make Dundrod debut
• Dealer special: Yamaha MT-09 Tracer on sale
• Strange case of the Ducati adventurer and the lost wallet

“When we came to Spielberg in July we could gather a lot of information and this is as precious as gold for us. The track is very peculiar, it is very fast and for this the most powerful engines will be eased, but has also some points where our chassis could be a positive weapon.

“The circuit has been rebuilt so that the tarmac is simply prefect: no bumps, no connections, its surface is smooth and clean. This will allow different lines and it will be interesting to see who will be the one to adapt better and quicker. After the test we could work on data and have already some ideas about the base set-up, but also the weather will play a role.”

And with that data, teammate Viñales says that they need to properly get their season underway. Showing good form this year but often failing to convert it into results, the Yamaha-bound racer is hoping for a change in fortune.

“So far we have had positive results but we still miss some better placement, therefore we must keep on improving and take the best out of our machine. We had a test here in Austria in July and my feeling was positive; the circuit is very fast, with a sort of ‘old style’ layout which is pretty much an on-and-off.

“This means it will be very demanding in terms of engine performance, on this side the GSX-RR has improved a lot since last year but for sure competitors with more powerful engines will have it easier. At the same time, very fast corners will be suitable for us, so I think we should try to work on that area and finalise the best set-up possible so that we can play our cards.”

DON’T MISS MCN’S BRITISH GP MEGA-ISSUE – Glossy poster + 32-page special preview + magic Brit GP moments + Rossi bikes model offer. On sale August 24th.