Impressive progress for Rizla Suzuki at Misano
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racers Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen
finished third and sixth respectively at the end of a positive
first day’s practice for this weekend’s San Marino
Grand Prix at Misano in Italy.
Both riders used the two hour-long sessions to dial in the
new chassis on the Suzuki GSV-R for the 4,226m Italian track.
Capirossi improved on his lap-times consistently throughout
the day as he worked with his crew to get the best settings.
His time of 1’35.377 from his 56 laps came on his final
lap of the second session, and Capirossi is convinced there
is still more to find from machine and rider tomorrow.
Vermeulen recorded 51 laps today and was only marginally
behind his team-mate with a best time of 1’35.743. He
also spent time heading towards the optimum setting for the
new chassis to complement the Bridgestone tyres and he too
is confident of yet more improvements as the weekend progresses.
Today’s practice was held in warm and sunny conditions
with track temperatures reaching 46ºC. Reigning World
Champion Casey Stoner set the fastest time on his Bridgestone-shod
Ducati, but with less than a second separating the next 11
riders, Sunday’s 28-lap race looks likely to be a close
affair.
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP now has one more practice session tomorrow
morning to prepare for Saturday afternoon’s qualifying
and Sunday’s race.
Loris Capirossi:
“I am really happy with the way things went this afternoon
because this morning things didn’t go quite right at
the start and the bike didn’t work so well. We then
changed to the new chassis and it was better straight away.
We made sure we set it up the best we could and I am really
happy with how it worked! The team is working really hard
and we have never lost our way today and this is important
because after the great weekend we had in Brno we need to
continue with that kind of performance. I am sure we will
all improve tomorrow, and in the race, and that we can carry
on the great run the team is having!”
Chris Vermeulen:
“The bike worked pretty good straight out of the crate
and some of the new parts we tested at Brno worked well here.
I am really happy with the way Suzuki has worked to make the
bike more competitive and it feels like we have taken a big
step forward today. We’ve changed some things to get
the tyres working well with new frame and that is all now
coming together. We tried a new rear tyre towards the end
of the session and I was happy with the grip and consistency.
Tomorrow we have a few more chassis set-up changes and the
aim is to qualify on at least the front two rows!”
Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“It’s been a really positive first day for the
whole team in Misano and it’s been a great relief to
find that the improvements that were found at the Brno test
were confirmed by both riders during the sessions today. Now
that Loris is fit, his confidence is coming back to the highest
level and this afternoon I really have to thank Stuart and
his guys for making a huge step in the setting which enabled
Loris to ride at his best. Chris is also very close to Loris
and only needs a few detailed changes to take a decent step
forward. He looks very confident at this track and will be
aiming to repeat last year’s performance. Thanks must
also go to Suzuki for letting the riders use what are essentially
prototype parts here this weekend, and although it’s
not the complete answer, it’s definitely a step forward!”
GP Cinzano di San Marino e Riviera di Rimini Free
Practice Classification:
1. Casey Stoner (Ducati) 1’34.806: 2. Valentino Rossi
(Yamaha) +0.418: 3. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP)
+0.571: 4. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +0.618: 5. Randy de Puniet
(Honda) +0.814: 6. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +0.937:
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