Mir describes “scary” near-miss with rider-less bike: “Impossible to see…”
A very close call between @JohannZarco1 and @JoanMirOfficial on their last flying laps!
— MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) April 14, 2023
Great reactions from Joan! #AmericasGP pic.twitter.com/woy51NYI43
Pramac Racing’s Johann Zarco had fallen on Friday in a position which meant Repsol Honda rider Mir did not see the incident.
And with no time for the yellow flags to come out, Mir was reliant on his reactions to dip out of the path of the flailing Desmosedici, although it eventually cost him a fall.
“That was scary,” Mir said.
“When I came into Turn 6, Zarco’s bike was still moving.”
Mir describes seeing a rotating Desmosedici without its rider: “I was in Turn 5 when I saw that one bike was doing that...
“And I just went completely out of the track, with the speed, and I didn’t expect it.
“Zarco was probably one second in front of me. So, on that section, it’s impossible to see one second in front.”
Mir was glad the incident happened on a Friday rather than a Saturday or a Sunday: “In this track, if you crash on [this part of the track], you hit another rider in the race.”
Mir missed the grand prix in Argentina after a crash and offered a reminder of his physical struggles: “This track is a challenge for everyone, and I’m not at 100%.”
The Repsol Honda rider was 12th-fastest in FP2 on Friday.
Stefan Bradl, replacing Mir’s teammate Marc Marquez who is missing through injury, was 20th.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
