AIM FOR QATAR PODIUMS

After their recent podiums in the opening round of this year's Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island, Team Suzuki Alstare Brux riders Max Neukirchner and Yukio Kagayama are looking forward to more success in Qatar this coming weekend.

This is the fifth year the desert state is holding a WSBK race and both riders are hoping that the all-new 2009 GSX-R1000 K9 will prove as competitive at the Losail circuit as it did at Phillip Island.

Max Neukirchner:

"It was good to start the year with a podium and now I am looking forward to more podiums. The 2009 K9 is a very good bike and my team has worked hard over the winter and the bike is very competitive. Of course, because the bike is new, I think that there is still more to come from the K9 and it will get better and better and hopefully the results will be good also."

Yukio Kagayama:

"Phillip Island was a good start to the season and I am happy because neither Max nor I crashed all weekend! The team and I have worked hard with the new GSX-R1000 K9 and a podium in Phillip Island was a good reward for all the work done, so thank you to my team. I've had good results in Qatar before, though last year was not so good because I ended up in hospital after a collision with Carlos Checa in race two. I hope this year will be better!"

2008 Qatar Results:

Race 1: 1 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati), 2 Biaggi (I-Ducati), 3 Corser (Aus-Yamaha) 4 Xaus (E-Ducati), 5 Max Neukirchner (D- Alstare Suzuki), 6 Checa (E-Honda), 7 Nieto (E-Suzuki Alstare), 8 Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki Alstare).Race 2: 1 Nieto, 2 Xaus, 3 Biaggi, 4 Bayliss, 5 Fabrizio (I-Ducati), 6 Lanzi (I-Ducati), 8 Neukirchner (D-Alstare Suzuki). Yukio Kagayama (J-Suzuki Alstare) DNF.