Suzuki boss speaks on MotoGP withdrawal

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Suzuki MotoGP boss Paul Denning has spoken of his disappointment at the Japanese factory’s decision to withdraw from MotoGP until at least the 2014 world championship campaign.

Suzuki Motor Corporation said it was temporarily suspending its involvement in MotoGP for 2012 and '13 in a statement issued earlier today.

Suzuki citied the impact of the worldwide recession for reaching a decision that had been anticipated for months.

The statement also confirmed Suzuki’s intention to return to the Grand Prix arena in 2014 with a new 1000cc GSV-R machine.

Speaking exclusively to MCN, Denning, who has been Team Manager of the British-based squad since 2006, said: “The biggest disappointment for me is the guys on the team who are so capable and have been so loyal to Suzuki and the team. The very late timing of the decision has left a large number of the guys in a difficult position for the future. I’m doing my best to help where I can in terms of looking for new opportunities and taking some of them into the Crescent Suzuki fold as well but it iis a difficult situation because you do travel, work and operate as a second family. That’s something that weighs on my shoulders a little bit heavy. And I’m obviously disappointed because I very much enjoyed running the team and pushing Suzuki to improve and do the best to compete as close to the front as we possibly could.

"But in terms of the corporate decision from Suzuki’s side, it is what it is. I disagree with it and I don’t believe it is the right strategy because at the moment I think whilst we weren’t winning, the level of competitiveness we were achieving and the great work the race department has done to improve the bike to the level it finished the season was very positive. And without being disrespectful to the ability and efforts of Alvaro (Bautista) in only his second season in MotoGP but we didn’t have Casey Stoner or Jorge Lorenzo on the bike either and yet we were very close to the front. So I think it is disappointing not to continue that development cycle and not to continue pushing the Suzuki brand forward in MotoGP because in terms of brand image were going in the right direction and Suzuki was being seen as a very respected and strong competitor with good potential for the future.

"At the end of the day though my opinion is not the one that forces the decision and I have to respect and understand that Suzuki as a big company has its own restrictions and commercial issues and it needs to consider the long-term issues and not only the short-term. They have made strong reference that they wish to be back in MotoGP and ideally by 2014. So a restructure, refocus and reinvestment and the chance to take a deep breath might give Suzuki the chance to comeback bigger and better in what will amount to be a very short period of time.”

Denning said he had fought tirelessly during the second half of the season with senior Japanese management like Shinichi Sahara to convince Suzuki to remain in MotoGP, with their withdrawal leaving just Honda, Yamaha and Ducati with a factory presence in the paddock next year.

He added: “It was really me and one or two people within Suzuki Japan who were trying to force a turnaround in a policy that was to pretty much cease the MotoGP activity from the middle of this year. It was clear that one of the strongly favoured options was to take a sabbatical and I felt very strongly that was the wrong thing and I and others pushed very hard to turn it around.  I guess the situation would have been less up and down if those attempts hadn’t been made but I still feel it was the right thing for Suzuki to do for their brand and their business. But I am not privy to every bit of information inside the Suzuki Motor Corporation and ultimately they have to make a decision that works best in their restrictions and what their long-term targets are.”

Suzuki’s last MotoGP world title came in the 500cc two-stroke championship with Kenny Roberts Junior back in 2000 but it had fallen on hard times and only won one race in the 800cc ear when Chris Vermeulen triumphed in the rain at Le Mans in 2007. The last time a GSV-R was on the podium was back in 2008 when Loris Capirossi finished third in Brno.

British legend Barry Sheene and Kevin Schwantz were amongst Suzuki’s other world champions.

The move means Denning will now exclusively run the Crescent Suzuki World Superbike squad with Leon Camier and John Hopkins.

source: MCN

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Suzuki still silent on 2012 MotoGP plans

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Rizla Suzuki team manager Paul Denning says his team will be back on track during post-season testing at Valencia this week, but concedes there is still no word on whether the manufacturer will continue into 2012.

Suzuki's MotoGP future has been the subject of much speculation over the season, with Dorna said to be working hard behind the scenes in an effort to retain the Japanese manufacturer.

Latest speculation on GPOne.com had suggested that Suzuki has signed off a return in 2012 with a bike for its current rider Alvaro Bautista, while there are rumours that John Hopkins could embark on a part-season deal too.

