Rizla Suzuki MotoGP in Spain for final round of 2009
Rizla Suzuki has travelled back to Europe for the final instalment of the
2009 season with both riders in contention for seventh position in the
World Championship.
Loris Capirossi currently sits in eighth place in the championship race,
but is level on points with current seventh place incumbent Marco
Melandri, whilst team-mate Chris Vermeulen is only three points behind
Capirossi in 11th place. With four other riders all in with a chance of
seventh, the final round will certainly present a race within a race as
the six will be going all out to get the best finish possible.
Vermeulen will be making his final appearance for Rizla Suzuki at
Valencia and is in a determined mood to leave the team on a high. He is
currently the only rider in this season's championship to have scored in
every round and will want to continue with that record as he aims to give
his crew, the team, Suzuki and all the fans something to remember in his
last outing on the Suzuki GSV-R.
Valencia is now the traditional end of season venue for MotoGP and a huge
crowd can always be expected to fill the enormous grandstands that
surround the only stadium track on the calendar. Situated near the
village of Cheste, just outside Valencia in Spain, the 4,005m Ricardo
Tormo circuit is a mix of many tight corners where every
tenth-of-a-second really counts as it is one of the most intense tracks
that the riders visit. Valencia is also famed for its amazing race-end
firework display which is traditionally started by the race-winner and
can be heard from kilometres around.
Rizla Suzuki takes to the track on Friday afternoon and then Saturday
morning for the two free practice sessions available to the riders.
Saturday afternoon will feature an hour of qualifying to determine grid
positions for Sunday's 21-lap race. The main event gets underway at
14.00hrs local time (13.00hrs GMT) on Sunday 8th November.
Loris Capirossi:
"I am heading to Valencia in a totally fixed and determined state of
mind. Last time at Malaysia was disappointing for the race, but the work
we did in the dry leading up to race-day was very important and we will
be able to use that info in Valencia. I am really confident that we can
make a big impact at the last race and give the whole team something
positive to take into the winter and on to 2010."
Chris Vermeulen:
"I am totally focused on going out on a high at Valencia. This will be
my last race in MotoGP -- for at least a couple of years -- and I want to
make sure it is one that I can be proud of. My time with the Suzuki team
has been great and my crew has worked tirelessly throughout my time here
to give me the best bike they can whatever the conditions, so a good
result will be as much for them as for myself. I have scored points in
every race this year and want to make the last one the highest points
scoring one. I will certainly be going for a podium this weekend, I know
that will be tough, but that's the target and one that I would really
love to achieve!"
-credit: suzuki
