Spanish rider Maverick Viñales has had a promising start to the 2016 MotoGP season with Team Suzuki Ecstar.
The 2015 ‘Rookie of the Year’ had a great testing session in Sepang but an even better test at Phillip Island where he managed to set the fastest time. Physically he feels good and he does enjoy riding in Phillip Island which helped his success, but he is also feeling very confident about the performance of the bike due to many improvements being made by the team over the spring.
Finishing top of the timesheet in Phillip Island has given Viñales and the team a lot of extra motivation in time for testing in Qatar on March 2nd. At the previous two sessions, they were able to test many things including the new chassis and electronics despite the bad weather. Improvements are still yet to be made to iron out some details, but the best is still yet to come from Viñales and Team Suzuki Ecstar.
Twitter: Test finalizados! P2 hoy y P1 en la general!! Gracias equipo!
2nd today and 1st overall!
Thanks team! #MotoGP https://t.co/YcI3iJ2i4p (@maverickmack25)
Soon the team will be introducing the seamless gearbox that Tsuda has previously tested in Australia. After analysis from the data gained from there, Suzuki plans to introduce it in into his and teammate Aleix Espagaro’s bike; who struggled to feel comfortable in Phillip Island resulting in two crashes that he was, fortunately, able to walk away from.
Viñales seems to ooze confidence and has gained a lot from his experience as a rookie in the 2015 season. Better communication with his team allows them to propose solutions faster and they are hoping they may reach their target of finishing top 6 in each race with the prospect of a possible podium finish in the near future.
