Rizla Suzuki lights up for night test.

Tuesday, 26th February 2008

After-dark running to get teams ready for season-opener.

The Rizla Suzuki

MotoGP

team will takes its first laps under floodlights when joins this week's IRTA test at the Losail circuit in Qatar in preparation for the category's inaugural night race.

The 5.38km layout will be illuminated by thousands of high-tech bulbs as Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen take the track for the last test before the start of the 2008 world championship at the same venue next month.

The Italian has already experienced riding at the desert circuit under floodlights, as he was one of the MotoGP stars chosen to test out the feasibility of racing at night when he tested the new system last year on Suzuki road bike, but team-mate Vermeulen will be getting his first taste of the unique conditions.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP still has some important work to conduct during the two-day test to ready itself for the first race a week later, and will be hoping that Capirossi and Vermeulen will get up to speed and adapt to the totally new conditions quickly.

"It is a very exciting thing to be riding the bike at night, but that will also present us with some extra problems that we will need to overcome as well, like where to put the lights on the bike and managing to stay awake!” the Australian joked, "We still have a lot to do at this test, as we are still looking for the best set-up for this year's bike. We didn't get as much dry track time as we wanted at the last test in Jerez, so we need two good 'days' at Qatar to get the best out of the bike."

Capirossi agreed that Losail will provide a lot of new set-up questions for both the crews and for tyre supplier Bridgestone, as they try to come to terms with the colder night-time temperatures that the Qatar desert will bring.

“I tested in Qatar on a Suzuki GSX-R last year under the lights, and the track was very good," he reflected, "It was very bright and almost like daylight - I could even use a dark visor! But [racing in the dark] is going to be a new thing for all of us and I am really looking forward to riding my GSV-R there at night.