TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR FACE THE RACES WITH FANS’ SUPPORT

More than 350 people will be virtually present in Team Suzuki Ecstar’s garage at the forthcoming GP of San Marino and GP of Emilia Romagna, just behind the two riders Alex Rins and Joan Mir.

The Team received a huge response to the “#facetherace” photo portrait initiative – aimed to involve fans in these hard times. These pictures have now been converted into a huge vinyl collage which has been placed inside the pit box, next to the riders’ seats, for the next two race weekends in Misano. The Suzuki fans are a dedicated and passionate community and they sent smiling selfies via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The 2020 MotoGP World Championship season has been a strange one for teams, riders, and fans alike with restrictions in place due to the Covid-19 crisis. Despite the usual extensive coverage on television and social media, fans of the series have felt a little detached from the action as they are unable to attend races. Likewise, for those in the paddock, the absence of the crowds and supporters has been strongly felt from the beginning of this truncated season.

Team Suzuki Ecstar decided to come up with an initiative to close the gap between the fans and the riders, offering the opportunity for them to feature in the pit box despite the distance. The team used their social media channels to put a call out to all fans, with added encouragement from Alex Rins and Joan Mir, to send a portrait photo.

Rins and Mir are thrilled to have this friendly mosaic of support next to them and, in order to thank the fans for their participation, they hosted a Zoom call to give a special message of gratitude and to greet the supporters, who come from all corners of the world.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager:

“All the MotoGP family has been feeling sorry since the beginning of the season, not having fans crowding the stands in the early GPs. Our Team miss the warmth and affection that we were used to getting from the community of Suzuki fans, which has always given our performance an extra push. We feel a strong sense of unity between our supporters and our team, and this is especially important this year when so many people have been unable to come and watch the races from trackside. That’s why we decided to bring some of them inside our garage, just beside the riders, for these two weekends. Although it’s only a virtual presence, we’re sure to get a boost from seeing these smiling faces inside the pit box and I would like to thank everybody who sent a photo.”