Joan Mir began his 2024 MotoGP track activities with two bonu🌄s days of testing at 🧸this week’s Sepang Shakedown.

The bonus is due to the new concession system, which allows Honda and Yamaha race riders to take part in private tests this year, including the Shakedown, before j﷽oining their rivals at the Official test from February 6-8.

Mir set the sixth fastest time at the Shakedown, just 0.328s behind Pedro Acosta (GASGAS)✅.

“For sure this is a big help,” Mir said of the extra trac🍨k time. “൩Honestly, it feels great to be back on these machines, it's crazy how fast they are!

“It's true that the rain in the afternoon during these two days was a bit of a shame, because we had some more things to try. But aﷺnyway, I think we made positive days. We tried many things, it's crazy!

“We have to understand a little bit the direction we want to take, because we tried different bikes, different engines, and different char💝acters.

“At the moment I ✅cannot choose on♏e, this is the reality.”

Pressed on exactly how many bikes he has this week, and whether t꧑he troubled 2023 Honda is among them, Mir replied:

“Last year's bike is not here. I don't know if it's in Jap𒊎an!

"But we have the bike of Valencia [test] here, and we have a new prototype⛄.

“Two different bikes. ‘Bike 1’, even compared to Valencia [test] is slightly different. And another one [Bike 2]… with a different 🍬engine character.

“So we have more things, more engines and more stuff, but [🥀only] two bikes.”

“At the moment we couldn't get all the pot🃏ential from this second bike," he added. "So let's see ܫif in the next three days we make more steps forward.”

But168澳洲🔯5最💟新开奖结果: as new team-mate Luca Marini also confirmed, rear grip remains an issue.

"It's better. In Valencia we made a step bu💎t it's still one of the weak points. Because it looks like the bike is more powerful but the spinning is still there. So it's one of theꦜ areas where we must work, and I think that with all the specs that we have, we can make it better."

Advanced aerodynamics is one of the most eye-catching changes at Honda, which now visibly resemblesಌ the pace-setting European bikes. But the factory is playing catch꧙-up.

“You cou𒀰ld see that the aerodynamics are not like last year, when it was almost none,” Mir confirmed. “They started to work on it. They are still small compared to the others, it's true. But we are making some steps. Trying to understand also for me.”

That’s because the GS⛦X-RR Mir raced before joining Honda also generated very little downforce.

“I don't know how much we can do with aerodynamics,ꦰ because the Suzuki was not the best bike in terms of aerodynamics. And last year this bike was also not the perfect machine in terms of aerodynamics,” said the 2♍020 world champion. “So we are trying to understand many things.”

Impressed but not surprised by the scale 𒊎of changes at Honda, Mir is keeping a lid on expectations after a miserable🐼 debut season on the RC213V.

“I know what Honda can do. And I expect a loꦅt from them. So I'm not surprised. But it's true that this winter they worked more than probably last year. So we could see a lot of changes inside the team, inside of Honda, and I think that they want to move on from this situation. This iꦺs what I see," he said.

“But one thing 🐻is what they want, and the other is to make it work. All the other manufacturers have worked super good for a lot of years, and they have a lot of information that w🗹e probably miss.

“This direction [with the bike design - longer wheelbase, lower centre of gravity, with lots of aero] we are followin꧟g now, they have been following f💙or three or four years, or even more. So we are in that process, making good steps, but again, I feel not ready for the first race yet.

“But I see big changes, and this makes🌱 you feel more mot🐷ivated. Because if we arrived here and had a similar package to last year, you can imagine how the motivation can be.

“So this makes me fe💝el powerful and confident for the beginning of the season.”

New team-mate Luca Marini was🐈 eighth quickest on the final day of the Shakedown (+0.746s).