Fra MotoGP:
Team Suzuki, in a quest to speed-up the development of their GSV-R and
start to challenge the might of Honda, Yamaha and now Ducati in
MotoGP, are looking to get some extra testing miles and have enlisted
the help of the factory Endurance outfit. Motograndprix.com spoke to
Garry Taylor to find out the state of play with the team that won the
2000 500cc World Championship.
mgp: So how are things progressing at this moment in time?
GT: Well, the truth is that we are way behind, but from a positive
viewpoint Suzuki are working very hard to put things right. They are
just a out to begin a new European testing programme using the
endurance team which recently took first and second place in the 24
hour endurance series. There is a lot of work to do but we are on it.
mgp: How do your riders feel?
GT: Kenny is frustrated because he knows he can win races, and we know
he can win races. Our target should be to win the World Championship
with him, but we all have to lift our game if that is going to be the
case. It seems like a long time ago since we won the title, but it is
not really and he remains motivated.
John is settling in well.
I think he has been surprised by the amount of work involved with
being a factory rider. He tends to keep to himself but I am sure he is
also frustrated by the fact he cannot be at the front.
mgp: What areas need improvement?
GT: The whole bike needs improvement – not just the engine or the
chassis. We simply need a faster motorcycle all round.
mgp: Are the mechanics still motivated?
GT: They are a very highly competitive bunch that is driven by
success. There is an old saying that goes `winning is easy, it´s the
losing that is hard,´ and I think it´s true. When you are winning
there is an extra energy about everything you do, and at the moment
that is not there. At the end of the day, it takes the mechanics just
as much work to set a bike up to win as it does to set-up a bike for
tenth place, so it is tough for them
mgp: Will there be any new parts for South Africa?
GT: We always have new parts coming, but it is a balancing act trying
to work out whether you want to test them at a race weekend. It is
easy to get tempted by something and then pulled off down a back alley
when what you really should be doing is concentrating on the set-up
for the race.
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-Michael
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