Motourage

Leon Haslam goes in search of race wins in Sunday’s sixth round of the World Superbike Championship at the Kyalami circuit on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Alstare Suzuki Team rider Haslam leads the World Championship by a slender three points following yesterday’s fifth round at Monza and the British rider remains in confident mood heading to the undulating 2.637-mile Kyalami venue.

“Regardless of the Championship points situation I was just pleased to come away from Monza with fourth and second places considering everything that happened so it’s left me feeling pretty confident as we head of to South Africa,” said Haslam.

He continued, “Last year at Kyalami was a mixed bag for me, a first race crash then a fourth place on my spare machine. I’d done OK in qualifying with second place but made a mess of Superpole and started the races from 10th place.

“This year we’ve get a pretty safe and solid base setting with the Alstare Suzuki so I’m hoping we can get the machine quickly dialed in to the Kyalami circuit and hopefully be in a position to challenge for race wins on Sunday.”

Haslam, from Smalley in Derbyshire, is also well aware of the importance of the next two rounds – in South African and then America – in terms of the World title chase.

“We’re in America two weeks after South Africa and that will take us to round seven and beyond the halfway stage so I’m pretty keen to stay at the head of the Championship in readiness for the return to Europe and the final six rounds.”

Included in those final six rounds is the British round at Silverstone on Sunday August 1 – round 10 – and on the new 3.760-mile layout at the Northamptonshire track.

“Silverstone will be spectacular,” said Haslam. “I had a ride around the new layout a couple of weeks ago at the launch and it’s going to be really high speed, they reckon about 160mph average speed in a Formula One car so we’ll be very similar to Monza if not faster.”

Kyalami schedule:

Friday May 14
10am – Noon:  Technical inspection
12:45 – 1:45pm: Free practice One
3 – 4pm:  Qualifying One

Saturday May 15
10:45 – 11:30am:  Qualifying Two
1:50 – 2:35pm:  Free practice Two
3pm:  Superpole final qualifying

Sunday May 16
9:20 – 9:40am:  Warm-up
Noon:  Race One – 24 laps (102.312km/63.536 miles)
3:30pm:  Race Two – 18 laps (102.312km/63.536 miles)

World Championship points after five of 13 rounds: 1 Haslam 181, 2 Biaggi 178, 3 Checa and Rea 110, 5 Toseland 106, 6 Haga 100, 7 Corser 92, 8 Camier 72, 9 Guintoli 70, 10 Crutchlow 65.

Manufacturers points: 1 Aprilia 184, 2 Suzuki 181, 3 Ducati 149, 4 Honda 119, 5 Yamaha 113, 6 BMW 95, 7 Kawasaki 37.

After a fourth place in the first race, Team Suzuki Alstare rider Leon Haslam fought tooth-and-nail to take a podium in the second race at the Monza World Superbike Championship fifth round in Italy to keep his series lead intact.
Haslam was charging after Cal Crutchlow in second place, but then inherited runner-up spot when Crutchlow slid off at the first chicane. Troy Corser (BMW) was in Haslam’s wheeltracks for the last few laps, but the GSX-R1000-mounted Briton held him off to take his seventh podium of the season.
Haslam’s team mate Sylvain Guintoli finished 10th in race one, but then improved in race two: He was on course for a terrific sixth place, but the smallest of mistakes in the last turn allowed Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) through.
Max Biaggi (Aprilia) won both races today with Yamaha teammates James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow taking second and third in race one.

Leon Haslam – Race 1: 4th, Race 2: 2nd:
“Today was a hard day and I’m happy to leave Monza still leading the title race. Max was strong here and I knew it was going to be tough pair of races. The podium in race two was very hard work, but I didn’t want to miss out on a podium today and kept battling away. I had a really big ‘moment’ in race two and was way out of the saddle twice in the space of a fraction of a second. Somehow I stayed on the bike, but it was a very close thing! After Cal crashed, Troy kept me on my toes, but Max was too far in front for me to catch so I just made sure of runner-up spot. I did something to my wrist when I had my ‘moment’ and it felt pretty sore, but I managed to carry one to the end. In race one, I lost contact with the leaders and then had a bit of a grip problem for the last four or five laps and couldn’t get out of the corners as fast as I wanted. We made some little suspension changes- just a few clicks here and there – for race two and the bike was definitely better to ride.”

