From a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

SUZUKI READY FOR WELKOM MOTOGP

South African MotoGP Preview. Round 1, Phakisa Freeway, Welkom – April 18, 2004.

The South African GP is the first of 16 rounds of the third year of the MotoGP four-stroke prototype racers – and observers are predicting a vintage, best-ever season of close competition. Team Suzuki MotoGP is hoping that the year will be their best also in the new top class of motorcycle racing.

The first two years of the class left the well-established factory racing team in an unfamiliar position … without even one race win, as they worked to perfect their new 990cc V4 racing machine using experimental cutting-edge technology.

It was a frustrating time for the multi-victorious squad, but the improvement in overall performance that the factory race engineers and England-based racing team were striving for was just around the corner. Chassis and suspension revisions tested last December were the first evidence. Since then, engine refinements have improved the package further.

At the same time, a new association with Japanese Bridgestone tyres, relative newcomers to the top class of racing, also showed strong early promise. The tyres worked well with the GSV-R from the first tests.

Progress through the test programme continued without set-backs and an ever-improving technical package. At the last test of the close season, the group IRTA tests at Jerez in Spain, Kenny Roberts Jr. set second-fastest time, less than a tenth of a second slower than defending champion Valentino Rossi.

Now Roberts, World Champion in 2000, and team-mate John Hopkins face the first real test of the year, in the unusual conditions of the Phakisa Freeway at Welkom in South Africa.

It is a unique challenge and the Suzuki men are hoping the track’s quirks will play into their hands.

One of the circuit’s peculiarities is a fiendishly bumpy surface in spite of recent resurfacing. This is a result of the frequent minor earth tremors felt in the area, which is in turn the legacy of the gold mines that honeycomb the earth beneath the flat plain. The grip levels are also unusual. The circuit sees very limited use and the grip on the racing line improves continually throughout the racing weekend as tyres clean the surface and coat it with fresh rubber.

Another characteristic is the power-sapping altitude of some 1,500 metres. The thin air robs the 230-plus horsepower MotoGP engines of as much as 15 percent of their power at sea level, making tuning and gearing more critical than ever.

All these could be plus points for Suzuki if the team’s fortunes continue to prosper as they have during testing.

“This is the best-prepared the team has been for years,” said manager Garry Taylor.

“Both riders are highly motivated and there is a general feeling of excitement throughout the team after a highly positive series of tests.

“We are under no illusions that we have fully turned the corner yet, but we’ve clipped the apex and we can see the exit line ahead of us. We know the competition is going to be even tougher this year than last, and that we have a lot more work to do before we are fully competitive.

“We’re starting the season ready to build on the progress we’ve already made,” Taylor continued.

“The bike is good, the tyres are good, and the riders are ready. Let’s go racing.”

There is a weekend break after the South African GP before business resumes in earnest at Jerez in Spain, the first race in the gruelling European season.

KENNY ROBERTS – READY TO RACE FOR IT:

“We have more unknowns than the other teams. They have improved their bikes over the winter, but they’re on the same tyres. We’ve not only made big improvements to the bike, but also we’re on Bridgestone tyres for the first time. There is still more stuff I’d like to test before the race. Sometimes you have a fast learning curve, as we’ve been doing during tests, and I hope we can get the bike feeling good out of the crate, and can keep that pace up at Welkom. We’ve also tested a lot of the new tyres at different tracks. I hope that they will work as well in South Africa as elsewhere. Last year was Bridgestone’s first at Welkom with the four-strokes, and they’ve learned a lot since then. If the tyres can do the lap times and last the distance, then I can go into the race with a very positive attitude.”

JOHN HOPKINS – EXPECTING GOOD THINGS AT WELKOM:

“After the last two tests, I feel really confident going in. The track’s a lot different from what anybody has tested on, and because it’s dirty, there’s never as much grip as you’d like until Sunday – but I like the place, and it’s gone quite well for me the last two years. The bike still has not as much horsepower as I’d like, but we are expecting more in the coming races. But the acceleration is good even as it is, the chassis holds the line well, and the bike seems easy to set up. These are the important things at Welkom. And the tyres are really good – I tried a race tyre at Jerez that was just awesome. The bike seems really good and Kenny and I are riding well. I think we can only expect good things from South Africa.”

ABOUT THIS TRACK:

Funded by the local Free State government as a boost to the economically troubled gold-mining area, the Phakisa Freeway was built on the site of the old “Goldfields” circuit. The bold new initiative combined an international-standard banked Tri-Oval NASCAR-type circuit with the road-racing course, which shares some sections as it loops back and forth, without actually using the full banking. The oval track has barely been used, but the twisting short circuit has been a regular on the GP circuit since 1999. With 14 corners ranging from medium-speed ess-bends to slower U-turns, it is a highly technical circuit. One special feature is the corner at the end of the back straight. Approached at 160mph, the bikes are still leaned over as they have to brake with increasing pressure as the corner tightens into one of the slowest bends on the track. Another challenge is the bumpy surface: not even frequent resurfacing can overcome the effect of the regular earth tremors in an area where the ground is honeycombed with mine shafts. Sited in a quiet area at the far end of the goldfields stretching southwards from Johannesburg, the 1,500m (4,500ft) altitude makes it the highest track of the year.

ABOUT THIS RACE:

The first South African GPs ran from 1983 to 1985 at the old Kyalami outside Johannesburg. A brief revival at the new Kyalami in 1992 was a one-off event, but in 1999 the race was revived at the new Phakisa (“Hurry Up”) Freeway. The track proved challenging from the start – with a slippery and unpredictable surface only making the tight, looping layout more difficult. The track also became bumpier year by year, especially where it crosses the oval track. At the same time, the thin air saps the engine power and can affect throttle response.

GP DATA – PHAKISA FREEWAY, WELKOM:

Circuit Length: 2.636 miles – 4.242 km.

Lap Record: 1:33.851 – 101.108mph/ 162.717 km/h, V Rossi (Honda) 2003

2003 Race Winner: S Gibernau (Honda).

2003 Race Average: 44:10.398 – 100.246mph / 161.331 km/h.

2003 Fastest Race Lap: see record.

2003 Pole Position: S Gibernau 1:33.174.

2003 KENNY ROBERTS (Suzuki).

Race: 15th.

Qualification: 17th – 1:34.646.

2003 JOHN HOPKINS: (Suzuki).

Race: 13th.

Qualification: 16th – 1:34.306.