However, though an announcement has been mooted for some weeks, Denning says he is yet to receive confirmation about Suzuki's future plans.

“Rizla Suzuki and Álvaro Bautista didn't achieve the results we could, or should, have done in the latter part of the season, but I hope we've shown a lot of fighting spirit and a huge amount of performance potential. I'd like to thank Álvaro and the whole team for their consistent professionalism and enthusiasm. 

“We'll do some testing here at Valencia with the current bike on Tuesday and hope that we will be able to announce some positive news in the near future.”

source: crash

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Suzuki confirms the SBK. And the MotoGP?

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After the announcement of the entrance of the Crescent team in World Superbike , many unknowns remain to be embedded and plugs for maximum speed championships. We know how the team said that the British runner (for just 6 thousandths of a photo finish!) Will enter in WSBK, but one wonders what fate will befall this in mind to Francis Batta of Alstare that in this period is average East to work in 2012.

Other deep mystery about the drivers (Hopkins will yield to the sirens of MotoGP?) And especially the sponsors. It is also conceivable that a decision to go in this direction also affect the future management of the MotoGP premier class. The main sponsor Rizla in the past has been linked to the hulls of the house and could redeploy Hamamatsu, even because so far no announcement was made on the draft of the 1000cc bikes provided by Regulation 2012.

If you continue with the Suzuki 800 again next year, would lose even its flagship Alvaro Bautista piltota closer to the LCR Honda's Lucio Cecchinello.

source: motoblog

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Third row for Bautista at a sweltering Sepang

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Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista will start tomorrow’s Malaysian Grand Prix from the middle of the third row after qualifying in eighth today.

Bautista (2’02.332, 22 laps) has been consistently in the top-six all weekend and occupied a front-row grid spot with less than a quarter of the qualifying session remaining. He put in a fresh softer rear compound tyre to make an attack and consolidate, or better, his provisional position, but got held up in traffic and couldn’t find a clean lap - while other riders capitalised and produced better times. Despite being on the third row, Bautista’s race pace is very promising and a good start in tomorrow’s race could easily see the Spaniard running with the front group.

Today’s qualifying was held in very warm and humid conditions with track temperatures reaching over 50°C. Dani Pedrosa continued his good form this weekend by taking pole-position.

Tomorrow’s 20-lap race will see Bautista as the lone Rizla Suzuki representative after wild-card entry John Hopkins had to withdraw from the event due to complications from a broken finger that he suffered earlier in the season. The main event tomorrow will get underway at 16.00hrs local time (08.00hrs GMT), when Bautista will be going all out to try and secure his best finish of the season.

Álvaro Bautista:

“I'm not very happy with the position, because all weekend we have been in the top-six and that's what I expected this afternoon. We have a good rhythm compared to some of the other riders and when I put the first soft rear in the bike to make a fast lap I did it alone and I got up to third position. On the last tyre I tried to follow some riders to try and get some tenths to make sure I got at least on the second row, but I didn’t find anybody and also didn’t concentrate enough to do a lap by myself. I am happy with my race pace and the feeling from the bike, but I’m not pleased with my position on the grid. Tomorrow will be a hard race because with these conditions it’s always difficult here. During practice you can always do one fast lap and come back to the box, but in the race you have to be consistent and go for it for 20 laps. I’ll try to make a good start and stay with the group like I did in Phillip Island and see what happens. Today it was possible to be on the second row, but now I need to focus on the race and use all my energy tomorrow to get a good result.

“When you have a small problem, sometimes the problem can become big and I think that is what has happened to John. It has been a big disappointment for everyone, because in the Czech Republic and here we should have been two riders, but he has not been able to race at either event. It is very bad luck for him and I wish him a quick recovery and I feel really sorry for his situation.”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:

“We didn’t reach our potential in qualifying today and that was disappointing. Álvaro looked to get in behind one of the fastest guys on his last run, but in hindsight that worked against him. It would probably have been better for him to find some clear track and build his rhythm. That said, the middle of the third row is not a disaster and our race pace looks pretty strong. The GSV-R seems to be quick on its first timed lap, so if we can elbow past the traffic straight away tomorrow, it could be an interesting race.

