RIZLA SUZUKI ON THE PACE AS TOP 16 ARE SEPARATED BY JUST ONE-SECOND
16 July 2004 - Rizla-Suzuki

THE top 16 riders were separated by just one-second in today''s practice sessions for the ninth round of the British Superbike Championship at Mallory Park.

Rizla Suzuki racers John Reynolds and Yukio Kagayama were well up the pack in seventh and ninth places.

The British Superbike Championship returned to Mallory Park in Leicestershire this weekend after a one-year break to allow modernisation work. Championship leader JR spent today reacquainting himself with the super-fast turns as well as learning the new Edwina''s chicane complex. He finished seventh on the time sheets, just 0.339seconds behind the quickest lap of the day.

Yuki is visiting Mallory Park for the first time and is learning it from scratch. He proved his world-class riding ability by ending up just 0.1s slower than his team mate in ninth place.

The first practice session took place in soaking wet conditions while the second was completely dry. Both Rizla Suzuki riders spent long stints on track testing tyres and setting-up their GSX-R1000s for race distance.

Superbike racing starts at 1:15pm on Sunday, July 18th. This is the last opportunity for fans to catch the racing as it enters a mid-summer mini-break for the following month before convening again at Croft on August 15th. All the action can be watched live on Sky Sports on the day or alternatively, the BBC will show a highlights package on Grandstand one week later.

John Reynolds:
''We are still working on setting up my Rizla Suzuki and I think there is a good bit more to come off our lap times. We concentrated on tyres and gearing today and tomorrow we will be fine-tuning those areas and working on the brakes.

''Overall the GSX-R1000 is working really well - but I am still tuning myself into the track. This is the sort of place where missing your braking marker by four feet can really screw up the corner for you, so you need to be extremely accurate all the time. I am going to relax this evening and tomorrow I''ll be razor sharp.''

Yukio Kagayama:
''This circuit still needs some learning from me. My Rizla Suzuki is already good bike for Sunday''s races. I can make good lap time but I think if I spend more time riding I will get even faster again. Already I am not so far behind the leaders and this is good news.

''I hope British weather decides to be dry for qualifying and races. I don''t mind racing in the wet, but I prefer warmer sunny weather for my family and fans watching.''

First Practice Times:
1: Michael Rutter (Honda) 52:286
2: Sean Emmett (Ducati) +0.075
3: John McGuinness (Kawasaki) +0.125
4: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +0.252
5: Gary Mason (Yamaha) +0.258
6: Dean Thomas (Ducati) +0.331
7: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) +0.339
8: James Haydon (Yamaha) +0.375
9: YUKIO KAGAYAMA (RIZLA SUZUKI) +0.430
10: Scott Smart (Kawasaki) +0.581

www.rizla-suzuki.co.uk

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