Ecstar Suzuki team | Photo credits: MotoGP
Unlike many of their rival teams in MotoGP, the factory Suzuki outfit Ectsar Suzuki has decided to change the way they presented their team for this new MotoGP season. While the Hamamatsu factory continues to work as much as they can to improve the GSX-RR until the first race of the season in Qatar, Ecstar Suzuki revealed 2019 colours on a Youtube video.
Making use of both their riders, Alex Rins and Joan Mir, Ecstar Suzuki showed their prototype in its full glory, with new looks and different fairing design, including, of course, the famous winglets on the side fairings for improved aerodynamic at high speeds.
As for the team riders, both Spanish, Alex Rins will be entering his third season as a MotoGP rider and will do so being the main rider at the Ecstar Suzuki team. Rins surprised many of his rivals and fans with an excellent season in 2018, getting a total of five podiums and finishing the year in fifth on the championship.
As for Joan Mir, the rookie will make the jump from Moto2, and has already shown his potential onboard the GSX-RR during the tests in Valencia and Jerez, where he finished a second behind the fastest riders in the class.
This season though, Ecstar Suzuki, with Davide Brivio at the helm as team manager, won’t have their job made easy because of their results last season. Both Alex Rins and former team rider Andrea Iannone (joined Gresini Aprilia for 2019) showed that the GSX-RR was already a great performer and their combined results meant that for 2019 the factory Suzuki team will be on the same level of technical regulations as other factory teams like Yamaha, Honda and Ducati.
This means Suzuki won’t be able to introduce new engine specs during the season, their factory riders are only allowed five test days over the course of the season, and each rider will get a maximum of seven engines, which they’ll need to manage the mileage and wear so they can finish the season without suffering penalties in case they need to use more than the seven engines.
Here’s a few photos of the Ecstar Suzuki team launch with Alex Rins and Joan Mir, and if you like, we also have the complete team reveal on video just for you, where you can hear what Alex Rins and Joan Mir have to say about the bike and what they expect of this MotoGP season, as well as a video presentation of the 2019 Suzuki GSX-RR specs and details.