Sylvain Guintoli – Race 1: 10th, Race 2: 7th:
“Generally the weekend has ended not so badly. I enjoyed the second race because I was involved in a really good fight with Nori Haga and Tom Sykes. I managed to pass Nori right towards the end, but then I made a very small mistake in the last turn and he got me back. Seventh is not so bad after how the weekend began, but I have learnt that I – or me and my team – have to manage practice and qualifying better and get into a good, consistent rhythm as soon as we can. Not doing that means a low grid position and this Championship has so many good riders and bikes that you cannot afford to be way down the grid if you want to be a contender. I think I probably could’ve got fifth today if it hadn’t been for a crash right in front of me on the opening lap. I had to take avoiding action and go straight on at the first chicane and lost time in the process. But I fought hard and caught up the guys ahead, before my good battle with Tom and Nori. I am happy with my performance in race two and now I want to build on that and be much better at the start of a race weekend.”

Monza WSB Results:

Race 1: 1 Max Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia), 2 James Toseland (GBR-Yamaha), 3 Cal Crutchlow (GBR-Yamaha), 4 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare), 5 Leon Camier (GBR-Aprilia), 6 Ruben Xaus (ESP-BMW). 10 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare).

Race 2: 1 Biaggi, 2 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare), 3 Corser (AUS-BMW), 4 Camier, 5 Tom Sykes (GBR-Kawasaki), 6 Noriyuki Haga (JPN-Ducati), 7 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare).

Championship points: 1 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare) 181, 2 Biaggi 178, 3 Rea 110, 4 Checa 110, 5 Toseland 106, 6 Haga 100. 9 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare) 70.

Team Suzuki Alstare rider Leon Haslam endured mixed conditions on the opening day of qualifying at the Monza World Superbike Championship round in Italy, but ended fifth quickest and happy enough with his day’s work.

The track was hit by torrential rain yesterday, and although today dawned dry, it was not long before it began raining again. This afternoon’s qualifying session began with a damp track and the first half of the session saw many unfamiliar names at the top of the leader board. The track then began to dry out and by the end; there was virtually a dry line round the whole of the 5.777 kilometer circuit.

Briton Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) posted the fastest lap with fellow countryman Jonathan Rea (Honda) second. Third went to Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) third with Troy Corser (BMW) fourth.

Leon Haslam – 5th, 1:45.303:
“The morning was good and really all today was pretty good, though there were a few small problems in the afternoon session and some of it was a bit of a waste of time. We had some sort of strange clutch problem with both bikes for a while, so to get fifth was not so bad, especially considering the changing conditions. This afternoon’s qualifying started with a wet track and then it began to dry. By the end, there was almost a dry line round the whole track, but there were still some places where you had to keep a look out. The new chicane is a bit safer and it makes the track flow better, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens when the whole pack is charging into it in a race before we can say that it is a success. For me though, the track is now more enjoyable to ride, particularly when you are by yourself.  Slipstreaming round here is crucial and will be a big factor in the races. So far, I’ve not had a tow from anybody so I’m looking forward to that tomorrow. Come Race day though, I’d prefer to be a long way out in front and not have to worry about anybody drafting me. That’s my plan anyway.”

Sylvain Guintoli – 16th. 1:46.588:
“I’ve not been here before, so the new chicane means nothing to me. Today, my first job was to learn the track and that’s what I tried to do. The track is quite technical and there are a lot of high speeds and fast corners and so it’s important to be very accurate if you want to go fast. Conditions were changing a lot in this afternoon’s qualifying session and I think I was a bit too cautious in the first chicane and that’s where I lost a lot of time. If I had been more aggressive there, I would’ve been quite a bit further up the leader board for sure. I know that slipstreaming is going to very important here – especially in the races – but there are a lot of opportunities to do that round here. However, it’ll also be very easy to get done, so I’ll have to watch out for that.”

Friday WSB qualifying: 1 Cal Crutchlow (GBR-Yamaha) 1:44.577, 2 Rea (GBR-Honda) 1:44.789, 3 Michel Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati) 1:45.134, 4 Troy Corser (AUS-BMW) 1:45.234, 5 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare) 1:45.303, 6 Ruben Xaus (ESP-BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 1:45.542. 16 Sylvain Guintoli (GBR-Suzuki Alstare) 1:46.588.

