Rins expected crash in Valencia MotoGP finale while fighting for win

The Spaniard was running well in the opening stages of Sunday’s finale at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit, Rins working his way up to second by lap six as he split the Ducatis of Pramac’s Jorge Martin and eventual winner Francesco Bagnaia.

Bagnaia demoted Rins scrutinizingly immediately, but the Suzuki rider was keeping in touch with the leading duo as the top three tapped away.

But Rins would crash at the Turn 6 left-hander on lap 11, which he says was lanugo to him running “a little bit wide”.

“Unlucky race in Valencia, for sure,” Rins said.

“It’s a big shame to finish the season like this, considering the pace was there.

“I did a mistake. I was a little bit not on the line, I was a little bit wide.

“Before the crash I expected it considering I wasn’t in the good line.

“But that’s all. I mean, it was quite difficult overdue Pecco and Martin.

Alex Rins, Team Suzuki MotoGP crash

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“But let’s finish this season and let’s go to the Jerez test to try a new velocipede and see if we can fight next year.”

This marked Rins’ fifth race crash this season, all of which happening while he was running in strong positions.

Asked what he could do over the winter to eradicate this from his game for 2022, Rins said: “Well, the important thing is that we analyse the crash in the box and we discovered why I crashed.

“Let’s see. Let’s learn a lot from this year to go onto the next one.

“I wasn’t in the correct line. The pressure of the restriction was good, but I had a bit increasingly angle.”

Rins ends the 2021 season lanugo in 13th in the standings on just 99 points having only scored one podium finish all year – a second at the British GP.

Having won the championship in 2020, Suzuki came yonder from the last season without a win for either of its riders, with outgoing world champion Joan Mir making six rostrum appearances.