Soft tyre gamble sees Mir finish as top Honda in fifth
Automotodrom BrnoJoan Mir and Luca Marini emerged from the scorching Grand Prix of Czechia with the team’s combined best result of the season thanks to a fighting fifth and emphatic eighth from the duo, with Diogo Moreira picking up points in 11th
Rolling onto the grid, Joan Mir elected to opt for what many considered a gamble as he chose to run the soft rear tyre. The only rider to not use the medium, Mir bolted from 11th on the grid and immediately attacked the top ten, moving inside the top six by lap five with cutting precision. Spending the second half of the race chasing down Acosta, the #36 would pass the fading KTM on lap 16 and duke it out for several laps. Crossing the line in fifth position, Mir secures his biggest haul of points so far this year. Rounding out an overall positive weekend, the 2020 World Champion again showed the potential he and the Honda RC213V have.
Luca Marini put in a similarly strong race to his teammate, steadily marching his way forward from 14th place on the grid as he slotted in behind Mir. Passing Morbidelli early, the #10 was into the top ten by lap six and set his sights on Moreira ahead with Jorge Martin in his rearview. Able to make rapid progress in the closing stages on the rookie, Marini showed his experience on the Honda RC213V as his pace remained consistent until the very end and secured him eighth.
Diogo Moreira lined up in the fifth spot of the grid and made a tremendous start to put him firmly in the podium fight early on. As the laps went by, the Pro Honda LCR rider struggled to maintain the pace and, despite pushing hard to hold his position, gradually lost places. He managed the situation intelligently, without making mistakes, and crossed the line in 11th place.
Teammate Cal Crutchlow faced a challenging race from 21st on the grid, especially with the extremely hot conditions. The Castrol Honda LCR replacement rider delivered a strong performance, setting competitive lap times and maintaining a consistent pace. In the closing stages of the race, tyre wear became increasingly difficult to manage, but he stayed focused and crossed the line in 17th place.
The work does not stop as the MotoGP World Championship now heads north to the TT Circuit Assen, the most historic venue on the calendar.
Today we had the chance to really fight for something worth it, we went for it and were able to achieve a good result so this makes me feel really pleased about the weekend as a whole. I want to say thanks to the Honda HRC Castrol team because they did a great job this whole weekend and we were able to overcome the dip we had in Q2. I had a lot of belief in myself and this decision with the soft tyre, we were only gifted one position with Acosta’s issue. This is realistically what I can do at the moment. The goal is to perform like this every weekend; we are still taking it race by race. Let’s bring this feeling to Assen.
Today we had the chance to really fight for something worth it, we went for it and were able to achieve a good result so this makes me feel really pleased about the weekend as a whole. I want to say thanks to the Honda HRC Castrol team because they did a great job this whole weekend and we were able to overcome the dip we had in Q2. I had a lot of belief in myself and this decision with the soft tyre, we were only gifted one position with Acosta’s issue. This is realistically what I can do at the moment. The goal is to perform like this every weekend; we are still taking it race by race. Let’s bring this feeling to Assen.
A really solid race for us and I am satisfied with my pace, how hard we pushed and how many positions we were able to recover. We have been able to improve the bike compared to Friday and Saturday and the medium rear helped us to solve many of the strange feelings we were having in the Sprint. Again it has been a weekend of recovery and putting the pieces together on Sunday, but we must be in the top ten on Friday afternoon – especially for Assen where it’s hard to overtake. I have to say congratulations to Joan for the race he made with the soft, he managed it very well.
A really solid race for us and I am satisfied with my pace, how hard we pushed and how many positions we were able to recover. We have been able to improve the bike compared to Friday and Saturday and the medium rear helped us to solve many of the strange feelings we were having in the Sprint. Again it has been a weekend of recovery and putting the pieces together on Sunday, but we must be in the top ten on Friday afternoon – especially for Assen where it’s hard to overtake. I have to say congratulations to Joan for the race he made with the soft, he managed it very well.
It was a tough race. We chose the medium tyre because it was the safest option and, after yesterday’s crash, it was important to make sure we reached the finish. The final stages of the race were difficult, and I focused on managing the tyre and bringing it home. Considering the circumstances, we did a good job and managed to score points. In Assen, we’ll aim to take another step forward and be back fighting again.
It was a tough race. We chose the medium tyre because it was the safest option and, after yesterday’s crash, it was important to make sure we reached the finish. The final stages of the race were difficult, and I focused on managing the tyre and bringing it home. Considering the circumstances, we did a good job and managed to score points. In Assen, we’ll aim to take another step forward and be back fighting again.
It was a long race, and I'm pleased to have finished it. I really enjoyed the first eight laps, but then I started struggling with the front tyre. I had some good battles during those opening stages, which was fun. After that, I had to drop back a little to manage the tyre situation and then just kept going. Over the final seven laps, I started to lose power, which made things even more demanding. I think I could have gone faster, but the important thing was to bring the bike home. Both the team and I are happy with the outcome, and we're already looking forward to Assen.
It was a long race, and I'm pleased to have finished it. I really enjoyed the first eight laps, but then I started struggling with the front tyre. I had some good battles during those opening stages, which was fun. After that, I had to drop back a little to manage the tyre situation and then just kept going. Over the final seven laps, I started to lose power, which made things even more demanding. I think I could have gone faster, but the important thing was to bring the bike home. Both the team and I are happy with the outcome, and we're already looking forward to Assen.