“Words can’t really express the disappointment that whole team feels at John’s bad luck. It would have been special to have two Rizla Suzukis in the race tomorrow, but we can’t change the situation. John requires urgent surgery and lots of rest to get his finger properly repaired and fully operational again. He’s had some bad luck, but he should be proud of everything he has achieved in 2011.”

rizla suzuki press release

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Bautista storms to best MotoGP qualifying

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Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista will start tomorrow’s Iveco Australian Grand Prix from the head of the second row after qualifying in fourth place on Saturday.

Bautista made improvements to his GSV-R during the morning’s final practice session and the early parts of this afternoon’s qualifying to help him find the grip he was looking for around the 4,448m Phillip Island circuit. The changes certainly paid dividends because as the qualifying session wore on, Bautista was close enough to Andrea Dovizioso to use the Italian as a mobile wind-screen to help him push through the gusting gales and head for a quick time.

Bautista’s lap was over a second quicker than his best time from yesterday and over two-and-a-half seconds better than his qualifying time in similar conditions at last year’s Australian Grand Prix. He is now in a strong position for the race and will be looking to capitalise on today’s performance in tomorrow’s 27-lap encounter.

Álvaro Bautista: 

“I’m very happy with today, because I got my best qualifying result so far in MotoGP and at the toughest track for Suzuki, so that shows what good work we have done since last year. It was a fantastic lap behind Dovizioso and when I saw him in front of me on the track, I thought this is my opportunity – if I can’t do a good lap now, I’ll never do one! Third row was not difficult to achieve today, but when I followed him everything seemed easier. With this type of track in this wind and with these types of corners, it helps if you can follow another rider, you can certainly improve a lot and it feels much easier to ride. My feeling is good for tomorrow and I’ll try to make a strong start and stay with the front guys in the first one or two laps. If we can do that I think we will be competitive, because in the first few laps all riders will push hard and after six or seven laps the tyres will probably drop off and the rhythm will settle down. I will try to do a good race tomorrow and get the best possible result I can.”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:

“To achieve Suzuki’s best qualifying since Mugello in 2009 - and Álvaro’s best so far - here at Phillip Island is almost funny! Álvaro has had a steady pace all weekend and when it mattered today he managed to tuck-in behind Dovizioso, and use him as a wind-break, and do an absolutely awesome lap-time. It’s been clear from the potential shown this year just how much the GSV-R has improved and for it to perform around here in cold and windy conditions - how it has done today – is testament to the hard work of Sahara san and his engineers in Hamamatsu and Tom O’Kane and his crew here. As always to live with the factory Hondas and Yamahas will be a tough ask tomorrow, but Álvaro has put himself into a great position and if he can get a good start who knows what can happen.”

Rizla Suzuki press release.

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Frustration builds as Suzuki stalls on 2012 decision

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Factory Suzuki MotoGP boss Paul Denning has admitted the wait for a final decision on whether the Japanese factory will line-up on the grid in 2012 is building frustration within the British-based squad.

Denning was hoping to get a clear understanding of Suzuki’s future strategy during the recent Japanese Grand Prix at the Twin Ring Motegi with several senior management figures in attendance.

Denning met Suzuki General Manager Yoshiji Terada and Deputy Senior Manager Masahiko Kate, but no final decision was taken by the end of the Motegi weekend.

And he admitted that with no definitive answer, it was frustrating to leave Japan with the future of the squad still shrouded in mystery.

Suzuki cut its involvement in MotoGP in 2011 to just one bike and ever since rumours have persisted that the squad would completely withdraw at the end of the season.

And even if Suzuki does decide to race on, it will start the new 1000cc era in 2012 racing its current 800cc GSV-R machine because of delays in development of the new machine.

Denning told MCN: "The meetings in Japan were positive but at the end of the day there is still no firm decision. There is a sense of frustration but at the same time the fact remains that this is Suzuki’s team and nobody else’s. Agreeing to participate is not enough. We need to be participating with a project that can move forward and keep us in the short term at least at the reasonably competitive level we are at."

source: MCN

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Bautista crashes out from fourth position in Motegi

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Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista crashed out of this afternoon’s Japanese Grand Prix when he was fighting for the best MotoGP finish of his career.

