JAKARTA – Suzuki Ecstar racer Alex Rins explained why his motorbike caught fire during the fourth free practice (F4) of the Mandalika MotoGP Grand Prix on Saturday.
The gruesome incident occurred in the sixth minute of Rins' first run. The GSX-RR motorbike belonging to the Spaniard had problems starting from Turn 10 before releasing fire at Turn 13.
"There was a problem with the oil tube. At Turn 10 I slipped a little in the rear. I saw my boots and tires, but everything was normal. So I continued to ride my bike," said Rins, quoted from Crash.
"Then at the next corner the rear slipped again. So I opted out of the race line. First for my safety and the safety of other riders," Rins continued.
Rins immediately let go of his motorbike and dropped himself after he realized there was a fire on his horse at turns 12 and 13.
Not long after that, the red flag was immediately raised to indicate that FP4 had to be suspended while the session was 23 minutes and 32 seconds remaining.
"Then when I saw the bike on fire it was a scary moment because all I had in mind was 'Alex, jump' because maybe the bike would explode. So it wasn't a good moment. But I'm fine," Rins said.
Johann Zarco was one of the drivers who didn't notice the oil spill at Turn 10 so he crashed at Turn 10. However, like Rins, he was able to rejoin free practice after the green flag was flown to signal the session's restart.
Rins will start the race on Sunday from eighth position after he carved a time of 1 minute 31.582 seconds or 0.515 seconds adrift of Fabio Quartararo who stole pole position. Meanwhile, Zarco will start the race from the third position in the front row.
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