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For the 2009 season the Alstare Suzuki team had a new GSX-R1000 to turn into a top level racebike and some instant success was forthcoming, notably with podium finishes in Australia and Valencia for Max Neukirchner, and a third place in Phillip Island for Yukio Kagayama.

But the intensity of WSB in 2009 has been legendary and after Max Neukirchner suffered injury the team's plans for the year were disrupted, holding back results. But there is clearly a lot of potential in the new GSX-R, and when a good race set-up is found real improvements can be made.

Take the example of Yukio Kagayama at the Nürburgring who made a leap forward in laptimes between race one and race two in Germany.

"Between race one and race two, my team and I decided to try a set-up we had never used in a race before," said Yukio. "It was a big gamble and for me it was a bit of a scary feeling because I did not know what would happen. I made a good start and was surprised because the feeling was not so bad and I could lap one second a lap faster than the first race! This setting makes me feel a lot more positive about the next race in Imola and now I am looking forward to seeing if it will work as well as we hope."

Yukio has good reason to be confident for the next round, as he secured a podium place of third at the Italian venue in 2006.