Bautista started from eighth on the grid and found himself up into sixth early on after narrowly missing two riders that collided in front of him on the first lap. He was then promoted to fourth as two other riders were forced to complete a ride-through penalty for jumping the start, and then almost immediately found himself in a podium position when race-leader Casey Stoner ran off the track. Bautista held third position for six laps and fought off an attack from Nicky Hayden, before Stoner re-grouped and caught and passed Suzuki’s Spanish racer. Bautista looked comfortable in fourth and began to push to secure his best-ever MotoGP finish, but lost the front near the end of the 13th lap and crashed at high-speed. He walked away uninjured, but bitterly disappointed.

Today’s Japanese Grand Prix was a re-scheduled race after the initial date was cancelled due to the earthquake and tsunami that struck the country earlier in the year. A crowd of just over 34,000 showed their support for both the MotoGP racers and the people of Japan. The race was won by Dani Pedrosa, with current World Champion Jorge Lorenzo second. Current championship leader Stoner took the final place on the podium.

Rizla Suzuki now has one weekend off before heading over the equator to Phillip Island in Australia for the second leg in a trio of Pacific races.

Álvaro Bautista:

“This was for sure not the result we expected today! I chose the softer rear tyre for the race because the conditions today were colder than yesterday and because for the first laps I needed to be as fast as possible. I didn’t get a good start because some riders jump-started and I was a bit confused by them and when the red light went off I was little bit late. There was a crash on the second corner and I then found myself in a good position. A few laps later some riders entered the pits because they did a jump start and I was then in third, but I knew it was not my real position! When Casey went past me and I saw what the distance was between me and Andrea – who was the next rider – and how many laps were left, I tried to follow Casey and keep the gap to Andrea. Near the last corner I lost the front and crashed and that was the end of the race for me. We worked very hard this weekend and improved in all the sessions, and in the race we were in a good position. Today the luck was just not with us!

“I am sorry for the whole team because this result would have meant so much to them, and I’m sorry for Suzuki at its home Grand Prix because we wanted to make a good race and a positive result. I have to keep the good things from this weekend in my mind and in the next race we have to keep doing the same things we have done here and keep our heads up!”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:

“When your rider crashes out of fourth position at Suzuki’s home Grand Prix it can only be described as disappointing! However, we have to take the positives from this weekend - the GSV-R performed well in cold and overcast conditions, Álvaro achieved his equal best qualifying and we were running very strongly in the race itself. We don’t quite have the speed of the Factory Hondas or Yamahas – at the moment – but apart from that we can race with anyone in the field, and when the opportunity presents itself – like today – fourth was definitely on the cards.

“Álvaro’s not stupid and with just over 10 laps to go, and Dovizioso only seven seconds behind, he knew he had to push hard to keep fourth place - fifth or sixth wasn’t going to do it as far as he was concerned. That’s racing; it was a high-speed crash and Álvaro’s completely uninjured, so let’s move on and look forward to the next Grand Prix.”

Rizla Suzuki Press Release

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John Hopkins lands Sepang wild card ride

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John Hopkins will be back on a factory Suzuki MotoGP bike in the Malaysian round next month, MCN can reveal.

The American, who is currently leading the British Superbike championship for Paul Denning’s Samsung Crescent Suzuki squad, will partner Spaniard Alvaro Bautista in Sepang on October 23.

Hopkins was due to make a wild card appearance for Suzuki in Brno last month but a practice crash left him with a badly broken right hand and he was forced to withdraw from the race.

The former factory Kawasaki rider, who replaced injured Bautista in Jerez, has also been locked in talks about a potential wild card for Suzuki in the final round of the season in Valencia, though that seems unlikely.

A Suzuki spokesperson said: "John will be back with us for the Sepang race and everybody in the team is looking forward to welcoming him back. John is really fired up and determined to put the disappointment of Brno behind him."

source: MCN

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Bautista with work to do at home Grand Prix

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Rizla Suzuki’s Spanish racer Álvaro Bautista has a lot of work to do at the start of tomorrow’s Aragon Grand Prix in Spain after qualifying 11th this afternoon.

Bautista (1’49.883, 26 laps) will start from the middle of the fourth row after he was unable to capitalise on the promise that he showed in the early stages of this afternoon’s qualifying session. He had been as high as fourth in the classification with about a quarter of the session left, but was unable to maintain that position and will now have to make a good start tomorrow to get up amongst the front pack in the early part of the race.

Today’s qualifying was held in mixed weather conditions, from bright sunshine to overcast and humid, with track temperatures reaching 41ºC. Current World Championship leader Casey Stoner recorded his ninth pole position of the season, a feat that equals the record of the most poles in a season by an individual rider in the current MotoGP four-stroke era – currently held by Stoner in 2008 and Valentino Rossi in 2003.

