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Suzuki squeezing fresh potential out of GSV-R
Team Suzuki MotoGP put their new GSV-R machine through a gruelling testing programme at Sepang last week, scrutinising all aspects of the bike to give the technicians and riders more valuable data about the it’s performance and handling capabilities.
New engine mapping and control systems were tested along with the latest front and rear tyre compounds from Bridgestone and Team Manager Paul Denning was pleased with the results.
“These Sepang tests have given very satisfying results and are helping the team to establish a firm and positive baseline to take forward into the new season,” commented Denning. “I am especially pleased with the way the crew are coming together and the feedback from the riders and the technicians.“The support from Bridgestone this week has been fantastic. The high humidity and heat meant that the tyres were subjected to a very torrid test, which Bridgestone responded to excellently.
“We are all looking forward to the next step in the development of the GSV-R and our aim is to get it as competitive as possible for the first round at Jerez in April. We need to refine the overall package and concentrate especially on the driveability and acceleration of the bike.
“Suzuki knows what it needs to do to take the next step, the riders are both very capable and there is a real sense of excitement within Team Suzuki MotoGP.”
Kenny Roberts and John Hopkins were both positive about the progress made since visiting the circuit last month. Roberts lapped a time of 2’02.07 on race tyres, over a second inside the current lap record, held by World Champion Valentino Rossi.
“The guys are working really hard to get the GSV-R at the top of its game,” said the former World Champion. “The bike has a lot of potential and it’s certainly capable of a good lap time, the target now is to make it capable of those lap times over a race distance. The good news is that Suzuki knows exactly what it has to do to achieve just that.”
Hopkins clocked a time of 2’02.19, over 2.5 seconds quicker than his race lap time at Sepang last year and was equally as pleased with his performance as Roberts.
“The GSV-R is coming along great and so am I,” he said. “Every time I ride I feel fitter and the bike has so much more potential. We’ve done a lot of laps over the last few days and now have a very clear direction which way we need to go to make the GSV-R even better.”
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