Incoming Suzuki MotoGP rider Joan Mir says Maverick Vinales' tenure with the Hamamatsu marque will act as an “example” for him in his debut premier class campaign next year.
Mir will follow in Vinales' footsteps by stepping up to MotoGP with Suzuki having spent just one season in Moto2, where he currently lies sixth in the standings after amassing four podiums.
Vinales delivered Suzuki its first win in almost a decade in just his second season after a dominant display at the British Grand Prix in 2016, while bolstering this with numerous other rostrum appearances before departing for Yamaha.
2017 Moto3 champion Mir sees Vinales' rapid rise to the sharp-end of the grid as an “example” to follow, and aping his fellow Spaniard's performances is his “goal” next year.
“I hope to be on the front as soon as possible. I know it will be difficult, but I will try with all my strength,” Mir told motogp.com.
“I cannot say it will not be important to have one more year in Moto2, but also one year of MotoGP experience is like a couple more in Moto2.
“Vinales only did one year in Moto2, like me, and of course he is an example. He is a rider who came straight away from Moto2 and in not a lot of races he was almost there with the Suzuki.
“And in the second year he achieved one victory and a couple of podiums, so he made a really good season and this is my goal.”
Schwantz: Suzuki will 'take off' with Mir and Rins
1993 500cc world champion and Suzuki legend Kevin Schwantz believes the Japanese marque will “take off” with Alex Rins and Mir spearheading its effort next year, while praising the GSX-RR as a “really nice bike to ride” when it is set-up “almost perfect”.
“I think Alex, his maturity has grown, and I think he and Joan Mir are two kids that are gonna do great on the Suzuki next year,” Schwantz said in a separate motogp.com interview.
“We know the bike is good, the riders just need to continue to work and I think those two young talents in the garage and all the input that they'll be gather, that the Japanese will be getting, I really think that Suzuki will take off.
“I think anybody that gets to Suzuki realises that bike really has some strong points too it. It's typical of a Suzuki motorcycle, is it's got to be really, really close on set-up for it to be good.
“But when it's in that top two percent, when it's almost perfect, the bike is really nice to ride; it's just when it's three or four percent off, now it's really lucky to be in the top six.
“So it's hard work, but that's part of this job. I think next season, to see the fight at Honda, it will be good to watch the battles at Suzuki too.”
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