Suzuki engine small step up for Capirossi

Rizla Suzuki’s new engine development was pushed forward for this past weekend’s race at Barcelona, in an attempt to redress a deficit in power for the GSV-R compared to the other MotoGP machines. This caused the team to roll out the new motor spec for race day, eventually leading to either a breakage of the engine during the race –in the case of Chris Vermeulen- or a lack of necessary parts for Monday’s post-race test.

Thus Loris Capirossi was back with the previous version of the Suzuki power source for a day of experimentation, but he didn’t feel that the regression had too much of an adverse effect on his plans for the upcoming Assen round of the World Championship.

“We had a full day in which to develop the bike, and we used it to try a different chassis and a different cowling. As regards the engine, we are still at the stage where we can use either the old one or the new one,” said Capirossi on Monday, with a reserved analysis of the new engine’s capabilities.

“It’s maybe a little more powerful, but the main thing is the character. It makes the bike easier to ride. We can say that it’s a step forward, but we need a bigger one. Luckily we don’t need a really strong engine for Assen, so maybe there we will be competitive also,” he concluded.

“I think that we can be a lot closer straight away in Assen. The new engine spec certainly helped us in this last race,” added the Italian’s Crew Chief, Stuart Shenton.

“In an ideal world we would have used it for this test, but we have to save the parts for the next race. I don’t think it hurt us too much today though.”

Capirossi is set to race at Assen with a Suzuki for the first time at the next round, having missed the 2008 race through injury.