Rizla will reveal a special one-off paint-scheme at the Misano World Circuit tomorrow morning to celebrate the launch of its new ‘Micron’ premium rolling papers.

The Suzuki GSV-R will feature an amazing chrome livery to reflect the design of the new Micron pack, and Álvaro Bautista will sport unique REV’IT leathers, Sidi boots and a special version of his Shoei race helmet to complete the package.

Rizla Micron is the thinnest, and therefore the most sophisticated and technically advanced naturally gummed rolling paper within the Rizla family. Rizla Micron will be launched this month in Italy and subsequently rolled out across the globe over the next couple of months.

The Rizla Suzuki ‘Micron’ GSV-R will be on display in the pit-lane at Misano on Sunday 4th September at 08.00hrs local time. This will be the first time this amazing Troy Lee Designs paint-scheme will be on view to the public and if you are not lucky enough to see it in the flesh, then Bautista will be on track at 14.00hrs for the San Marino Grand Prix, complete with his new ‘Micron’ machine and clothing. There will also be a gallery of images of the livery available on www.rizla-suzuki-motogp.co.uk from Sunday morning.

Source: Rizla Suzuki

It is still one big mystery whether or not we will see the blue Suzuki bikes on the MotoGP grid next season and depending on which observer in or outside the paddock you ask, everyone will tell you something different.

And apparently, asking someone in the know doesn’t yield much varying results either.

Spanish magazine Motociclismo spoke to Suzuki’s project manager Shinichi Sahara in Brno and he confirmed that the Hamamatsu company is indeed testing a new 1000cc bike with a V4 engine in Japan at the moment. Regular test rider Nobuatsu Aoki is doing the inital development work. But they did not bring that bike on track for the post-race test at Brno, as Sahara said “because we still have to do many fundamental tests”. The state of evolution of this bike is what fuels rumours that Suzuki might start next season with an 800cc bike and then only move on to the 1000cc later in the year, something that was also mentioned by Alvaro in his latest interview with Gavin Emmett for After the Flag.

Regardless of the ongoing development however, the question if Suzuki will stay at all can still not be answered for sure, but the existing team would certainly like to continue – again with two riders.

“At this moment nothing is certain”, Sahara said. “We would like to continue with two riders, like we did this weekend, but it is almost sure that we will continue.”

Who those two riders are supposed to be is also a hotly discussed topic, with Alvaro and temporary teammate John Hopkins being the main choices for the seats. Alvaro has previously expressed his wish to continue with a factory bike, but as previously discussed also has other offers to stay in the class and now is waiting for Suzuki’s response about their future involvment in the series.

But Shinichi Sahara made it clear that Suzuki would just be as interested to keep Alvaro in the family. “I like Alvaro, he is a great racer and also very good at developing the bike. I don’t want anyone to steal him away from us. We want to continue with him and I hope to receive the green light at the end of September, but maybe it’s too late …”

Sources:
After the Flag, Brno
Motociclismo, Issue 2269 (August 16th)

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP’s Alvaro Bautista talks about the weekend’s Czech Republic race where he was joined by John Hopkins and also looks forward to the rest of the season.

I’m just heading back to Spain from Brno and then I’ll be getting ready to go back to America for the next race. After the last few races I expected a good result here in the Czech Republic and after the first day it looked like we would have a successful weekend. It was good to have John here riding as well, because it is always better to test different things with two riders. Unfortunately John had a crash on the Saturday and injured his hand, which was very unlucky for him and the team. I wish him well and hope he is ok soon.

The race was always going to be difficult as I was near the back of the grid, but I got a good start and pushed my way up to the front group. I was in seventh and the Suzuki GSV-R was running really well; the feeling with the bike was the same – if not a bit better – than it had been in the last few races and I thought we had a real chance of a good finish. We were able to run closer to the guy at the front, and I was certainly closing in on the bikes in front of me, but unfortunately I crashed. This was a big disappointment for me and the whole team, but we also took some really valuable data from the race and proved that we can run at the same pace as the guys at the front.

The Suzuki GSV-R showed great potential at Brno, the same as it has done in recent races and now that I am fully fit I think we can start challenging for the top six. It’s tough because the guys that are in those positions are good and so are their bikes, but I think we have the package to start taking them on. The Suzuki engineers have done a great job this year and the bike is certainly moving in the right direction.

We are going to some tracks soon that I really like and I know we can go well there, so we’ll have to wait and see what we can do.I know that I need to get a better lap-time in qualifying so that I start higher up the grid and don’t have to spend so much time and effort getting through the field. This is something that we will be aiming to put right over the rest of the season, because I think if I start nearer the front, I will be able to stay there and run with the quick pack.

Source: Suzuki Racing

American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC) played host to the Suzuki MotoGP and AMA Pro Road Race team riders at its headquarters in Brea, California in the lead up to this weekend’s MotoGP race at Laguna Seca in California.