World Superbike Championship leader, Suzuki Alstare’s Leon Haslam, is looking forward to this weekend’s fifth-round at Monza in Italy; one of the most-famous and historic circuits on the calendar.

For many, the Autodromo Nazionale is the place of legends and a Mecca for petrol heads worldwide: The 5.793 kilometer track is renowned for its flowing nature, high speeds and fast riders can hit velocities over 300 kHz.

Suzuki Alstare rider Haslam intends to keep up the pressure on his rivals with another pair of top performances and leave Italy still in command at the top of the standings, before heading off to the two flyway races in South Africa and USA.

His team mate Sylvain Guintoli is also keen to do well at Monza and will be aiming to kick his season back into life after a pair of disappointing rounds.

Leon Haslam:
“Monza is steeped in history and it is always a pleasure going there and seeing the remnants of its past. The old banking is amazing and it’s hard to believe how people got round it so fast! Fortunately, we don’t have to try and do that, but the track we race on is pretty fast also. It’s a track where tactics are very important and you have to be able to get your slipstreaming just right. It’s easy to be leading a pack of riders going into the Parabolica just before the start-finish straight and end up second, third or fourth! Although there are some very fast bits, there are also some slowish corners where hard braking is called for, so it’s important to get a good set-up on the bike. Last year I was on a different bike: I qualified 17th, scored no points in race one and got seventh in race two, so I will certainly be looking for a big improvement this time.”

Sylvain Guintoli:
“I have never been to Monza before so this is going to be a new experience for me. I know that it is a high-speed track and that slipstreaming can play a crucial part. Obviously my first job will be to learn the circuit and then try and qualify well. That has been a bit of a problem for me recently, but I aim to turn up with my race head on and find a good rhythm right from the start. Anything less will be a problem, so I have to get down to it as soon as I can. Although it is a new track for me I am looking forward to a good weekend and an upturn on my recent results.”

2009 results:
Race 1: Michel Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati), 2 Noriyuki Haga (JPN-Ducati), 3 Ryuichi Kiyonari (JPN-Honda). Leon Haslam (GBR-Honda) RET.
Race 2: Ben Spies (USA-Yamaha), 2 Fabrizio, 3 Kiyonari. 7 Leon Haslam.

Team Suzuki Alstare rider Leon Haslam recovered from a disappointing 11th place in race one of the Assen World Superbike Championship fourth round in Holland today to take runner-up spot in race two and extend his World Championship lead.

His main rivals – Max Biaggi (Aprilia) and Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) – were unable to fully capitalize on his lower-than-normal placing in the opener, and Biaggi now trails the GSX-R1000-mounted Brit by 20 points.

Haslam’s position in the first race was a result of a loss of air pressure in his front tire which meant he couldn’t push hard at all: At first he thought it was a brake problem, but he kept going and collected five valuable Championship points. Jonathan Rea (Honda) won the race, with fellow Britons James Toseland (Yamaha) and Leon Camier (Aprilia) second and third.

Race two was an absolute scorcher – one of the best in World Superbike history: Rea won it, but only after the ‘Mother of Battles’ with Haslam, Troy Corser and Toseland, which saw plenty of close contact involving elbows and handlebars.

As Haslam celebrated extending his lead in the series, it was not such a good day for team mate Sylvain Guintoli: The Frenchman hardly recovered from his position in qualifying and never found his rhythm in either of today’s 22-lap races, finishing 14th in race one and 13th in race two.

Leon Haslam – Race 1: 11th, Race 2: 2nd:
“Today was very, very hard, but I am happy because I have extended my lead in the series. In race one I had a problem with the front end and was struggling in 16th after five laps. I wasn’t sure if it was a brake problem, but when the bike was checked over after the race, the team discovered that air had escaped from the front tire. It was a real struggle to keep going especially when I was with a couple of other riders, but I was determined to bring the bike home one way or another. The team changed the front discs and pads – in case they were part of the problem – for race two and I was able to do a normal race. It was a fantastic race, with plenty of close contact. Elbows were everywhere and we were close enough to touch each other’s handlebars. It was very hard, but fair, and we all enjoyed it a lot. It must have been great for the fans and of course, having both podiums filled by Brits was also great.”

Sylvain Guintoli – Race 1: 14th, Race 2: 13th:
“This was a weekend to forget and I don’t really even want to think about it anymore. It didn’t start well and never really improved, although it did get a bit better yesterday and I might have been able to rescue something if I had managed to find my rhythm today. But I didn’t, and having a problem with another rider in race two didn’t help either: I’m not sure if it was Sykes or Lanzi but there was an impact and that affected the steering of my bike. I was lucky not to crash but I thought I might as well keep going and see what happened. The steering felt strange and I just couldn’t push any harder. I think it’s better I forget today and start thinking about the next race in Monza, because that is something positive.”

World Superbike results:

Race 1:
1 Jonathan Rea (GBR-Honda), 2 James Toseland (GBR-Yamaha), 3 Leon Camier (GBR-Aprilia), 4 Carlos Checa (ESP-Ducati), 5 Troy Corser (AUS-BMW), 6 Max Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia). 11 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare). 14 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare).

Race 2:
1 Rea, 2 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare), 3 Toseland, 4 Biaggi, 5 Troy Corser (AUS-BMW Motorrad Motorsport), 6 Checa. 13 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare).

Championship Points:
1 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare) 148, 2 Biaggi 128, 3 Rea 110, 4 Checa 103, 5 Toseland 86, 6 Haga 85, 7 Troy Corser (AUS-BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 68, 8 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare) 55.

After success in Australia, Team Suzuki Alstare riders Leon Haslam and Sylvain Guintoli are looking forward to getting back on track at round two of the World Superbike Championship at Portimao in Portugal this weekend and chasing the podium again.

This is the third time that the Autodromo do Algarve is hosting a round of the championship, though this year the race takes place in the spring instead of its usual end-of-season date.

Following the opening round at Phillip Island, Haslam is leading the World Championship by nine points with Guintoli fifth, and both are determined to do well at the 4.592 kilometer circuit. Haslam was in superb form in the pre-season tests at the track in January, and Guintoli too showed that he had become very comfortable with the 2010 GSX-R1000 Suzuki Alstare bike. Both riders are eager to continue their attack on the championship and also keep Suzuki at the top of the manufacturer standings.

Leon Haslam:
“Portimao is a fantastic circuit and probably the most demanding one on the calendar. I think all riders like it because it is such a challenge and when you do a good lap there, the feeling is fantastic. From the very first time I jumped onto the Suzuki I knew that the bike could be a contender and so far, I think we have proved that. The whole team has given me tremendous support and we are all now looking forward to another good weekend in Portimao. I went well there in the pre-season tests and I will be chasing two more podiums for sure.”

Sylvain Guintoli:
“I am very pleased with my start to the season and I cannot tell you how happy and comfortable I am with my bike. Of course, every time I go out on it I learn a bit more, but already I am thinking of podiums and that is a good feeling to have. It has been a long break since the first race and I am itching to get back in the saddle and racing again. Portimao is a great track, but very, very challenging. I think it is one of the best race tracks in the series and I will be doing my very best to get on the podium there.”

Leon Haslam holds off Xerox Ducati's Michel Fabrizio and Noriyuki Haga for the win in race 1.

Team Suzuki Alstare rider Leon Haslam recorded his first ever World Superbike win in the first race of this year’s Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island today.

He led the race from start to finish and took the flag, just .004 ahead of Michel Fabrizio’s Factory Ducati.

He and his Suzuki Alstare team mate Sylvain Guintoli then disputed the lead for most of the second race, but Haslam’s dreams of a double were dashed right at the death by Spaniard Carlos Checa (Ducati). Nevertheless, his tremendous win in race one and runner-up spot in the second puts him on the very top of the Superbike World Championship, nine points ahead of his nearest rival.

Also encouraging for the team was Guintoli’s ability to run at the front and be in contention: The Frenchman led his team mate eight laps out of 22 and did not look out of place at all. This was his first race of the year, on the new 2010 GSX-R1000 bike, with a new team, but he also showed that he too will be a force to be reckoned with this year. Although he missed out on the podium, he did receive a trophy – for the fastest lap of race two – so he did not leave Phillip Island empty handed.

Leon Haslam – Race 1: 1st, Race 2: 2nd:
“I am so happy to get my first WSBK win and it feels great! I want to thank the team and all the staff back at the workshop for all their support and hard work and I’d also like to thank Francis and Patricia Batta for having faith in me.

“The first race was such hard work and it was impossible to relax for a second. I knew that I had Michel and Nori breathing down my neck, but I just kept concentrating on my lines and my braking points and tried to hold them off. I realized that Michel was in my wheel tracks going into the last turn and would try and use the draft to get past me, but I kept my head down and charged to the flag. At the end, I didn’t know if I’d won or not, but when I realized that I had, I was so unbelievably happy and it was such a fantastic feeling. All weekend I knew that a win was possible, but thinking about and it happening are two different things.

The Suzuki Alstare team holds off the triple-Ducati attack of Fabrizio, Haga and Checa. Carlos Checa eventually made his way to the front and held on for the win in race 2.

“In race two, I had some problems with rear traction but I still thought I could win. I had a great fight with Sylvain and when I finally got ahead of him and made it stick, I thought he might act as a buffer between me and the rest. Then suddenly, Carlos was there. He dived under me just three corners from the end, on the last lap. I tried to get it back, but he managed to hold me off and take the flag. But it feels good to take a win and a second in my first race with the team and it feels fantastic to be leading the Superbike World Championship.”

Sylvain Guintoli – Race 1: 6th, Race 2: 4th:
“I have really enjoyed today and it’s been great fun. I can’t remember the last time I was leading a World Championship race, so to lead quite a lot of race two was a great feeling and now I want to do it again. When I was in front, I felt comfortable and I knew I could keep up a good pace. Everything felt very smooth and it was all going to plan until I made a small mistake and Leon and then Carlos went through. Carlos and I touched in turn 8 when my elbow was in contact with his front wheel and then I tried a bit too hard to get back straightaway when perhaps I should’ve been a bit more patient and that’s where I lost ground.

“I could’ve made a better result in the first race if I hadn’t had such a bad start. My pace was good, but I was too far off the leaders, but I am learning about WSBK race pace and also the fact that the races are longer than what I have been used to. I am very happy with all the work we’ve done and am enjoying riding this bike so much. It was nice to get a trophy for the fastest lap in race two and I hope that it will just be the start of many to come. I am looking forward to Portimao and my next trophy.”

Results:

Race 1: 1 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare), 2 Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati), 3 Haga (JPN-Ducati), 4 Rea (GBR-Honda), 5 Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia), 6 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare).

Race 2: 1 Checa (ESP-Ducati), 2 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare), 3 Fabrizio, 4 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare), 5 Haga, 6 Rea.

Championship points: 1 Leon Haslam (Suzuki Alstare) 45, Fabrizio 36, 3 Checa 34, 4 Haga 27, 5 Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki Alstare) 23, 6 Rea 23.

Team Suzuki Alstare riders Leon Haslam and Sylvain Guintoli continued to work on finding the best set-up for their GSX-R1000 K10 Suzukis instead of chasing lap times today and ended the two-day World Superbike test at Phillip Island in Australia in 7th and 15th respectively.

Strong winds buffeted the 4.445 kilometer circuit and most riders took things cautiously, especially in the afternoon. Ducatis filled the top four places at the finish with Michel Fabrizio the fastest, with a time of 1:31.650. Second was Shane Byrne, with Jakub Smrz third and Carlos Checa fourth.

Alstare Suzuki's Sylvain Guintoli

Sylvain Guintoli: 147 laps (two days) 15th – 1:32.869:
“Today we did a lot of work on getting the bike working well with race rubber and didn’t concentrate of chasing lap times. I had a small get-off at the tight hairpin after Lukey Heights, but there was no damage to me or the bike. It happened when I lost the front end when I pushed a bit too hard on a tire that I didn’t really like – and now I like it less!

“I have had no problems with jet-lag or tiredness today, but I felt that I just couldn’t find my good rhythm. This sometimes happens to me when we test for a lot of time, like today when the two sessions lasted two and a half hours each. In a normal race weekend, practice lasts an hour and race is about 45 minutes and I always manage to find a good rhythm without a problem, so maybe the sessions today were a bit too long for me. But, we’ve done a lot of good work and now I am looking forward to next Friday and the start of the race weekend.”

Leon Haslam: 142 laps (two days) 7th – 1:32.279:
“I am not so happy with the final result, regarding lap times, but overall I am happy with all the work we’ve done and the things we found out and this will help us go in the right direction.

“Today we started with the two bikes set up differently and I preferred some things on one bike and some things on the other bike, so the mechanics will now try and put the best bits of both on one bike and that’s what I will start with during first practice next Friday. We spent quite a lot of time today trying out race tires, so that we will be in a good position next week, but that meant that we didn’t really go for a very quick lap time.

“I am not worried about the guys ahead of me today, because I know that things will be very different come the race next weekend. That’s more important than lap times today. I feel good about our prospects – and that’s the main thing.”

Overall results (two days): 1 Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati) 1:31.650, 2 Byrne (GBR-Ducati) 1:31.652, 3 Smrz (CZE-Ducati) 1:31.680, 4 Checa (ESP-Ducati) 1:31.959, 5 Rea (GBR-Honda) 1:32.175, 6 Haga (JPN-Ducati) 1:32.247, 7 Leon Haslam (GBR-Suzuki Alstare) 1:32.279. 15 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA-Suzuki Alstare) 1:32.869.

Team Suzuki Alstare has signed an agreement with a new sponsor, Viru, for the 2010 World Superbike Championship.
Viru is an Estonian beer and is distributed by the Italian company Biscaldi Group, with whom Alstare has worked with on many SBK operations in recent years.

Viru is a fresh-tasting 5% Pilsner beer and is produced in a unique octahedral shaped bottle, whose design is said to be based on the famous churches and towers of old Tallin, Estonia’s capital. The beer is made from highest-quality barley from the pure grain fields of Lithuania and hops from the Czech Republic in the university town of Tartu.

Viru is a premium quality beer and perfectly fits the dynamic image of Team Suzuki Alstare.

Pietro Biscaldi from the Biscaldi Group said: “We are very happy to be involved with Team Suzuki Alstare because they are such an important team in the Superbike World Championship. We are looking forward to supporting them and fighting for the title this year.”

Team Suzuki Alstare is also happy to announce that Dark Dog will continue to be onboard this year, alongside their other current long- standing technical partners. All are optimistic about the season ahead, particularly after the superb performances of Leon Haslam and Sylvain Guintoli in this year’s tests. Both Leon Haslam and Sylvain Guintoli are already fired up about their prospects this year and will be going all- out for the title right from the first race of the year.

Suzuki GB and the Crescent British Superbike Team have today confirmed an agreement that will see current Worx Suzuki British Superbike rider, Sylvain Guintoli, move to the Alstare Suzuki World Superbike team for the 2010 season.

Guintoli, who recently signed a contract to remain with Worx Crescent Suzuki in BSB for 2010, was offered the alternative to move to the world series after Suzuki factory bosses and the Alstare team witnessed his impressive migration to the Superbike class in the UK during the 2009 season.

Yasuharu Osawa, Suzuki GB managing director:
“Sylvain has proven to be an incredible asset for Suzuki this year, despite his unfortunate injury early on. We want to support Sylvain’s career while also doing what is best for the Suzuki family, so following Alstare’s request we have unanimously agreed for him to move to World SBK for the 2010 season. We would like to thank the BSB team sponsors, especially Worx, for their complete support in this decision.”

In addition to Guintoli’s move, Suzuki GB is also delighted to announce that current World Superbike rider, Yukio Kagayama, will make a return to the BSB series in 2010 for the Worx Crescent Suzuki team as part of a new two-man team.

Jack Valentine, Worx Crescent Suzuki team manager:
“To have Yukio back in the UK is great news. He is still a class act and was incredibly popular with UK fans during his two year stint in the series last time. He is as determined as ever and will be back here with one goal in mind – to challenge for the title. Our decision to run two riders in 2010 is also good news for the BSB Championship, for Suzuki and for all of our partners.”

While the Worx Crescent Suzuki team have confirmed their two rider 2010 championship assault, confirmation of the full rider line-up will be confirmed at a later date.