RIZLA SUZUKI ON THE PACE AT BRANDS
 Rizla
Suzuki's Chris Walker was fifth and Cal Crutchlow eighth after
the first two 50-minute long practice sessions at the opening
round of the 2007 Bennetts British Superbike Championship
at the Brands Hatch GP circuit in Kent.
'Stalker' was less than half a second behind Honda's Jonathan
Rea, the fastest man on the day. Crutchlow, on his BSB debut,
was impressive and only half a second back from his team mate
on the other end of the second row in eighth place.
There is one more practice session tomorrow morning before
the 50-minute long Qualification in the afternoon when the
riders are restricted to using a maximum of three rear tyres.
Superbike racing starts at 1330 on Bank Holiday Monday at
the 2.60-mile-long Brands Hatch GP circuit in Kent.
Chris Walker:
"I am really happy with today and to be mixing it at
the front of the pack. We tried a few different rear shocks
and made a little progress in that area but to be honest,
we haven't changed a great deal on my Rizla Suzuki.
"Credit must go to Lez Pearson, my Crew Chief. After
the Snetterton test he spent a lot of time in the workshop
fine tuning my GSX-R and straight away I felt at home on it
here. We are in the ball park and now chipping away at our
lap times. This is a good position to be in at the end of
the first day."
Cal Crutchlow:
"It's great to finally get on track and for the season
to have started. It's been hard work though and while eighth
on the time sheets is good; I know we still have a lot more
to come.
"In the morning session I only used one rear tyre and
this afternoon I struggled with braking. I need more stopping
power on both my Rizla Suzukis and my crew are already working
on delivering it to me. We have a bit of work to do to get
it just right - but we will - and I can't wait to get back
on track tomorrow."
Simon Buckmaster - Team Manager:
"The team is pretty happy really. We are getting there
with a good setting for Chris and he is right on the front
running pace. There are areas he can make progress and he
is all set for improving his lap times from here.
"Cal suffered from a lack of braking power, but even
then managed a quick lap time to be less than a second down.
His crew will give him the braking power he wants and he will
be in a strong position to attack his lap times tomorrow.
Overall, it's been a positive day for both the riders and
the team."
Practice Times:
1: Jonathan Rea (Honda) 1:26.336
2: Shane Byrne (Honda) +0.229
3: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +0.269
4: Leon Camier (Honda) +0.313
5: Chris Walker (Rizla Suzuki) +0.442
6: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +0.511
7: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +0.943
8: Cal Crutchlow (Rizla Suzuki) +0.955
9: Tom Sykes (Honda) +1.283
10: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +1.296
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