Rizla Suzuki MotoGP star Loris Capirossi will make his Suzuki debut in his home country of Italy next weekend, as the MotoGP circus begins an exhausting run of six Grands Prix in eight weeks.

Capirossi has enjoyed huge success on his home circuit at Mugello since his debut at the Tuscan circuit in 1991. The experienced Italian has recorded nine podium finishes, including victory there in the premier class in 2000. Capirossi has never finished lower than 9th position – in a completed race – and will be looking to add to his tally of podiums next Sunday.

Chris Vermeulen will be visiting the Italian circuit for only the third time in his career and will be looking to build on his performance last year, when he qualified on the front row of the grid in wet conditions and then raced to a strong eighth place finish in the dry.

Mugello is situated in the stunning Tuscan countryside just north of Florence, in one of the most perfect settings for any race-track on the MotoGP calendar, and witnessing the locomotion of the Grand Prix bikes as they stream around the 5,245m long circuit is one of the ‘must-see’ events of any race in motorsport.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP takes to the track on Friday for two hour-long free practice sessions, plus a further practice on Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon will then stage the all-important qualifying session where riders will determine their grid positions for Sunday’s 23 lap race that gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT) on the 1st of June.

Loris Capirossi:

“I am really looking forward to racing a Suzuki in Italy for the first time, it is a big moment for me and I know that there will be many fans there. The bike is getting better all the time, but still we must make improvements. I love Mugello and hopefully we can make big steps there and give the Italians and Suzuki fans something to cheer about. I am very determined to do well at my home Grand Prix and will be doing all I can to make it happen!”

Chris Vermeulen:

“We made some important steps at Le Mans both in the race and the test afterwards that put us in a much better position for Mugello. The potential we showed in France was a boost for the whole team but we still have quite a bit of work to do to bridge the gap to the front guys. Mugello is quite a tough track to ride at the maximum level, but I got the hang of it in the race last year and I’m sure having Loris in the team with his ‘home’ advantage will be a big help!”