LCR Honda made official on Tuesday (19) the signing of Álex Rins for two years. The Spaniard, who found himself without a bike for next year after the announcement of his departure from Suzuki, had already said that the deal with Lucio Cecchinello's team was "more or less done".
It is now official: Álex Rins will defend LCR Honda starting next season in MotoGP. The announcement was made by the team on Tuesday (19) and is valid for two seasons.
The ball had already been kicked by the rider himself, who said at the end of June that the deal with Lucio Cecchinello's team was already "more or less done" and only depended on the last signature. Rins, who currently races for Suzuki, found himself with no guarantees for 2023 after the Japanese factory decided to leave the premier class at the end of the season. But Álex Márquez's move to Gresini next year has opened up one of the LCR slots - the other, for now, belongs to Takaaki Nakagami.
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"I am very happy to join LCR Honda. Changing teams and bikes is a challenge, but I am ready to give 100% of myself and put into practice everything I have learned during my years in MotoGP," said Rins. "The trust of Lucio and Honda was crucial in my decision to accept this challenge. I would like to thank them for this opportunity," stressed the 26-year-old rider.
Cecchinello also celebrated the new signing and extolled the qualities of the still Suzuki representative, especially the consistency in results. "We just signed the contract, all three parties, and now we can finally announce him."
"Rins is an experienced, fast, podium-winning rider. This wealth of experience, along with Rins' ability to give accurate suggestions to his technicians, will certainly help us improve our package, with the aim of fighting for more podiums," the team boss stressed.
Currently eighth in the World Drivers' Championship, tied with Joan Mir with 69 points, Rins' best result of the season is third place in the Argentine GP. As soon as Suzuki revealed to the world that he would leave MotoGP once again, the Spaniard admitted that the priority was to defend a factory team, but he was open to all possibilities.
"Personally, I would like to be in an 'official' team, I don't want to lie. If not a factory team, at least have a direct contract with the factory. Without despising the satellite teams, because as we have seen, a satellite team from three years ago is not the same as today. But if I have to go to a satellite team, I will go there. Better that than staying at home," Rins said at the time.
With Rins certain to be on the grid for 2023 and 2024 - it now remains to be seen what the fate of the other Suzuki, Joan Mir, will be. The 2020 champion is not yet guaranteed a place on the grid for next year, and he has already stated that many riders run the risk of being without a bike for next season.