Rizla Suzuki British Superbike team riders Shane Byrne and James Haydon put their new GSX-R1000 K6 race bikes through 200 laps of intense testing at Snetterton in Norfolk this week. With track temperatures barely above freezing, both riders lapped within a tenth-of-a-second of each other. The Rizla Suzuki Team will test again at Mallory Park on March 14th. Shane Byrne: “Since the test finished I’ve been sitting in my car with the heater and heated seats working overtime. It was very cold today on track but that didn’t prevent us from doing a lot of laps and getting to know the bike better. I’m really pleased with the amount of laps I was able to do and the feeling I’m getting for the bike. “I think we went as fast as we could given the conditions. Chances are we will be racing in cool conditions at some stage this season given the British weather and today will stand us in good stead when that happens.” James Haydon: “It’s great to get back out on the Rizla Suzuki and blow the cobwebs out of my system. By the end of the day I felt I had brushed off most of the rust from the winter lay-off and now I’m ready to really ride and race again. “It was bitterly cold on track but that wasn’t going to stop me from completing as many laps as I could and I feel we have made a positive step forward. I’m enjoying my riding and can’t wait for the next test.” Niall Mackenzie – Race Operations Manager: “Despite the chilly conditions, we achieved quite a lot. Both riders completed nearly 100 laps to kick off what will be a fairly intense testing schedule over the next three weeks in the lead up to the first race. “The new evolution of the Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 is excellent. We have a strong engine, chassis and suspension package. We go to Mallory Park next week with a spring in our step after today there’s nothing like getting out on the bikes to fire the riders up.