Tomorrow’s race is the 14th round on the 2011 calendar and the 23-laps of action will get underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT).

Álvaro Bautista:

“I am not happy with the position because we are too far back, but all the lap-times are very close and I am only just over three tenths from the second row, so that shows how close it is. I did a lot of laps on the harder tyre and after I had done a race distance it started to slide a little bit, but I think this was the same for most of the riders. At the end with the softer tyre I improved my lap-time, but I made a mistake on the last two laps and couldn’t improve enough to get a better position on the grid. Tomorrow I will try to make a good start and get past as many riders as possible in the first laps. I think if I can get a good start and stay with the second group – Stoner and Pedrosa are very strong and will probably pull away – then I think I can battle with that group. I will push to the limit to get a good position and fight all the way tomorrow!”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:

“Eleventh is below our expectation and also below the potential of the bike and rider package, and we still need to find a little bit of an extra spark in qualifying to get up towards the second row. That all said, we’ve had some of our best races from the fourth row of the grid and tomorrow is going to be a big challenge for all the riders to maintain a consistent rhythm over race distance. I think we are in good shape to put in a strong performance and improve dramatically over the qualifying result in tomorrow’s race.”

source: Rizla Suzuki press release

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Bautista battles hard to eighth at Misano

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Bautista started from eighth on the grid, but was unable to produce one of his good starts and lost a couple of places during the first lap, as light spots of rain caused him to be extra careful in the early stages of the race.

The Rizla Suzuki rider got involved with a group of riders early on and by the time he had found his rhythm, he had lost touch with the leading pack. He gave chase to Colin Edwards, who had over a two-second advantage on the Spaniard, but the Suzuki racer hunted him down and passed him on lap 17. He then tried to catch the group further in front, and although he made a valiant effort to close the gap, he had to settle for eighth after completing the last third of the race with no other riders for company.

Bautista and the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R looked spectacular at Misano today as the team showcased a one-off chrome livery to celebrate the launch of the Rizla ‘Micron’ paper in Italy.

Álvaro Bautista: 

“Maybe this was not the result we expected after qualifying, but I didn’t have a lot of confidence on the first lap because it was raining a little bit and I didn’t feel like I could push too much – so I lost some positions and distance from the group. When I got into my rhythm the group was far away and I couldn’t follow them. Eighth position is not a bad result but we expected more this weekend. We have done a good job during the last few races, but still we have to improve in qualifying to be nearer the front of the grid and make good starts and first laps. Thanks to all the team for this weekend and thanks to Rizla for their support with the new livery. The bike today was looking amazing and I think we all expected more than eighth, but we are confident that we can do better in the next races.”

Paul Denning, Team Manager: 

“A couple of months ago we would have been happy with eighth place, but our performance level has increased and today we are a little disappointed with the result. If the conditions had been the same as yesterday afternoon, when the track was 10 degrees warmer I think, there was a chance we could have competed for fourth place, but as it was we were so far behind after a couple of laps that to achieve the real potential was impossible. We have managed to get a decent, solid finish, so it’s not all bad! We were very happy to help Rizla launch its new ‘Micron’ product in Italy this weekend and we will now move on to another home race for Álvaro at Aragon in two weeks time with a positive attitude.”

Rizla Suzuki press release.

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Strong start for Bautista at Misano

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Bautista continued where he left off at Indianapolis last weekend and produced another positive two sessions, this time at the Misano World Circuit in Italy. Suzuki’s Spanish racer tried a new swing arm this afternoon on his GSV-R and immediately noticed an improvement in the cornering ability of his machine. Bautista and the crew will work further on the set-up tomorrow to obtain the best setting for Sunday’s race.

Bautista has another practice session tomorrow morning, followed by an hour of qualifying in the afternoon. Sunday’s 28-lap race is round 13 of this season’s championship and it will also see the Spaniard and the Suzuki GSV-R sport a fantastic one-off limited edition ‘Rizla Micron’ livery that will be launched at Misano on Sunday morning.

