From a press release issued by Alstare Corona Suzuki:

FUJI GIVES THE NEW GSXR600 ITS TRACK TEST. IANNUZZO BACK ON A SUPERSPORT. CHAMBON ABSENT THROUGH ILLNESS.

Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra’s final track action of the year took place at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia, with two of their three riders in action on both days. Frenchman Stephane Chambon missed the test through illness, but his team mate Katsuaki Fujiwara was assisted by Vittorio Iannuzzo who had not ridden a bike for nearly four months.

The test was for Superbikes and Supersport machines, but was dominate by the Supersport class.

At the end of the two days, Aussie Steve Martin (Ducati 999) posted the fastest overall time – 1:26.454. Fastest of the Supersport riders was another Australian – Karl Muggeridge – with a time of 1:38.023 on his Honda CBR600.

Fujiwara spent a lot of time (particularly on day two) on the new GSX-R600 Suzuki, which had arrived less then two weeks before the test. The Suzuki was nowhere near the finished article and so Fujiwara just put in the laps in order to give the team feedback about what needs to done before the next test. As there was only one of the new bikes available, Iannuzzo spent all his time on one of Chambon’s GSX-R600s. The Italian used the two days to re-familairise himself with a Supersport bike after a season on a Superbike, so didn’t push hard.

Katsuaki Fujiwara – 107 laps, best time – 1:38.919

It was very interesting riding the new bike, even though there’s a lot of work to be done before it is competitive. But already, I feel that it is an improvement over the 2003 bike. The new bike feels a bit more compact and slimmer and I think that it handles better and is more easy to flick from side to side. Obviously we don’t have any fast parts yet and we have a lot of work to do before I can say how good the bike is.

Riding on Pirellis was a new experience for me, after years with Dunlop, but I think it went OK – well on the not yet finished bike anyway. The slipper clutch on the new bike is very good and I also like the upside down front forks. Once we have the finished bike, I will look forward to riding it hard. I am sure it will be a significant improvement – and I hope to challenge for the title with it.

Vittorio Iannuzzo – 102 laps, best time – 1:40.468

It felt a bit strange to be riding a Supersport after a season on a Superbike. And it also felt strange because I haven’t been on a bike for the best part of four months! I thought I’d feel more sore (especially my right hand) after the two days, but actually I didn’t feel too bad at all. It was a good test for me, because I was able to spend time on a Supersport bike and get used to its characteristics all over again. What was one of the hardest things was getting used to the different braking and cornering speeds. On the Superbike, I was able to brake late and then power out of the turns. On the Supersport, I needed to change and brake earlier and then keep up good corner speed in the turns. But I took it steadily and used the track time to get back into the groove. I rode on Pirellis when I competed in the European Superstock Championship and they didn’t feel so different to me, so that is not much of a problem. Supersport is a hard series and the bikes are so even that it is difficult to gain a huge advantage. I’m looking forward to riding the 2004 GSXR600 and can’t wait for the next test.