From a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:

SUZUKI TEST NEW BRIDGESTONE TYRES

Team Suzuki Press Office – November 30, 2003

Team Suzuki rider John Hopkins and factory tester Kosuko Akioshi completed three days of tyre tests at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia today, making their first acquaintance with the Bridgestone tyres that the MotoGP team will use for next year’s World Championship campaign. Riders and team came away with very promising results.

Full-time GP rider John Hopkins not only praised the tyres for their performance and consistency. The 20-year-old Anglo-American also improved on the best race lap time set by a Suzuki GSV-R MotoGP machine, at this year’s Malaysian GP.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” said Hopkins, who faced both wet and dry conditions at the Sepang circuit. “So I was pretty pleased to find out the tyres work really good.

“It gives us all a positive feeling to go into the winter break, after doubts about what to expect,” he added.

Team Suzuki announced only a few days before that they had decided to switch from a long-standing and very successful relationship with Michelin to join forces with the Japanese tyre company Bridgestone for 2004. One advantage is geographic and cultural – both companies are based in Japan, and their development engineers will be able to work closely. Another strength is the rapid development of the Bridgestone tyres during 2003, competing for pole positions and rostrum finishes in only their second year in the premier class.

“I was impressed from the first laps,” said Hopkins. “Tyres are so important, so I have to admit I was a little concerned about what I might find. Right away the grip was good, and when we started racking up more laps the tyres were consistent.

“I was able to get to lap times definitely competitive with what we had earlier in the year. It’s going to be real interesting to work with these guys,” he added.

Team manager Garry Taylor reflected the positive reaction of the Grand Prix squad, after their first experience working with Bridgestone.

“We had three days, but John was only able to do 25 laps on the first day because of the rain. He was really impatient to get back on the bike for the second day, which is a very good sign; and he ran nearly 60 laps, almost three times race distance,” said Taylor.

“The good performance of the tyres wasn’t such a surprise. Everyone has noticed Bridgestone’s rapid rise in results and performance over the past two seasons.

“We were all very impressed with the attitude of the Bridgestone technicians. They are obviously very serious about taking a step up next year. Suzuki feel the same way, and together with Bridgestone we’re looking for success,” concluded Taylor.

The tests were run using the 2003 GSV-R MotoGP racer in the specification in which it finished the season, allowing a direct comparison of performance. At the same time, Suzuki factory race department engineers were hard at work on next year’s development of the 990cc V4 four-stroke racer.