Álvaro Bautista: 

“I think we did a good job today! This morning we started at the same sort of pace that we had in qualifying last year, so that gave us a good base to begin with for the weekend. The feeling with the bike was quite good, but I did not feel well because I had been a bit ill yesterday – I think it was an upset stomach from something I ate. Thanks to the guys at Clinica Mobile because in the afternoon session I was feeling much better. We wanted to test a new swing arm in the second session and I started on the bike with the standard setting, but after three laps my engine said ‘stop!’ and I couldn’t continue with that bike, so I jumped on the other machine- the one with the new swing arm. The feeling was good and we were able to turn a little bit better in the corners. I think we made a step forward and now I’m sure we can improve the lap times. We’re not so far from first place and I’m quite happy about that. Thanks to all the crew for their hard work today after the long trip straight back from Indianapolis.”

Paul Denning, Team Manager: 

“I think we can be happy with the performances today of both Álvaro and the Suzuki GSV-R. We made some further changes compared to the Indianapolis weekend and so far everything we have done has taken the bike forward a little bit each time. Unfortunately we lost our first engine of the year – there was definitely no hiding from that! But it was very much a Friday engine that had already covered a lot of miles so it wasn’t completely unexpected. We’ll just keep pushing and try to improve tomorrow, and then something special in qualifying.”

Rizla Suzuki press release.

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Elena Myers rides Suzuki MotoGP bike at Indy

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Elena Myers made her debut on a MotoGP machine at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, when she completed a handful of laps onboard Álvaro Bautista's Suzuki GSV-R.

The 17-year-old AMA racer completed five laps of the 4,216m MotoGP circuit as part of the build up to this weekend's Indianapolis Grand Prix.

Watched by Bautista and many other grand prix stars, Myers managed to clock an impressive 306km/h (190mph) down the main straight and all were impressed with her smooth and self-assured riding style. 

Bautista was also on-hand before Myers took to the track to offer advice and was waiting in the pit-box as she returned his bike ready for Sunday's race. 

“Wow! I can't really say anything else; it was just such an incredible experience!" said Myers. "I can't thank the guys at Suzuki MotoGP enough – they have been awesome! This makes me so hungry to come out here and try it someday for real on a race weekend - well I guess this is a race weekend, but I mean for real next time. 

"I can't say enough about the bike either, it does everything 20 times better than I ever would have imagined - this has just been amazing, and I think I'll slowly realise what just happened over the next couple of days. The GSV-R just blew me away!”

Myers became the first female racer to win an AMA Pro road-race when she took victory in the SuperSport event at Infineon Raceway in 2010. 

This season Myers has recorded a podium finish at Barber Motorsports Park, plus five more top-five finishes, on her way to an impressive fifth overall in the 2011 AMA Pro SuperSport West Division - despite missing two rounds due to injury. 

The young American will now remain at Indianapolis for the rest of the weekend.

“It was great to see Elena out on a MotoGP bike and very cool that - as the Suzuki MotoGP team - we could help her fulfil one of her dreams," added team manager Paul Denning. "At 17-years-old, and judging by her performances in the AMA Pro SuperSport championship, she has a significant amount of ability that is only going to develop as she gains experience. 

"She treated the run today with great intelligence and maturity, but nonetheless it was impressive to see that she wasn't afraid of either the speed or the power! Thanks to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for helping us to make this happen, the boys for preparing the bike and to Álvaro for letting Elena use it!”

First practice for the Indianapolis MotoGP takes place on Friday morning.

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Pictures: Elena Myers on Suzuki MotoGP Indianapolis

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Elena Myers to get Suzuki MotoGP laps at Indy

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Elena Myers will ride Suzuki's GSV-R MotoGP bike on Thursday, August 25th, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the day before the start of the grand prix weekend.

Myers became the first female to ever win an AMA Pro road race when she captured the AMA Pro SuperSport victory at Infineon Raceway last year. 

She also met the Rizla Suzuki team at the 2010 US MotoGP and a GSV-R ride was initially planned for the end of last season. That didn't happen, but the 17-year-old Californian wasn't forgotten. 

"Words cannot describe how excited I am to ride the Suzuki GSV-R at Indy during the MotoGP weekend," said Myers. 

"We had talked about it last year, but things didn't work out, so here's a big thanks to everyone involved for making this possible. 

"When I sat on the bike last year, it felt like it was made to fit me. So actually being able to spin a few laps on it will be quite the treat. I'm really looking forward to the weekend." 

