TOUGH DAY FOR RIZLA SUZUKI MEN
 Rizla
Suzuki's Cal Crutchlow showed determination and sheer speed
during a tough fifth round of the Bennetts British Superbike
Championship at Snetterton in Norfolk today.
Crutchlow did not allow high-speed crashes on Friday and
Saturday hold him back and in the opening race, starting from
11th on the grid in warm sunshine, he took nearly three-quarters
of a second from his best previous lap time as he fought his
way to eighth.
In the second race he started from the back of the grid on
his spare bike after his number one Rizla Suzuki developed
an electrical fault during the sighting lap. Out of 30 starters,
he worked his way up to 9th by the 16th lap, but just before
a safety car incident he was forced to retire when fluid on
his boot meant he couldn't change gear.
Chris Walker finished with a pair of ninths on his Rizla
Suzuki. Despite every effort, he never found a comfortable
set-up on his GSX-R1000 to allow him to run with the leaders.
Honda's Ryuichi Kiyonari won both races.
Rizla Suzuki will be at Donington Park in Derbyshire next
Saturday, May 26th, at BikeFestUK, where it will be testing
on track throughout the day. The next round of the Bennetts
British Superbike Championship is at Mondello Park in the
Republic of Ireland on Sunday, June 17th.
Cal Crutchlow:
"The opening race was good and my lap times competitive.
I asked for a few changes I think would have helped for race
two but never got a chance to try them as I had to start on
my number two bike. I was then gutted after battling into
the top 10 and having to retire and not scoring any points
as a result.
"My heart says I want to be scoring in the top six and
fighting for podium finishes. My head tells me that I am learning
more every weekend. My skills for understanding, setting up
and racing a Superbike are developing and that's my main objective
for now; the top six results will come soon, I am sure. Final
word goes to my team technicians - you guys were brilliant
this weekend, thanks for all the support. You are ace."
Chris Walker:
"If there were rewards for effort then we would be on
the top step of the podium. We tried our hearts out this weekend
but no matter what we did, we couldn't compete at the front.
"Our performance this weekend is both confusing and
frustrating because we know we can fight for the podium after
the Silverstone results. I'll be talking with my technicians
about a test plan for next weekend that will hopefully see
us back at the sharp end of the races soon."
Simon Buckmaster - Team Manager:
"It's been a difficult weekend for Rizla Suzuki, there's
no hiding that. On the plus side Cal has again impressed with
his determination, attitude and speed despite a couple of
crashes and poor luck. He leaves here a wiser and more accomplished
Superbike rider.
"Chris has struggled for the second race meeting in
a row to extract the best performance from his Rizla Suzuki
and that is something, along with a number of technical issues
that we will be analysing and addressing over the next couple
of days.
"The entire team has worked very hard this weekend but
knows there will be no respite. We are testing at Donington
Park at BikeFestUK on Saturday and need to make it count so
we can go to Mondello Park in Ireland optimistic we can achieve
good results - the team needs more effort from the riders
and technicians alike.
"One thing that has lifted our spirits is Chris Vermeulen's
MotoGP victory in Le Mans today - well done to our sister
Rizla Suzuki team, we hope we can emulate your success soon."
Race One Result: 1: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda)
24:00.140, 2: Jonathan Rea (Honda) +0.277, 3: Leon Haslam
(Ducati) +8.209, 4: Tom Sykes (Honda) +12.981, 5: Leon Camier
(Honda) +14.185, 6: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +14.379, 7:
Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +18.471, 8: Cal Crutchlow (Rizla Suzuki)
+21.387, 9: Chris Walker (Rizla Suzuki) +28.255, 10: Tommy
Bridewell (Suzuki) +28.552.
Race Two Result: 1: Kiyonari 26:56.071,
2: Rea +0.625, 3: Shane Byrne (Honda) +0.920, 4: Sykes +4.240,
5: Haslam +4.312, 6: Camier +5.650, 7: Hill +6.076, 8: Scott
Smart (Kawasaki) +10.530, 9: Chris Walker (Rizla Suzuki) +10.720,
10: Ollie Bridewell (Suzuki) +13.874. DNF: Cal Crutchlow (Rizla
Suzuki).
Championship Positions (after five of 13 rounds):
1: Kiyonari 190, 2: Lavilla 179, 3: Rea 149, 4: Haslam 131,
5: Camier 117, 6: Sykes 106, 7: Byrne 87, 8: Chris Walker
(Rizla Suzuki) 76, 9: Hill 70, 10: Michael Rutter (Kawasaki)
50. 12: Cal Crutchlow (Rizla Suzuki) 43.
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