From a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

ALSTARE CHASE AUSTRALIAN ROSTRUM.

2004 Supersport World Championship.
Round 2 Preview, Phillip Island, Australia, March 28th.

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra head for this weekend’s second World Supersport Championship round at Phillip Island, Australia, aiming for podium positions.

And for team riders Katsuaki Fujiwara, Stephane Chambon and newcomer Vittorio Iannuzzo, it will be an opportunity to see if all the hard work and technical modifications the team have made since the opening round of the series in Valencia, Spain, has paid off.

The 4.445km track is a favourite amongst racers and is one of the few circuits in the world with an ocean backdrop. All riders and teams look forward to the Phillip Island event and this year will be no exception, including the Alstare Team, who have worked on boosting the top end power on the new 2004 GSX 600R.

KATSUAKI FUJIWARA:

“Considering this is a new bike and that I had a very high fever in Valencia, our results were very good indeed. There is always a lot of work to be done with a new bike and we didn¹t have much time to do it before the first race. Valencia is also a tough circuit and also remember that our competitors have raced on Pirelli tyre before, whereas this was our first time. I like Phillip Island circuit and if our bike has similar top speed to the others, I can get another podium.”

STEPHANE CHAMBON:

“I¹m happy to have got Valencia out of the way because I don¹t like the track at all. In practice, the winds were strong and I had a lot of difficulty controlling the bike! At the stage of development we were at in Valencia, I was quite happy to finish in the top five, but now I want a podium and I want it soon! There¹s still lots to be done on the new GSX 600R and we have to be on the pace sooner rather than later. I like Phillip Island, so I¹m hoping for a good result.”

VITTORIO IANNUZZO:

“I was very happy to finish sixth at Valencia after qualifying seventeenth! Kats and Steph are used to riding Supersport bikes, but I was on the GSX 1000R last year, so I have to learn to adapt to the smaller bike and its different characteristics. It¹s a new bike for the team and it¹s a very new sensation for me, but we are all working hard and making progress. I hope to be attacking the podium within a few races for sure.”