Racing test: MotoGP Suzuki GSV R 800

Does the luck come from the Rizla Suzuki team this time? 800cc racing car See on the new Bridgestone tires, still warm from the last race in Valencia, driven by Australian Chris Vermeulen. Crime scene: Valencia race track in Spain.

Since I do not want to miss the agreed date, I fly to Spain two days before the test. I am wearing racing leather an hour before the start of the ride, so I am full of adrenaline before I get on the GP bomber. The procedure is standard: first talk to the technical team leader who gives me some instructions. In doing so, we are faced with the first technical problem.

Chris Vermeulen is the only one in the MotoGP caravan who uses a shifter that is sold on motorcycles. This means downshifting first and then everyone else upshifting. I haven't used this method in at least ten years, so (for fear of a possible stupid fall) I'm happy to convert the gearbox into a racing version of the shifter. This is followed by a formal conversation with Chris that ends with a pleasant chat about the bike, the track and the 2007 season. Vermeulen then explains to me where the pitfalls of the track are and what gear the individual corners are in. Welcome to school, given that the main prize is yours for only five rounds.

Finally my moment comes and I get on the motorcycle. A mechanic with a special starter starts the engine, which thunders, making everything shake. It's nice to just sit on the bike. Before leaving, I set the front brake actuation or its deviation from the steering wheel. The first lap I drive with restraint. I notice a treadmill rhythm that I have never experienced before. I enter the second lap with full concentration and courage, and the test of five laps ends before I even feel like I have driven three. Why is injustice happening to me, why did I have to drop into boxing and say goodbye to the blue beauty? !! Disgusting, very disgusting!

What is a MotoGP car? First of all, he seems incredibly cultivated to me. The power range is distributed along the entire curve from seven thousand to 17 thousand rpm. No cruelty is felt. With a weight of 145kg and carbon fiber reels, it stops incredibly fast. It accelerates and brakes insanely, but what I admire most is the suspension. The motorcycle is stationary on all parts of the race track. Here it becomes clear to me how Dani Pedrosa can sit and drive a MotoGP racing car with his 48 kilos. The bike is very controllable, you don't really need to hold on to the steering wheel.

The only part of the track where he shows some nervousness is the backs of corner exits? there the bike is tilted about 15 degrees and the throttle is fully open. He also takes over the driver in quick shifts, chicanes. He simply obeys the line drawn in his head. What happens if the head misses? This bike is more forgiving than any other race bike and more than any everyday road bike. If you drive too fast, you brake further into the corner or you drive into a completely different curve. If you are too rough when exiting a turn with the throttle stick, you are kindly warned and the electronics take away the extra throttle.

This bike continues to roll you around the race track, unlike others that will send you through the handlebars into the sand of the race track. With all this simplicity and ease of handling, it's important to know that it has over 70 sensors to adjust the suspension, control rear wheel slip, measure tire temperature, and fully control the drivetrain. ... All this data is recorded and subsequently analyzed to optimize vehicle tuning. In addition to the entire technical package, tires play a decisive role in racing and choosing them correctly. They were determined on the test, and there is not much to say about them. They rode well on the hot Spanish asphalt and brought me to the boxes.

After all, it seems that each of us could be Valentino Rossi or Chris Vermeulen. Everything is very simple. However, driving a race car fast on a race track is something completely different than constantly racing it at the border and in the company of 19 guys who have no brakes in their heads and have only one desire? it is a victory at any cost.

Boštyan Skubich, photo: Suzuki MotoGP

engine: 4-cylinder V-shaped, 4-stroke, 800 cc? , more than 220 hp at 17.500 rpm, el. fuel injection, six-speed gearbox, chain drive

Frame, suspension: aluminum frame with two side members, front adjustable USD fork (Öhlins), rear single adjustable shock absorber (Öhlins)

brakes: Brembo radial brakes at the front, carbon fiber disc, steel disc at the rear

Tires: Bridgestone front and rear 16 inches

Wheelbase: 1.450 mm

Combined length: 2.060 mm

Overall width: 660 mm

Overall height: 1.150 mm

Fuel tank: 21

Maximum speed: above 330 km / h (depending on engine and transmission settings)

Weight: 148+

• Technical information

  engine: 4-cylinder V-shaped, 4-stroke, 800 cm³, more than 220 hp at 17.500 rpm, el. fuel injection, six-speed gearbox, chain drive

  Torque: above 330 km / h (depending on engine and transmission settings)

  Frame: aluminum frame with two side members, front adjustable USD fork (Öhlins), rear single adjustable shock absorber (Öhlins)

  brakes: Brembo radial brakes at the front, carbon fiber disc, steel disc at the rear

  Fuel tank: 21

  Wheelbase: 1.450 mm

  Weight: 148+