Rizla Suzuki heads into a run of three Pacific Rim races over four weekends - with Suzuki’s home race at Motegi the first venue on the trip.

Buoyed from his performance in his home country last time out, Suzuki’s Spanish rider Álvaro Bautista is in a determined state-of-mind to give Suzuki staff and fans something to cheer about at the 4,801m Motegi Twin-Ring Circuit. The package of Bautista and the Suzuki GSV-R has made big strides this year and is consistently challenging for top-six positions. Motegi will give the team a good opportunity to show the improvements made in 2011, because the circuit should suit rider and machine alike.

The Japanese Grand Prix is a re-scheduled event following the postponement of the original race in April due to the earthquake and Tsunami that decimated parts of the country. Rizla Suzuki has shown solidarity with Suzuki’s homeland since that tragic event by displaying its support on the GSV-R and the whole team is now able to back up those words with actions as it joins the staff from Suzuki’s headquarters in Hamamatsu, at Motegi next weekend.

The Twin-Ring Motegi Circuit is located approximately 90kms from Tokyo, in- between the cities of Mito and Utsunomiya. It is regarded as one of the safest tracks on the MotoGP calendar and the whole circuit has recently been re-surfaced to give an even smoother surface for the MotoGP machines to perform on Rizla Suzuki and Bautista take to the track on Friday 30th September to begin the practice sessions that will lead up to Sunday’s 24-lap race, which is scheduled to get underway at 15.00hrs local time (06.00hrs GMT).

Álvaro Bautista:

“I cannot wait to get back on the bike and continue with the work from the recent races. I am really excited by the way things have been going and know we still have some more steps to take, so Motegi will be a good place to make even further improvements. This is a really important race for Suzuki and all the Japanese people, we have been able to show support on the bike for the country at all the races since the awful disaster, but now we can go there in person and show them that we really are with them. I think it could be an emotional event, but I want to push the GSV-R and myself to the limit and give everyone at Suzuki, and all the team’s fans, something to smile about and be proud of!”