Fuente : Suzuki Racing
http://www.suzuki-racing.com/

SUZUKI : STRIJBOS 3RD ON CZECH MX1 GATE

/noticias.info/ Kevin Strijbos has clocked the third quickest lap-time this afternoon on his RM-Z450 at Loket for the Grand Prix of Czech Republic.

Under occasionally sunny but mostly cloudy conditions for the 13th round of the series, the two free practice sessions occurred largely without problem for the team with Strijbos especially finding a strong early pace and setting the fastest time in the morning period and then maintaining his momentum throughout the afternoon.

The track was difficult: Initially very flat and slow to cut up, the terrain was also quite stony with a lot of pebbles, meaning that the surface was slippery and enforced a degree of caution. The tricky dirt was certainly not an easy prospect for Joel Smets (pictured) who could only manage the 15th best effort in the official chrono but was less than two-and-a-half seconds from the pole time.

Motovision Suzuki Racing’s Yoshitaka Atsuta felt hesitant on the dry mud and struggled to complete a satisfactory flying lap in the 30-minute period. The former Japanese Champion admitted that he liked the circuit but could not establish a rhythm during the afternoon session. He ended up 26th.

Joel Smets:

"Kevin thinks Nismes was difficult and here it is quite easy. For me it is the other way around! The track was really dry with a lot of loose stuff on top and it was difficult to find traction on the corners. I did not feel confident enough to push it to the limit and played it safe. The times are very close and the starts will be very important. If we don’t have any rain or watering then it will be hard to overtake.

"I am going to focus hard on the start and although I am 15th, I think that the gate is equal for most people and should not be too much of a problem."

Kevin Strijbos:

"I felt good on the track all day. The first practice session went well, I pushed for two laps and I knew my speed was good so I saved the rest for the qualifying. Every lap I made I felt even better, so it was very positive. I am training harder every week and I’m happy with the way things are going. I think it was a good time to come to this track. Nismes was hard for me but Loket is not as difficult and I hope this will show in the results."

MX1 Timed Practice: 1 Mickael Pichon, (FRA) Honda 1:47.669. 2 Tanel Leok, (EST) Kawasaki 1:48.334. 3 Kevin Strijbos, (BEL) Suzuki 1:48.613. 4 Brian Jorgensen, (DEN) Yamaha 1:48.703. 5 Joshua Coppins, (NZL) Honda 1:48.799. 6 Stefan Everts, (BEL) Yamaha 1:48.829. 7 James Noble, (GBR) Honda 1:49.007. 8 Ken de Dijcker, (BEL) Honda 1:49.352. 9 Kornel Nemeth, (HUN) Suzuki 1:49.393. 10 Ben Townley, (NZL) KTM 1:49.440. 15 Joel Smets, (BEL) Suzuki 1:50.088. 26 Yoshitaka Atsuta, (JPN) Suzuki 1:51.483
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