Riders representing Rizla Suzuki, Rockstar Makita Suzuki, Michael Jordan Motorsports, M4 Suzuki and Vesrah Suzuki teams were in attendance.

The event kicked off with a two-hour meet-and-greet autograph session for all of the employees and management at the Brea facility and was followed by a luncheon with ASMC top executives. The gathering provided the riders a chance to visit the home office and meet the staff, while the employees were able to meet and engage with their favorite riders and get autographs.

Riders in attendance were Rizla Suzuki’s Alvaro Bautista, Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Blake Young and Tommy Hayden, Michael Jordan Motorsports’ Ben Bostrom, M4 Suzuki’s Martin Cardenas, Chris Ulrich and Dane Westby, SuzukiScoopFans’ Elena Myers and Vesrah Suzuki’s Corey Alexander.

The event also gave the riders the opportunity to meet the newly-appointed executive management team including Chairman Takashi Iwatsuki, Executive VP Toru Muraki and Sales and Marketing Senior Director Larry Vandiver.

The Suzuki riders made the quick stop in Brea on their way to Monterey, California for the combined events of the 2011 AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike Championship and the Red Bull U.S. MotoGP at the Laguna Seca Raceway this weekend.

Source: Suzuki Racing

Behind the scenes at a race weekend with Rizla Suzuki MotoGP and its long-standing partner Bridgestone Tyres.

It all comes down to race-day. All the preparation, the effort, the blood sweat and tears are summarised each Grand Prix weekend in 45 minutes or 120 kilometres on Sunday afternoon. At least in the eyes of the outside world it is…

The reality, however, is that Sunday is just the culmination of all the hard work put in during the days and weeks before each race by the Rizla Suzuki Team and its partners, give or take a bit of luck or lack thereof.

An integral part of this preparation, and playing a crucial role in performance and ultimately results, are the Bridgestone tyres that Alvaro Bautista uses. The Suzuki/ Bridgestone relationship is the longest in the paddock, having started back in 2004 in only Bridgestone’s third season in MotoGP; and existed ever since, yielding multiple podiums and a win for Chris Vermeulen in 2007.

But how much can there be to the black hoops at each end of the GSV-R? Well, Bridgestone’s work with the team starts in earnest on the Thursday before each race. Yukihiko Kubo is the Bridgestone tyre engineer responsible for Alvaro and the Suzuki squad, and here he explains his task.

“I start working closely with Suzuki and Alvaro’s engineers on the Thursday at each Grand Prix” says Kubo. “It’s important that before Alvaro takes to the track everyone in the team knows and understands the tyre compounds we have at each race so this is where we start. I’ve been working with Alvaro since just last year but we work well together and have a good relationship, which is very important in establishing trust.

“I sit in meetings with the team engineers on Thursday to agree upon the plan for the weekend. I carefully explain the tyre compound choices we have, how they are different from the previous year and why we have made that choice. I then outline which front and rear tyre compounds we recommend for the race, and from that point we agree upon a plan of tyre usage and setup direction and the goal for the race.”

Bridgestone has been the Official Tyre Supplier to the MotoGP class since 2009 and under regulations imposed from that year; each rider is allocated 18 slicks (eight fronts and ten rears) and eight wet tyres per weekend. The FIM randomly allocate tyres to every rider on Thursday, at which point they are registered to each rider using each tyre’s unique barcode, recorded by both Bridgestone and the FIM.

“So once we have decided upon the weekend plan, we have a clear idea of when Alvaro will use each tyre compound option” continues Kubo. “With a restricted number of new tyres it is very important to ensure that tyre usage is managed carefully to make sure Alvaro has at least one new set for qualifying on Saturday afternoon and for the race. New tyres have a distinct performance advantage, so this is critical in helping the team achieve the best possible grid position and then race result.

“At the end of each day I join the de-brief with Alvaro and the team engineers to discuss where we are in relation to the plan and what steps we take next. Throughout each day though we are constantly collecting tyre data in the form of temperatures and pressures as both of these are key indicators of setup – for example the rear slicks should be operating at above 100 degrees Celsius to provide maximum grip, and if the actual tyre temperature is lower, we know peak grip is not being reached and that therefore the bike, rider and tyre package is not working as well as it could. I am then involved with the engineers making setup changes to try and achieve this optimum. In the years of tyre competition, tyre manufacturers would produce specific tyre compounds for each rider and bike, but now in single supply, Bridgestone must work closely with the teams to help them get the bikes working best on our tyres.”

After all, two Bridgestone tyres are all that connect the Suzuki GSV-R to the tarmac and they play a key role in translating the efforts of the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Team to race results. Even though tyre choices are now fewer in the era of single supply, Bridgestone’s role remains just as important and the relationship with Suzuki continues as strongly as ever.

