Sixth overall with a strong race🌃 pace at Sepang, Alex Rins and Suzuk🌳i climbed one place higher again at the Thailand MotoGP test.

The results have further convinced Rins that thꦰe revised 2018 GSX-RR can be a contender this season.

“💮In Ma𒀰laysia I was 80% sure that this package was good and the right fit for me, but now I’m going home 100% sure that this package has a strong potential," he said.

"During the🔯se w♒inter tests my target was to try to be competitive, and to create a good bike, to hopefully fight for the top positions this season.

"The truth is that things are going ver♛y good, we are trying a lot of things and fortun꧃ately they are working well.

"It's🐬 never enough, but sincerely we did a big step with the bike compared to last year.

"As a rider, compared tꦍo last year, I've improved a lot on the brakes, but still I need a little bit more of everything."

The young Spaniardℱ was ranked 2nd-7th-5th over the three days in Buriram, during which the🐓 team debuted a new downforce fairing.

"The engine, t♔he chassis was the same as Sepang, just we changed the fairing, the winglets," he confirmed.

Despite falling while using the new fairing, Rins declared: "I felt a lot of difference in a positive way. We h💦ave much less wheelie so the bike is accelerating꧒ more because the engine can deliver more power.

"Now we need to adjust a little bit, with my two crashes I don't have any more winglets!ಞ But yeah, we will keep wor🔯king on this fairing.

"We have two types of winglets, one longer than the other and for these tracks maybe the longer one works better and the rest of the tracks we need to try. But🍨 we have confidence in 🐭the new winglets."

2017 was a tough year for Rins and Suzuki. The Moto2 title contender was injured in testing and then a💯gain in Texas, but fought back to match team-mate Andrea Iannone's best result of the season with fourth at the Valencia finale.

"Last year wꦺas really difficult for me. I suffer a lot𒊎 with injuries and everything," Rins said. "But now I'm on a good performance.

"🐻We have developed the bike a lot since 2016 [when Vinales won a race] everything c🧸hanges, we don't have anything the same.

"Now, with my experience and also the experience of my crew chief and the Japanese guys at Suzu💟ki we will try to improve and increase the rhythm, race pace and the results."

Does Rins have an idea of what resultsꩵ could be possible in 2018?

"I'm not 100 percent sure beca🌌use in testing ✃everybody has a lot of tyres to try, also some new experimental tyres.

"What is true is I know is that Malaysia and here were really positive days. We didn't focus just on one lap. We are trying to do a good race pa🧸ce and for sure I'm not the fastest guy on race🌠 pace, but I'm closer to the top guys."

Iannone was 15th fastest In Thailand. The Italian st🐓ruggled to put together a fast lap time, but felt more confident in his r🧜ace pace.

𒆙“On consecutive laps I can be consistently fast, which is important for the races. The new fairing gave me g🧸ood sensations. In Qatar we’ll finalise some more things in order to be ready, but I feel positive about starting the championship.”

The final pre-season tes🥀t will be held at Qatar on March 1-3.