MotoGP: Joan Mir decides against running the number one plate

Reigning MotoGP world champion Joan Mir has opted to keep his traditional number 36 rather than taking the number one plate.

Mir and Suzuki have been teasing fans for weeks that Mir would make his decision today (February 12), leading to speculation that he would be announcing the return of the number one in MotoGP.

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However, this isn’t the case and the 36 will remain on Mir’s Suzuki this season as he looks to retain the crown.

“The decision has been taken…I woke up one day and just decided that the number will be the same as always, the loyal one, the 36,” Mir explained in the announcement video. “I think it would have been really awesome to use number one, it would have been a unique experience and a dream, but I believe that 36 is the number with which I’ve worked hard, and it has taken me to where I am now, winning two world championships!

“Also, I considered that my job is not finished yet. I have to continue working more than ever with this number in order to keep winning more titles and to get more chances to decide which number I will race with the following season. For now, I’ve already had the chance to do it, and I chose to keep 36.”

The Suzuki rider went on to suggest that his decision for 2021 doesn’t mean that he’d automatically say no to the number one plate in the future, should he win more MotoGP titles.

The number one plate was last used in MotoGP by Casey Stoner in 2012, with the Aussie also taking the opportunity in 2008. Jorge Lorenzo switched to the champion’s number in 2011, whilst Nicky Hayden also used the number one plate on his Repsol Honda in 2007