RIZLA SUZUKI RELAXED AND READY TO RACE
11 September 2004 - Rizla-Suzuki

RIZLA SUZUKI''S John Reynolds and Yukio Kagayama will start from third and fifth on the grid in tomorrow''s penultimate round of the British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park and both riders are relaxed and ready to race hard.

Championship leader JR set a blistering time during first qualifying and then spent the second session playing with different tyre and fork settings to record third on the grid just one-tenth off pole position man Michael Rutter on a Honda. He is quietly confident of being at the sharp end when the races are decided.

Yuki, who has won the last three races at Oulton Park, qualified fifth only three-tenths from the front at the head of the second row. The Japanese ace is walking with a swagger and exuding confidence after winning at Cadwell Park last time out and is relishing the chance to race at Oulton Park, one of his favourite circuits. Yuki is being given extra support this weekend by his close friend and World Superbike title contender Noriyuki Haga who joins him in the pits.

JR has a 33-point lead in the Championship and Yuki is pushing for third in the overall standings. The Superbike racing starts at 1:15pm on Sunday, September 12th at Oulton Park in Cheshire and will be shown live on Sky Sports with a highlights package screened on BBC Grandstand the following week.

JR:
''We set a very fast pace this morning. In the second session we had a slightly better setting but I fluffed my fast lap when I ran in to the first corner too fast and missed my apex. That was a shame because the rest of the lap was awesome. Third on the front row suits me just fine and gives me a good chance of taking the inside line and the lead into the first corner.

''I am feeling relaxed and enjoying myself this weekend. It''s nice to be back at Oulton Park, which is a real riders'' circuit. It''s even nicer that the rain forecast for today never materialised - with a bit of luck it''ll stay away tomorrow for the races. Either way, wet or dry, we''ll be in the reckoning.''

Yuki:
''On my qualifying tyre, which is good for only one lap, I do many laps of endurance testing waiting for space to open throttle to maximum. But by then tyre is tired and I make ordinary time. Second row is not so bad starting position, this is okay as I can run same race pace as riders in front.

''My Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 engine sounds very aggressive and I love to hear and feel it accelerate. There is so much power that on some of the straights I have little too many wheelies. This is fun, but not so fast. Tomorrow I concentrate on fast to try and help John-san at front of race to score many points.''

Qualifying Times: 1: Michael Rutter (Honda) 1:37.048, 2: Dean Thomas (Ducati) +0.056, 3: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) +0.114, 4: Sean Emmett (Ducati) +0.238, 5: YUKIO KAGAYAMA (RIZLA SUZUKI) +0.316, 6: Steve Plater (Yamaha) +0.757, 7: Scott Smart (Kawasaki) +0.806, 8: Glen Richards (Kawasaki) +0.873, 9: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +0.945, 10: James Haydon (Yamaha) +1.133.

www.rizla-suzuki.co.uk

More News
  For September 2004
  From Rizla-Suzuki
  For Racing General
  Biker247.com Home Page