Magny Cours World Superbike, World Supersport, Superstock, Suzuki Cup Preview

Magny Cours World Superbike, World Supersport, Superstock, Suzuki Cup Preview

© 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

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From a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:

SUZUKI LOOKING FOR SECOND AND THIRD

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra riders Stephane Chambon and Katsuaki Fujiwara are looking to finish the season in second and third places in the championship. With Chris Vermeulen (Honda) taking the title in the last round at Imola, runner-up and third places are very much up for grabs. Magny-Cours hosted a round of the Superbike World Championship in 1991, but this will be the first time that a Supersport World Championship event will be taking place. The circuit was designed with Formula 1 in mind and is a difficult track for bikes – due in part to the number of slow corners. The 2003 Honda has been the bike to beat this season, but it is testimony to the skill of Chambon and Fujiwara and the hard work of the Alstare Suzuki team that second and third places are a very real possibility. Both riders are keen on finishing the season on a high and none more so then Chambon who will be competing in a World Championship race in front of his own fans for the very first time.

STEPHANE CHAMBON
It’s been a very long time (twelve years) since there was a World Superbike or Supersport Championship event in France and I hope we get a very good crowd. The Supersport class is very popular in France and I think it’s going to be a tremendous race. It’s going to be hard for sure – because of the nature of the track – but I really want to do well in front of my fans and I really want to end the season as runner-up in the championship.

KATSUAKI FUJIWARA
The start of my season was better then the second part and now I want to end the year with a good result. Steph and I cannot win the title this year, but we have a chance of finishing second and third and that¹s what we¹ll be aiming for. The team have done so well to keep our bike competitive against all the other new bikes this year and I am hoping to reward them in the best possible way. A podium will be good, but a win will be better


FABRIZIO DETERMINED

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Michel Fabrizio knows that the 2003 European Superstock Championship title is his for the taking. He holds a fifteen point lead over his nearest rival – Lorenzo Lanzi – but is determined to use his head and do whatever is necessary to take the title. Fabrizio is taking nothing for granted and he and the team are preparing for Magny-Cours by not leaving anything to chance. It is the first time the European Superstock Championship is visiting France and hopefully it will be an occasion that will be remembered by Fabrizio and the team for some time to come.

MICHEL FABRIZIO
Lanzi’s mistake in the last round gave me just the chance I wanted. I pressured him throughout the race and he was unable to take it. I know that a 15-point advantage sounds a lot, but anything can happen in racing, so I’m not taking anything for granted. I aim to ride professionally and use my head throughout the weekend and hopefully getthe rewards at the end.


MAGNY-COURS TAKEN OVER BY SUZUKI

The weekend of 18-19th October at Magny-Cours is going to be one big Suzuki festival. Alstare Suzuki riders are competing at the highest level in all three championships, but also Magny-Cours will witness the final of the Suzuki GSXR750 World Cup. No less then 28 riders from 15 countries world-wide will compete on identically prepared GSXR750s in two races over the weekend – making it a true Suzuki-fest!


GREGORIO STILL CHASING

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Gregorio Lavilla knows that time is running out for him to record a win this year. The last round of the championship takes place at Magny-Cours circuit in France, on 19th October and there are just two opportunities remaining for Gregorio to take victory on the GSXR1000 Suzuki. It is not going to be an easy task because the layout and design of Magny-Cours is unlikely to favour the GSXR1000 this year. All season, Gregorio and the team have struggled to get the bike to match the Ducatis exiting the turns and Mangy-Cours has plenty of slow-speed corners. The track was designed with Formula 1 in mind and has been modified from its 1989 layout this year. In 1991, Magny-Cours hosted the last round of the Superbike World Championship on French soil, with both races won by American Doug Polen (Ducati).

GREGORIO LAVILLA
We tested – like most teams – at Magny-Cours recently and we have an idea of what our weekend is going to be like – hard! It’s a circuit where overtaking is going to be difficult and so qualifying well is going to be important, though I say that about all circuits. Magny-Cours is what I call a ‘modern track,’ that is one built for cars and these type of circuits are never usually very good for bikes. There are quite a few slow corners, so it’s going to be very hard getting as good a drive out of them as the Ducatis. The GSXR1000 Suzuki is powerful enough to compete with the Ducatis at top speed normally, but we cannot get the power on to the track exiting the corners like they can at the moment. It’s something we have been working on all season. At some tracks it is more of a problem then others. But I know I’ve got two chances of being the first rider to win a WSBk race on a Suzuki GSXR1000 and I’ll be trying my hardest for sure – like I always do.


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