Source: Suzuki Racing

It’s been Alvaro’s turn again for the official Suzuki Racing Blog where he describes his comeback from injury when he expects to be at 100% again.

It was great to be back on the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R in Portugal, but there were a couple of times when I was in the hospital in Qatar that I wondered if I would make it! When I knew the seriousness of the break I immediately set myself a target that I wanted to ride at Estoril; that was a huge target but one I knew I had to set so I could focus on getting back. After my operation I had a couple of complications and that’s when I wondered if I’d get back in time, but I flew back to Spain and got everything sorted and was able to start recuperating properly.

Once the healing of my wound was underway – I lead the World Championship in stitches so far this year! – I was able to start visiting a hyperbaric chamber in Madrid to help me even more. I travelled there from my home in Talavera many times. I think I did something like 4,500 kilometres going there and back and by the time I had finished all the trips, my Suzuki Kizashi car could have done the journey alone!

My healing process was a great success and then I was able start to get my fitness back so I could ride at Estoril. I did a lot of swimming and cycling, and as the event got closer I was able to ride my Suzuki RM-Z Supermoto bike to help me get the feel of a bike again and although this is not like riding a 225bhp MotoGP bike, it did help a lot.

All my hard work paid off because I was given the ok by my surgeon in Madrid to ride and then when I arrived at the track I had another check-up with the Chief Medical Officer and I was given the ok to get back out there and race: His one rule was that I couldn’t use my crutch inside the garage or he’d come in and take it off me and stop me riding – so I had to hide it out the back because I still needed it for a bit of support!

The weekend went as well as I wanted it to – except for what happened in the race when I got pushed off the track – and now I have a couple of weeks ahead of me to get even fitter for the next race at Le Mans in the middle of May. My next target is to be fully-fit for my ‘home’ Grand Prix in Barcelona in early June and try to improve on the fifth place I got there last year.

My thanks go out to all the fans that supported me and sent me well wishes on Twitter – it was great to know I had so much support. I also have to thank the Suzuki MotoGP and all the medical staff for believing in me and giving me all the help I needed to get back on time. There are still many races left this year and I can’t wait to be pushing hard again very soon.

Source: Suzuki Racing

Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista has made a return to the seat of his Suzuki GSV-R, just two weeks after breaking his left femur in a high-speed crash.

The Spanish star visited his home Grand Prix in Jerez last weekend and, behind the closed doors of the team’s pit-box, Bautista could not resist getting into the riding position on the prototype MotoGP machine after his crash at Qatar just 16 days earlier. Bautista climbed aboard the GSV-R and settled into a racing position on the stationary bike, accompanied by a typical big smile from him and a round of applause from his loyal crew.

Bautista is now undergoing an intensive recovery programme back in Madrid, including the use of a hyperbaric chamber to increase the oxygen flow in his body to aid the healing of his injury. Although no date for Bautista’s full-time return to MotoGP is yet confirmed, he is working as hard as possible to be back on the grid at the earliest possible opportunity.

Álvaro Bautista: “It was strange for me at Jerez last weekend, because I was at the race, but not in the race! Once I saw the bikes on Saturday sitting in the garage, I just had to try and sit on one of them. I tried very slowly to get on the seat, which was a bit difficult, but once I was on there the feeling was not too bad. The most difficult thing was getting on and off, but it was good for me to try because now I know which parts of my leg I have to work on to improve my flexibility and strength to be able to ride – it was a good test for me to find this out! The healing is coming along very well, my doctor says it is very quick, but for me it already seems too slow. The movement is almost normal and the inflammation is coming down, so I think the over the next week I will be a lot better than I am now and will be able to start training so that I can get racing again very soon.”

Source: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

Alvaro also wrote about his Jerez experience in his latest column for AS, you can read the translation here.

The MotoGP community has moved to do all it can to support those in Japan following the recent earthquake and its after-effects. The 17 riders in MotoGP have put their signatures on a specially printed t-shirt with the message – We are for Japan!

The T-Shirt will be for sale at a range of circuits on the World Championship calendar, as well as being available from the MotoGP website weforjapan.motogp.com It can be purchased for €20.

The funds collected through this initiative will be presented to a humanitarian organisation during the Japanese Grand Prix, which is scheduled to take place on October 2nd.

Unite with the MotoGP community and buy this T-Shirt to help the people of Japan. Please forward this information to friends, relatives and colleagues across the globe using every outlet of social media to bring the MotoGP paddock and fans together with the message WE ARE FOR JAPAN!

Álvaro Bautista: “It is very important to show our support to all the people in Japan during this tragic time. My thoughts go out to everyone affected by this awful event. The Japanese are a very strong race of people, but I am sure they will also welcome any support and assistance we can give them during this very dark time. Please buy this shirt and show that ‘We are for Japan!’”

Source: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP