Team Suzuki Press Office – May 3. Team SUZUKI ECSTAR is heading to Jerez de la Frontera, at the far Western corner of Spain, for the fourth round of the Championship, the first of a long series of European races. As a result of recent events, the line-up of the team has changed. Andrea Iannone is now paired with Takuya Tsuda instead of the injured Alex Rins. The Team will also be staying in Jerez until Tuesday for two days of testing.
Built in 1986, the 4.4km Circuit of Jerez, set in a valley in the south of the country, features five left and eight right-hand turns that makes it a very technical circuit, assuredly suitable to the GSX-RR handling characteristics. The first Spanish GP will be hailed as fresh new start for the Team and especially for Andrea Iannone, who has been unlucky in the early races of the season when he was unable to yield the expected results. The positive race in Austin two weeks ago gave him his first Championship points, igniting new hope.
An all new experience awaits the young Takuya Tsuda at his very first World Championship. Normally a test rider for Suzuki, Tsuda contributed to the development of the current factory GSX-RR, but has never before had a chance to ride it outside the testing sessions in a real race situation. His experience will also be useful to the team to give a further push in its development by allowing an additional point of view about settings and electronics to be shared.
Andrea Iannone
“I really hope this will be a positive race for us. Last year we did some testing here in Jerez and it left me with a positive feeling. Also the performance wasn’t bad. This gives me some real confidence for this race. We will need to work hard from the very beginning on Friday to fix some issues we have encountered, but we already have some ideas. I’d really like to end next Sunday with a smile on our faces.”
Takuya Tsuda
“First of all, I’m sorry for Alex´s injury, and I would like to wish him a speedy recovery and all the best. It’s a big surprise for me that I was given this great opportunity to replace Alex, and of course I’m very excited. It’s definitely like my dreams have come true. I´ve always dreamt about racing in a MotoGP one day, but I never thought that the chance would come like this. Fortunately I had an opportunity to test GSX-RR last November in Jerez, so the track is already familiar and I like its layout. Although I know it’s not that easy to compete against the experienced riders, and the track condition will also not as same as in November, everything will be a big adventure for me. All I can do is give it my all and do my best, both for myself and for the team.”
