Rins ‘ready to try again’ at Portimao, Mir aiming for second podium finish

Following a tough second Misano round last time out, Suzuki riders Joan Mir and Alex Rins are hoping to bounce back at this weekend’s second Portuguese MotoGP of the year.

Both riders showed impressive pace during April’s early season race at Portimao, as Rins contended for victory before crashing out, while Mir claimed third. 

In fact, it remains Rins’ best showing in terms of outright performance this season, despite losing out on a possible win - a victory that would have been their first of the season. 

Mir benefited from his team-mates unfortunate fall, while other crashes involving Johann Zarco also helped the Spaniard claim his first of five podiums this season.

Suzuki are still without a win in 2021 - one of only two teams along with Aprilia, however, with Portimao and Valencia left on the calendar, both circuits should provide an opportunity to change that given previous results. 

Heading into the weekend, Mir said: "I was third here when we came for the third round of the season, and the race was really good. 

"I felt confident the whole time and I hope that I get those same good feelings when we get on track on Friday. Portimao is an amazing circuit, it’s like a rollercoaster but it’s really nice!"

Rins, who wasn’t helped by a plethora of early season mistakes, has only one podium so far this season, but is ‘ready to try again’.

"Portimao is a great track which I find really fun to ride. When we came here in April I was a bit unlucky because my pace was strong but I crashed out of a podium position,” added Rins. 

"I’m ready to try again this weekend, especially as our bike has improved since we last came. I think we could be fast around here."