SUZUKI RACING:

Team Suzuki Alstare Brux riders Yukio Kagayama and Karl Muggeridge struggled in both 20-lappers at the Nurburgring World Superbike round in Germany today, with Kagayama’s 10th-place in race two their best finish.

After qualifying and Superpole, today was always going to be a tough one for the duo, especially for Muggeridge, who was racing the Suzuki Alstare Brux GSX-R1000 K9 for the very first time.

Yukio Kagayama – Race 1: 15th, Race 2: 10th:

“My start in race was not so bad, but after only five laps my rear tyre had no grip at all. For a few laps, I tried to push just as hard as normal, but after many near crashes I had to change my riding style and be more steady. So that’s what I did and I was able to get to the end of the race. Between race one and race two, my team and I decided to try a set-up we had never used in a race before. It was a big gamble and for me it was a bit of a scary feeling because I did not know what would happen. I made a good start and was surprised because the feeling was not so bad and I could lap one second a lap faster then the first race! This setting makes me feel a lot more positive about the next race in Imola and now I am looking forward to seeing if it will work as well as we hope.”

Karl Muggeridge – Race 1: 12th, Race 2: DNF:

“I am disappointed about my crash in race two because my intention was to bring the bike home in both races today. I made a good start from row five in race one and moved up the field a bit, but soon I began having rear grip problems. This meant that the electronics had to work overtime to cope with the problem, and that slowed the bike down. We softened the rear for race two and the grip was better and I was able to lap more quickly. I hadn’t made such a good start this time, so I had to work hard to get up to the group ahead. I decided to try and adjust the engine braking and maybe I changed the run-in to the corners too much and I lost the front. I hadn’t entered the corner any faster than before but I had changed the characteristics of the braking and that probably caused my crash. I suppose it was my mistake really because I think I could’ve got another 12th or better finish otherwise. But I have enjoyed working with the team and hope to get another chance sometime.”