Myers finished fifth overall in the 2011 AMA Pro SuperSport West Division for Suzuki - despite missing two rounds due to injury - picking up a podium at Barber Motorsports Park among five top-five finishes. 

"We are delighted to be able to give Elena this opportunity to get some understanding of how Suzuki's MotoGP bike feels and operates," said Rizla Suzuki team manager Paul Denning.

"She is a very talented racer - not "for a girl" - she's just fast full-stop! MotoGP is the pinnacle of every racer's ambition and there aren't so many people who have ridden the very latest 2011 GSV-R - Bautista, Hopkins, Aoki and now Elena! 

"I would guess she's also the only female racer to have ever ridden an 800cc MotoGP machine? Either way, we really hope she enjoys the experience."

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Day to forget for Rizla Suzuki at Brno

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Rizla Suzuki had its promising start to the weekend shattered at Brno today as firstly John Hopkins had to withdraw from the event and then Álvaro Bautista had a difficult qualifying session to leave him with a mountain to climb in tomorrow’s race.

Bautista will start from the fifth row of the grid after he failed to make a competitive lap-time and will need one of his great starts to be able to challenge with the front-runners in tomorrow’s race. He has a consistent race pace and was able to stay with other riders in the earlier part of the qualifying session, but was unable to put together a fast lap to move him up the grid as the session came to its climax.

Hopkins was forced to withdraw from the weekend’s event following a crash in this morning’s wet practice session. It has now been confirmed that he has broken three fingers on his right hand, but he will remain at Brno to support the team, before returning to America on Monday to have surgery to repair the damage.

Today’s qualifying was held in dry, but overcast conditions with track temperatures reaching 30ºC. Dani Pedrosa took pole position on his Honda, with reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo second and current championship leader Casey Stoner third.

Tomorrow’s race is round 11 of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship and the excitement gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT).

Álvaro Bautista:

“I am not happy with the qualifying because we just didn’t get our best level today and we will have to start tomorrow near the back of the grid. My rhythm was not too bad when I followed other riders and I could stay with them, but to be able to do that in the race I have to make a good start again tomorrow and fight my way through. I can’t say much more because I am just not happy with how things went today.

“It was not a good day for the whole team with John crashing this morning and breaking his fingers. I feel very sorry for him because he did well yesterday and it looked like he’d have a good race. MotoGP racing is not always what you want it to be and these things happen, but I wish him a speedy recovery and hope he’s back soon.”

John Hopkins:

“I guess disappointed is the only word that can sum up how I feel! I must apologise to the whole team for making such a stupid mistake out there this morning. It was the smallest crash under braking in the wet conditions and as I slid along I kept my hand on the ground to try and slow me down, but as soon as I hit the gravel it went in and mangled my hand right up. I’ve fractured three fingers on my right hand. The index and middle finger are just normal fractures that probably wouldn’t have kept me off the bike, but the third finger has separated and split down the middle from the knuckle. It’s not a case of pain, strength or anything like that, it’s simply that I can’t bend the finger or both bones could come through the skin, so it would have been impossible to hold on to the bike.

“I think things went very well yesterday and I had every intention of being able to make another step forward today. I believe that the GSV-R is every bit capable of a consistent top-six finish and I think it’s a great machine. With the lack of seat time I’ve had, I don’t think that I could have matched the potential of what the bike is capable of doing. I know I didn’t yesterday and I think it still has another second a lap in it. I wish I could have gone out and achieved a good result for all involved and mainly to show Suzuki that they have a really good machine which has great potential.

“This is just another small setback in my journey to get back to full time MotoGP. I’ll stay here the rest of the weekend and give my full support to the team and do whatever I can to express my gratitude to them for giving me this opportunity. This is not the last time you’ll see me at a Grand Prix, I’m still destined to be back here, whether it’s this year or next I don’t know, but I will be back here!”

Paul Denning – Team Manger:

“Grand Prix racing isn’t easy and today showed that! Yesterday we were looking very strong with lap-times in the 57s and both riders in the top-10. Today John is in a cast and Álvaro’s qualified 14th and almost half-of-a-second slower than yesterday afternoon. We did have an issue with a vibration at the end of the qualifying, but frankly speaking, we expected a much better time than that earlier in the session when he had a brand new set of tyres. We all know how well he can race, but if we don’t qualify better we won’t be able to improve the race result.”

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