MotoGP rookie Joan Mir says riding the Suzuki in testing was “not really hard” compared with the 600cc Marc VDS Moto2 machine he raced during the 2018 season.
Mir is one of four riders making the step up to the premier class this year from Moto2, with the Spaniard following in the footsteps of Maverick Vinales by joining Suzuki after just one campaign in the intermediate category – in which he finished sixth overall with four podiums.
The 2017 Moto3 champion ended the final winter test at Jerez 14th overall and just a second off the pace, while impressing from the off in his first test a week earlier in Valencia.
Comparing Moto2 and MotoGP machinery, Mir said: “It's strange: the Moto2 [bike] has a [specific] way of riding.
“That's why all the riders [in Moto2] are really close. The MotoGP bike is a racing bike. Also, the electronics help you a lot and make it a lot easier to work with.
“It's much better [than Moto2]. I don't know if it's more easy, but it's not really difficult. [It's] more fun, that's for sure, for me especially.”
He added: “I enjoyed exiting the corners. The power, it's really good. Also, you spend a lot of time on the brakes and it's really curious because with the other bikes I rode in the past, it was not like this.”
When asked of his ambitions for his rookie MotoGP season, Mir says he would like to finish 20 seconds from the victory in Qatar and gradually cut this down as the year progresses.
“To be competitive [is my goal for 2019],” he began. “I want to start in Qatar, I want to finish the race with a set difference to the first-placed rider – maybe 20s.
“And then maybe start to cut the difference. This is my main goal, to finish the season there [in the mix]. I will be really happy with this.
“Obviously, I'm a rider. I like to be in the front and I like the podiums and the victories, of course.
“And I want to be there as soon as possible, but I'm conscious that it's hard and I have to go step-by-step.”
