Mir eager to feel MotoGP power at Mugello

Rookie Joan Mir 'can't wait' to experience the exciting Mugello circuit, which includes the fastest straight of the season, on MotoGP machinery this weekend.

The official MotoGP top speed record is 356.5km/h (221.5mph) set by Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso during last year's Italian race and, while Mir's Suzuki is currently lagging behind Ducati and Honda for straight-line performance, he could break the 350 km/h mark.

“I like the layout of Mugello very much, it is exciting and gives you a lot of adrenaline, I can’t wait to experience it with the full power of a MotoGP machine!" Mir said.

"Mugello is probably the fastest track on the calendar, which means you need good top speed, good aerodynamics, and a good gearbox," added his crew chief Frankie Carchedi.

"In fact, the gearbox is one of the hardest things to set-up, because a lot of the corners are only second or third gear, but you need a lot of acceleration for the long start/finish straight.

"There are fast chicanes and corners which flow into each other, that plays to our strengths.

"So, although some other manufacturers might have more top speed, it’s important to be strong all the way around the lap - and our strengths lie in other areas.”

But Mir's first goal will just be to score points, having failed to do so after an eighth place on his debut in Qatar.

"I’ve had time to recover from the disappointment of Le Mans and I’m ready to get rid of all the bad luck we’ve had so far," said the Spaniard, who joined Karel Abraham in falling on the warm-up lap in France.

"I feel confident with my team and the GSX-RR, Mugello will be tough for us but our working method is solid and allows us to be optimistic.

"The fans will be surrounding us, giving us a further push.”

Mir took his first Mugello podium with third in last year's Moto2 race.