Suzuki pair primed for Malaysia

Finishes of eleventh and twelfth place respectively for Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi rounded off what was a hard weekend at the Iveco Australian Grand Prix for the Rizla Suzuki pair.

However, Capirossi – who is one of four riders inside the top ten separated by a point in the championship standings – and Vermeulen are both looking forward to the Shell Advance Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend.

Capirossi – who won at Sepang in 2005 – is fighting for seventh spot in the championship and currently sits ninth, while Vermeulen is only six points behind his team-mate in twelfth.

“Sepang is a good track for the bike and for me because we had a very good winter test there, and we are very optimistic about going there,” said the veteran Italian. “The bike is very different now to the one we tested back then, but we want to try to go well – like we did in the winter – and I really believe we can push hard for a good result.”

Vermeulen is also anticipating a good weekend at the circuit.

“I'm looking forward to getting to Sepang and putting last weekend behind us,” he said. “It's a circuit we all know very well because we do a lot of testing there. It's going to be very hot and humid – a lot different to Phillip Island – and the GSV-R has performed well there in the past so that's what we'll be looking to aim for. We have a good base setting so hopefully it will work out for us and we can be competitive from the start.”