Team Suzuki Press Office – September 22.
Team Suzuki Europe’s Wayne Tessels and new rider David McFadden made progress but suffered some technical issues at the Jerez Superstock 1000 round in Spain at the weekend; as Nigel Walraven made his comeback from injury in the Dutch Superbike Championship support class.
After the long summer break, the team felt confident with the Hoegee Suzuki Performance GSX-R1000 and its K-Tech suspension set-up in practice until track conditions changed dramatically, leaving them with work to do to dial-in new settings for qualifying, held late in the afternoon under high winds and track temperatures. Tessels qualified 20th with McFadden – standing-in for Walraven – 22nd.
Both made improvements on their grid positions in the race, but suffered difficulty with the temperatures and also grip from worn tyres.
After a long recovery period from a serious back injury, Walraven debuted at the Assen Circuit in the Dutch Championship and after two short sessions to prepare, put his GSX-R1000 into 12th position overall; after having fought back from 19th position after running off the circuit from third place to avoid a multi-rider crash.
Marc Hoegee – Team Manager:
“It was a difficult race. The high track temperatures caused grip problems on the front and both riders couldn’t ride the lines they wanted to. This made it impossible for the riders to follow the riders in front of them. We tested this particular set-up when it was 20 degrees cooler and we were two seconds quicker per lap. Unfortunately we had more difficulties coping with this weather than other teams, it would seem. In the end we learned a lot and the team worked hard, so I’m positive about that. Next is Magny-Cours where it will be cooler.”
Wayne Tessels:
“This was a weekend with mixed feelings. On Friday we only could ride five laps due to technical issues, but the team managed to find the solution. In the third session we showed good pace, took the 14th quickest time and the feel was good. We had the idea we could go faster, but the conditions in the qualifying session and race were difficult due to the wind and the heat. We did the best we could, but we didn’t have the grip to go fast in the corners. Although the results don’t show it, we had a lot of progress which is positive. I’m looking forward to Magny-Cours.”
David McFadden:
“Overall it was a hard weekend from start to finish. The team worked extremely hard after each session trying to close the gap to the front. A few times it seemed we had it all under control and got the bike working well, but as soon as the temperature went up we seemed to struggle. I was really hoping we could get into the top group. Now it’s clear we need to do more work and make a few steps for Magny-Cours to get into top 10.’
Nigel Walraven:
“The start was good, but a damp track and multiple riders almost crashing made me decide to focus on my race-pace instead of risking it all. My lap-times dropped each lap and I felt good on my Suzuki GSX-R 1000. I overtook seven riders and finished 12th, not a result I was hoping for, but I have to be realistic. It’s my first time at Assen this year, my lap-times were good and I had fun, a job well done in the end.”
Team Suzuki Europe’s next race will be Magny-Cours in France in a fortnight for the final Superstock 1000 race of the season. Next weekend, Walraven will continue his comeback from injury at Zandvoort for the Dutch Superbike Championship round.
