From a press release issued by Suzuki:

SURPRISE NEW SUZUKI SHOWS BIG PROMISE AT FIRST TESTS

Sepang, Malaysia – January 16, 2003: First tests of Suzuki’s all-new 2003 MotoGP four-stroke prototypes have left riders and team raring to go, after highly promising first tests and fast lap times on the machine’s first outing in the hands of the full-time GP riders in Malaysia last week.

Kenny Roberts Jr, champion on a Suzuki in 2000, described the new machine as “the biggest jump forward since I joined the factory in 1999,” and his comments were echoed by a team infused with enthusiasm.

Team manager Garry Taylor describes why. “It’s a brand new bike, which the factory had kept pretty quiet about. And it’s a big jump from last year’s bike, in every respect.

“I don’t think any of us could believe how much work the factory had done. The mood is fantastic. It has made everybody that much more motivated to try that much harder this coming year,” added Taylor.

The comments came after a week of testing at Sepang, the Malaysian GP circuit, where factory test rider Kosuke Akiyoshi joined the regular GP riders. World and American Superbike teams were also testing their new Suzuki GSX-R Superbike.

Second rider John Hopkins also spoke about the massive promise of the new 990cc V4, developed from the lessons learned in the four-stroke GP machine’s first season last year. “It’s much better than the bike I rode at the end of last season, and we’ll get it better still before the season begins,” the Californian rider said.

The tests began with a pleasant surprise on Monday for the regular riders and team staff. They had been expecting to test an interim version of the 200-plus horsepower GSV-R. Instead, they found the first version of the all-new 2003 machine waiting for them.

The on-track performance of the sophisticated new iteration gave the team’s spirits a further boost. “This is the first version of the machine, and straight away it was doing better lap times than last year’s,” said Taylor.

“Since the bike is at the beginning of its development, it will get better still before the first race,” he added. “The whole team is really excited and optimistic.”

This is the first of a series of tests in Malaysia, Australia and Spain for Team Suzuki, before the first race of the season at Suzuka in Japan on April 6.

KENNY ROBERTS – “A LOT OF PROMISE”

These first tests went really well, and the new bike has given us reason to be optimistic for the coming year. There are a few major things that still need doing to win races, and improving the top speed is one of them. But the factory has already taken the biggest step forward that I’ve know, even compared with introducing the new four-stroke last year. The new bike has a lot of promise. There’s still a ways to go, but everyone in the team is really enthusiastic. It’s been a great start to the year after a winter lay-off that seems to have gone past in the blink of an eye.

JOHN HOPKINS – BETTER EVERY DAY

This is my second ride on the Suzuki GP bike, and I can notice a big improvement compared with last year’s bike. This one gives me the feeling that I’ll be able to get out and do some real racing. There are still improvements before the machine is fully competitive, but every day so far its getting better, and you can’t ask more than that. It’s my first four-stroke GP season, and of course there’s still some learning to do. But there always is, right up until the last race of your career.