Home comforts for Akiyoshi and Suzuki
Added on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 by Carole Nash Editor
Home comforts for Akiyoshi and Suzuki
Rizla Suzuki head to Motegi in confident mood with Japanese wildcard Kousuke Akiyoshi and ‘Twin-Ring’ expert Loris Capirossi looking to secure wins on the home tarmac of the Suzuki factory.
The Suzuki team will field All Japan Superbikes Championship rider and regular test rider Akiyoshi as a wildcard for this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix and the 33-year-old will be hoping for better luck than 12 months ago.
Akiyoshi was looking good for a strong top-10 finish last year before until a technical problem caused him to retire, after having been up to fourth place in the early part of the race and sitting in a comfortable seventh, marginally behind World Champion Casey Stoner, before his bike stopped.
Akiyoshi is the MotoGP-class entry out of 11 Japanese wildcards competing this weekend, with five entrants in both the 125 and 250 class and he is looking forward to taking many miles of practice into competition.
“I am really pleased and excited to be racing at Motegi,” said Akiyoshi. “It is my home circuit and I was doing well there last year before I had to retire. I have done many miles testing the 2008 GSV-R and now it will be good to race it – I cannot wait to get out there!”
Loris Capirossi is another Suzuki rider with reason to be confident, having won the last three Grand Prix’s at Motegi.
The Italian veteran secured three consecutive wins on the Ducati between 2005 and 2007, giving him every reason to be confident going into Sunday’s race.
The 34-year-old said: “I have great memories from Motegi, I have won the last three races there and it will be good to go back and try to do my best again – especially now that I am riding for a Japanese factory on its home track.
“We had a tough time at Indianapolis for a number of reasons, but that is now behind us and we have to make the most of the rest of the season and Motegi is a good place to start that. I can still fight with the best guys out there and that has to be my goal!”
