Suzuki stalwart Kevin Schwantz has heaped praise on his old team Suzuki Ecstar and Alex Rins following their success at the Grand Prix of the Americas.

The Texan was in attendance for the entirety of the weekend at COTA, and even got the pleasure of offering his congratulations in person to Rins on the podium as he handed Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) his second-place trophy.

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The 1993 World Champion rode for the Hamamatsu factory throughout his illustrious career and believes the team are in a strong place heading into the rest of the season.

“I think the bike’s really good right now,” said Schwantz. “I think that Rins had an off weekend qualifying in Argentina and had to come from 16th to 5th. But the bike, from what I can tell watching the TV, seems to be good.”

Speaking ahead of Rins collecting his first victory in the MotoGP™ class, the 25-time Grand Prix winner had a feeling the Spaniard’s first wouldn’t be too far away.

“The speed seems to be there; the electronics seem to be up-to-scratch with everybody else and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Rins win a race sometime soon.”

(Story and photos from MotoGP.com)