Mir returns to scene of MotoGP title, wants second Valencia win

Winless so far in 2021, Suzuki rider Joan Mir is hoping to claim a first MotoGP victory of the year at this weekend’s season finale in Valencia.

The Ricardo Tormo Circuit is a favorite of Mir’s as it’s the venue in which he claimed his first and only MotoGP race win so far.

It’s also the track where the Spaniard celebrated winning the 2020 MotoGP world championship. 

Speaking during the pre-event press conference, Mir said: "Well, in Valencia I lived one of the best moments in my life. So, it’s a special place for me. I was able to be quite competitive last year. 

"I think this year, especially at the end of the season we showed a better potential, so I’m interested to see if the bike is working well on this track, hopefully yes and then we can enjoy the weekend. 

"In Portimao we started from FP1 with a good base of the bike. Then session-by-session I was more competitive and feeling better with the bike. 

"This is what we will try to find here. Find a good feeling and then improve session-by-session. 

"It will be important to understand whether the great performance in qualifying in Portimao was only there or if we are able to do it in different places."

Despite failing to reach the heights of last year from a results perspective, Mir is not feeling any added pressure to win this weekend, even though it’s the target. 

"Not especially, but for sure I want a victory. If last year after Valencia you said that I would not win the next year I would say you are crazy," said Mir.  

"But you know, somehow this season was more difficult than we expected. We cannot say it was a bad season, but it’s true that it was more difficult. 

"Maybe we can have a chance here in Valencia to fight for it. Let’s see. The pressure is always there but we always enjoy that pressure."