New parts, combined with the return of some proven 2007 components, helped Rizla Suzuki get its 2008 season back on track at Jerez on Friday.
Although there was to be no headline grabbing individual lap, both Loris Capirossi (ninth) and Chris Vermeulen (twelfth) were within one-second of the top - and lapping consistently quicker than they had at the February test.
"It has not been too bad today!" said Capirossi. "We have started the weekend quite well and we have tried some different things on the bike from what we used at the test here last month. From my side I think we are really now starting to understand what we need to do and for sure we have to improve tomorrow - but already we are not too far from the first guy! We have to keep working in a positive way, but we need to improve the power delivery and also work hard with Bridgestone to try to give us a little more grip."
Vermeulen admitted he was having to 'relearn' the characteristics of the '07 parts, but was more than happy to do so given the improved level of performance.
"It's been a good start here today. We've changed some parts on the bike since Qatar, with some new stuff from Suzuki and also the 2007 aerodynamics," he confirmed. "It all seems to be working quite well and it has made the bike very stable in the corners.
"For me it was very different riding with that bodywork on as it was the first time I'd used it in over four months. It was strange to get on at first, but it's working well and we are consistently quicker than we were at the test here.
"In the last run I did 29 laps on the same front tyre and it performed well, so we seem to have good durability from the race tyres. Tomorrow we will work on getting a bit more speed out of the bike and hopefully we'll be alright for the race," added the Australian.
"The results today don't really reflect it but the second round of the championship has started a lot better for the team than the first round in Qatar," said team manager Paul Denning. "The positions the guys are in today isn't where we want to be but the gap to the front has been reduced significantly, and whilst we weren't able to produce a headline lap on fresh tyres, the pace of both guys on worn tyres was consistent which promises good things for the race.
"We've still got a lot of details to work on, but basically the bikes are working well and the riders are able to concentrate on the settings that will allow them to go fast on Sunday. Today was a decent start, but we will be looking to step it up tomorrow and get the best out of the qualifiers in readiness for Sunday's race," he concluded.
