Viñales left kicking himself after testing pace

Suzuki rider Maverick Viñales has been left kicking himself after discovering his pace on the 2016 GSX-RR chassis at the Circuit of the Americas – in a test a day after using the 2015 version for the third round of the 2016 MotoGP season!

Running the older chassis after finding a much more comfortable feeling with it in pre-season testing compared to the new, heavier feeling 2016 version, the Spaniard says he couldn’t believe the pace he found when they tested the upgrade in a private test on Monday at the Texan track.

“We compared the old chassis with the new one, and we’ve been quite surprised, because it looks like the new one looks a bit better here! I want to kick myself for not trying it before the race! We went much more fast on the 2016 bike than we did during the race.

“Qatar and Phillip Island, where we tested it before, have many fast changes of direction, but here they’re quite slow; and the new bike lets us stop better and turn quicker, which was our weak point all weekend.”

However, with their new-found knowledge of the new bike, he says that they’ll use the information in the future to potentially switch between versions depending on the nature of the tracks they encounter

“We’ll consider using it in Jerez for sure. We need to be more intelligent on Fridays and give an equal opportunity to both chassis.”