Rizla Suzuki team manager Paul Denning explains first half of 2011 MotoGP season – MotoGP news
Team Manager for Rizla Suzuki, Paul Denning explained the first half of the 2011 MotoGP season and claimed it to be difficult for the team and rider.
Denning said, “We didn’t even start the first race in Qatar because Álvaro (Bautista) had a badly broken leg. His comeback in Estoril was much sooner than everyone expected, but his return to full physical fitness and full confidence on the bike has taken
a long time. It was only until the ninth round at Sachsenring we saw him riding like he was in winter testing.”
The difficulties started when team’s sole rider crashed during the season opener during a practice session. The rider was badly injured and sustained fracture to his left femur.
The injury lagged his season flight and also halted team’s preparations for the ongoing season. The Suzuki GSVR was previously tested in the winter test session held at Sepang and Losail. Following his fracture he was not able to race at the season opener
round held in Qatar and was ruled out for the Spanish event. His well-talked comeback was witnessed at the Portuguese GP.
Denning added, “The bike is developed quite well, Suzuki has done great work with the swing arm and chassis to improve the tire warm up performance and basically the grip package. The engine is competitive and we just need to keep improving in small steps.”
After his comeback, he struggled to recover from his injuries and perform at his best. Since the Estoril event, the bike has improved gradually and now it has shown good results along with Bautista’s effort.
Denning also added that the rider is also a key factor to perform well in the MotoGP season. He said if the rider is suffering from fatigue or is experiencing mental stress, he can easily suffer in his performance.
The team is extremely happy to see Bautista in a good shape and he is also trying his best to score good points in the races. He has retained his aggressive riding style. Let’s see how he fares in the next MotoGP event after the summer break.
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