Team Suzuki Europe ready for Superstock debut

Team Suzuki Europe will make its debut this weekend at Aragon in Spain for the opening round of eight in the 2015 FIM Superstock 1000 Championship. Team riders Wayne Tessels – the 2014 Superstock 600 Championship runner-up - and Nigel Walraven are both optimistic and positive following pre-season testing at Motorland Aragon, Portimao in Portugal, Cartagena in Spain and also a one-off appearance aboard their GSX-R1000s at the opening round of the British Superbike Championship’s Superstock class last weekend at Donington Park in the UK. Team Manager Marc Hoegee said: “In general we have had a pretty good test program, we achieved a lot although the weather hasn’t been on our side at some of the tests. All the tracks we’ve been to are quite different and it was good to find a base set-up for most of the tracks. After many different set-ups we got to understand the bike even more. The Suzuki GSX-R1000 is a great bike and we’re fully confident to be competitive in the FIM Superstock 1000 class. This weekend is the first race, we’ll see who’s got the best package, but our team is ready for it! Walraven said: “The nine days of testing went really well, the team worked hard and we made a lot of progress in getting the best set-up. I already know the Suzuki, but the new tracks have been a great challenge; and I loved riding at Donington and Portimao the most. We gave our best to be ready for the first race and I can’t wait for the lights to go green. A big thanks to my team and sponsors!” Tessels said: “We started well and immediately had good and confident feel with the Suzuki. I had to get used to the power of the 1000cc, but I adapted quickly. At a wet Portimao we fine-tuned the K-Tech suspension and made big steps on the track. At Cartagena we had a lot of riding time and used that time to test different settings. I can’t praise the team enough for the work everyone has put in and I feel confident about this weekend’s race.”