Suzuki’s 2020 MotoGP champion Joan Mir will attempt to make his return to competition in the third-to-last race of the 2022 season at Phillip Island.
Mir suffered a serious injury to his right ankle in an opening-lap highside at the Red Bull Ring, and an attempt to race a month on at Aragon was aborted after practice – the 25-year-old suffering more pain and discomfort than he’d expected.
It led to the decision for him to skip the rest of that particular three-week triple-header, which also comprised flyaway races at Motegi and Buriram. But, after an electromyography “to check the condition of the nerves and muscles” on Wednesday showed improvement, Mir will now try to make his return in Australia.
“It looks like everything is getting better, and I was very happy to hear the latest news from the doctors following my checks,” Mir said.
“The injury appears to be healing well and the recovery work I’ve been doing has paid off. I’m still not at 100%, but I feel it’s time to come back because the situation is a lot better than it has been in previous weeks.
“I want to spend these last three races of the season with my team, so I hope that I will feel OK on the bike and be able to ride well.”
Suzuki says Mir “will attend medical checks with the circuit doctors ahead of his hopeful return to track action”.
There’s a clear emotional aspect to Mir’s attempts to return as the Suzuki programme that gave him his MotoGP debut and helped him to the 2020 crown will fold at the end of the season.
But Mir will also be keenly aware of the need to prioritise his health as he has committed to Honda for 2023 and will have the opportunity to try an RC213V bike that is radically different to his current GSX-RR this off-season.
Phillip Island should be a decent venue for the inline-four Suzuki, though in its 2022 guise the bike has proven inconsistent and hasn’t graced the podium since COTA race back in early April.
In Mir’s absence, Suzuki has fielded the likes of Kazuki Watanabe, Takuya Tsuda and Danilo Petrucci in races, none of them standing much of a chance at scoring any points. It also gave a test runout to new Yamaha World Superbike signing Dominique Aegerter, who will partner Tech3 KTM outcast Remy Gardner at Tech3 KTM in 2023.
“I am very happy that Joan can return in Phillip Island and be back with all of us,” said Suzuki team boss Livio Suppo.
“Even though we’ve been helped out by some nice stand-in riders, we’ve felt his absence, and it will be great to see him back on his bike! We will do everything to put him at ease and allow him to enjoy one of his favourite circuits.”
