Suzuki rider Chris Vermeulen admits he was blown away by Casey Stoner’s romp to victory in the opening round of the MotoGP championship and says the Suzuki team is working around the clock to close the gap.
“What happened was he blew everyone away. It was amazing. We didn’t expect it to be by that much,” Vermeulen said.
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He finished sixth, more than 30 seconds behind Stoner, but is confident his Suzuki will be more competitive today and as the season progresses.
To underline how serious the manufacturer is taking this weekend’s “home” race in Japan, it sent all its mechanics and technicians straight from Qatar to the Suzuki factory to work on the bikes.
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“Last year was a real disaster but we’ve come a long way forward,” Vermeulen said.
“I think we’re in the best position we’ve ever been in. In my best season I had two podiums and my goal is to have more than that this year.”
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