Det er jo efterhånden ikke nogen hemmelighed at Suzuki har
kæmpeproblemer i MotoGP,hvad er så problemet - jow,den kan simpelthen
ikke dreje,det er næsten _for_ morsomt
:
"Suzuki riders Kenny Roberts Jr. and John Hopkins were left a gut
wrenching 19th and 21st in today's first practice for Sunday's German
GP, their GSV-R suffering from a fairly fundamental problem: it can't
corner.
Suzuki brought were running with improvements introduced two weeks ago
at the British GP at Donington Park, which eased crucial throttle
control.
However the different character and almost constant corners of the
Sachsenring put different demands on the machine, with the focus on
handling at extreme lean angles.
Kevin Schwantz, who won the 1993 World Championship along with 25 GPs
as a Suzuki rider, was present for a second GP, observing from the
trackside to help his old team.
This is what he had to say: "Watching from the side, I can see how
both riders have to get off the gas to change direction, and that
unsettles the bike. Then they have to wait before they can open the
throttle again, and that is costing them both time. It's a character
of the bike that is more exaggerated at a track like this."
Hopkins backed up his countryman: "It's difficult to hold the throttle
open at maximum lean because it pushes the front, but when you back
off then it tends to get out of shape. And here you are leaned right
over for such a long time."
And the cure?
"I would be asking for engine position and maybe chassis changes to
try to improve that particular aspect," explained the Texan, pictured
with Hopkins.
Meanwhile, Roberts - celebrating his 30th birthday - was making a
racing return after missing the last three rounds through injury.
Today was the first time he had been back on a motorcycle since the
Italian GP on June 8. <br><br>The 2000 World Champion was also nursing
a fresh injury - he sprained his left ankle playing basketball seven
days ago, part of his training routine.
"It's good to be back on the scene, but frustrating not to be part of
the action up front. Physically my body is doing great, except for a
black and blue left ankle. It's a bit sore, but nothing major," he
declared. "I'm disappointed with my position, and I can't use my
ability to make the bike do a better lap time than it is capable of. I
can only sit on top of it and do what it wants to do, and that's what
we're trying to improve right now."
--
-Michael