Rizla Suzuki chief Paul Denning is excited about the initial MotoGP test of 2010 at Sepang beginning in February, his squad are preparing to assess the current version of the GSV-R prototype.

A great deal of hard work has been endured over winter to ensure the bike is very competitive for racers Loris Capirossi and Álvaro Bautista in the upcoming campaign.

“The development team is focusing on making the bike more adaptable and there will be some significant chassis developments, and at least one complete new design frame to test at Sepang. We’ll also be making the power delivery smoother and easier for the rider to use. The feedback (from the factory) has been positive,” Denning explains.

“It involves a lot of simulation, bench and dyno testing, because in terms of new developments you can’t really run in Japan at this time of year because of the weather or very cold temperatures, so we’ll really find out when we hit the track at Sepang.”

A testing at Estoril last year gives generous information for the work being done on the 2010 bike to be ready for Sepang.

“I don’t think we’ll be concentrating on trying the set the world alight in terms of lap times at Sepang,” Denning says. “It’s more about working on the bike’s weaknesses and making it more adaptable, and also to different conditions and lower temperatures. How much we’ll be able to do of that at Sepang is difficult to say, but the Suzuki factory did a lot of work before the Estoril test and that’s provided very good direction, because it was very cold there and we managed to get over some of the problems we’d had. So fingers crossed the developments will be in the right direction, but it will be the first time we’ll see the 2010 bike. We know what’s going into it in terms of development, but how that will all come together we’ll just have to wait and see when the guys ride it in February.”

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Kenny Roberts arrived at the 2009 AMA Lucas Oil Indy Mile Grand National event at Indianapolis last August, and spectators enjoyed a special appearance.

Approximately 34 years since he won on the Yamaha TZ750 in 1975, Roberts delighted fans by riding the engine at the Indy Mile, later being congratulated by current MotoGP hero Valentino Rossi.

“I was a little bit nervous about doing this, I had my bone doctor on standby!” says Roberts. “Watching a mile, and especially the Indy mile, is the most fun part of motorcycle racing – I think Valentino found that out.

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