Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Dennis Noyes

The struggling Suzuki MotoGP team, originally intending to test this week at Phillip Island along with Honda, Yamaha, Ducati and Aprilia, has moved its next Phillip Island tests back to February 23-26 where it will be joined by Kawasaki and Proton teams.

A catastrophic Bridgestone tire failure on Kenny Lee Roberts’ machine at the end of the long back straight caused the American to crash just after overtaking Jeremy McWilliams on the factory Aprilia on the first day of the recently-concluded Sepang (Malaysia) tests.

The team said that Roberts had only bruised his collarbone in the incident, but the decision to roll back the tests has raised speculation that Roberts may have broken the collarbone or further aggravated the chest injury that he suffered last year at Mugello. At present the team continues to list Roberts’ injury as a “bruised collarbone.”

This was the second pre-season crash directly attributable to a Bridgestone rear tire failure. Makoto Tamada’s RC211V Honda suffered a similar rear tire problem at the final day of the previous Speang tests on January 22, but Tamada was able to avoid a crash.

After the Roberts crash Suzuki officials called in their riders and did not return to the track until the next day while Bridgstone technicians investigated.

Although Suzuki took part in the Sepang tests with Japanese test rider Kousuke Akiyoshi and newly-signed Spanish test rider Gregorio Lavilla, the team found itself without either of its regulars after Roberts’ crash. Roberts’ teammate John Hopkins was not present in Sepang due to suffering fractures in both ankles when he crashed during practice for an exhibition race at the San Diego Supercross.

By moving back the test, Suzuki officials gave more time for recovery of both regular team riders and more time for engineers to find solutions to shifting problems which have plagued the early Suzuki tests.

Lavilla was originally scheduled to take part in the Phillip Island tests. He is expected to continue pre-season testing for Suzuki. The Spaniard from Tarragona has signed on as test rider and will take part as a wild card rider in at least two Grands Prix. “I don’t know which races yet, but I hope it will be in Jerez and Catalunya.” Lavilla, like most Spanish riders, does not like the Circuit of Valencia, which also hosts a MotoGP event.