It’s something we haven’t seen since Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner back in 2012: a World Champion sporting the number 1 on the front of their bike. But anticipation is building as to whether reigning MotoGP™ King Joan Mir will stick a number 1 on the front of his Team Suzuki Ecstar machine in 2021.
The question you’ve all been asking!
— Team Suzuki Ecstar (@suzukimotogp) February 1, 2021
What will Joan’s race number be? ????.
He will announce it on February 12th so save the date! ???????????? @MotoGP @JoanMirOfficial #SUZUKing #TheDecision pic.twitter.com/VvpTFo6iuZ
Since Stoner and before Mir, only Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo had reigned in the premier class. Both didn’t choose to stray from their iconic numbers 93 and 99, but that’s now the norm. In the MotoGP™ era, only the late great Nicky Hayden and Stoner (twice) have chosen to run the number 1 plate, with Lorenzo cleverly incorporating his initials to look like the number 1 in 2011. Before that, it was Kenny Roberts Jr in 2001.
So, will Mir run an iconic number 1 in 2021? You’d think fans would be all over it, but on MotoGP™’s Twitter poll, the results were quite surprising. From 4,681 votes, 51.4% thought Mir should stick with his number 36, compared to 48.6% who said he should switch it up.
JM36 or JM1 ????
— MotoGP™???? (@MotoGP) February 2, 2021
Should @JoanMirOfficial stick with 36 or switch to the number 1 for the 2021 season? ????#TheDecision
The double World Champion is announcing what number he has chosen on the 12th of February, so keep your eyes peeled!