Crescent Suzuki has received its first shipment of performance parts from tuning partner Yoshimura as the World Superbike Championship team continues its preparations for the official tests and first race at Phillip Island in Australia at the end of next month.
The team's first two Yoshimura developed engines and prototype "R-11" exhaust systems that will be used by John Hopkins and Leon Camier arrived from Japan and the team has lost no time building the bikes and getting them ready for shipment early next month.
Said Team Manager Jack Valentine: "The boys were really excited when the Yoshimura stuff arrived and since then they've been busy completing the GSX-R's. The new exhausts look very trick and I think we're well advanced in getting the bikes built and ready, everything is coming together nicely now and we're really looking forward to getting on the track again.
"We'll use these engines for our tests in the week before the official tests, but Yoshimura is also sending some more engines directly to Phillip Island. These should arrive in time for the first practice and are of a higher specification in readiness for the race. It's early days but we are very happy with the "Powered by Yoshimura" partnership; the guys out there are making a great effort.
"I spoke to John recently and his hand is coming along very well. He's been having regular visits to a hyperbaric chamber and that has helped quicken the healing process. John rode the last three rounds of the British Superbike Championship with no feeling in the part of the finger he's now had cut off and did pretty well, so we expect that he'll be right on it as soon as he gets on the bike. He's now started regular training again, but was pretty fit before the operation, so hasn't lost much time at all.
"There's still lots of work for the team to do before the bikes get crated up for Phillip Island, but it's nothing we cannot manage in the time available. The bike design livery is being finalised at the moment and soon we'll be able to see a finished Crescent Suzuki GSX-R World Superbike and announce the team's 2012 partners, which is something we're all looking forward to."
