From a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

SUZUKI´S SUPERSPORT SEASON STARTER

Team Suzuki Press Office – Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra starts its 2004 World Supersport bid at Sunday´s season opener at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia, Italy.

And for many teams, including the Suzuki squad, it has come around too soon, with the new 2004 bikes still undergoing rigorous tests and development.

Ever since the 2004 GSX 600R Suzukis arrived at the team’s headquarters in Belgium in January, technicians have been working flat-out to get the bikes ready for the first race. Then will use the three-week gap before the bikes get shipped to Australia for the second round, to continue further development of the bike, aided by the important technical data they collect in Spain.

Stephane Chambon:

“Now that we’ve ridden the 2004 GSX 600R Suzuki’s, we have some ideas about the season ahead. The bike is more compact, handles better and feels more like a race bike than its predecessor. But there’s still a lot to do still and not much time, but I’m hoping I’ll be on the podium sooner rather then later. Last year, I missed the race through injury, so this year has got to be better!”

Katsuaki Fujiwara::

“The last test gave our team lots to think about and start working on, but it was all positive. I like the way the new bike feels and handles and if we can get the same level of power out of it as our rivals we can be successful. The first couple of rounds may be a bit frustrating, but I must try and get good finishes, even if I cannot win the races. I think it’ll be hard to repeat last year’s Valencia victory but I’m going to try for sure.”

Vittorio Lannuzzo::

There´s a lot of changes for me to understand in a short space of time, but I’m looking forward to it. Last year I was riding the GSX 1000R, so the smaller GSX 600R bike feels very different. So far, I like the new bike’s handling and the way it steers, but there’s a lot of work still to be done before I feel I can push it to its limit. I’ll know how the season is going to be after a couple of races.”

Team Manager Francis Batta::

“A New Year and a new challenge. And this is a big one because we have a new bike again! Last year we were the only true competitors to Ducati in the Superbike class, but this year all our efforts are concentrated in the Supersport category and it is a very, very important category. Ever since we have been involved in the Supersport World Championship, we have been leading contenders and this year is going to be no different. Our task this year is hard because we have a brand new bike and, with a new bike, there is a lot of work to be done. We have three good, strong riders and we hope to make a lot of progress quickly. I don’t think it’s realistic to expect us to be winning straightaway, but we’d like to be competing for the top honours by the third round for sure. I hope our riders can achieve good results at Valencia and Australia and then be regular podium visitors afterwards. Supersport this year is going to be harder then ever, but it is a challenge that we, at Alstare Suzuki, relish and enjoy.”