“On day three we did some long runs to try and find a good set-up to conserve tyre life, but we didn't really do any work on the electronics because we wanted to understand what the bike was doing first. Each day, I got more confident in the bike and more comfortable.

“I am sure I would've gone faster at the end, were it not for a swing-arm that was a bit too long. But, I'm happy generally and looking forward to the next time on the bike and improving it for the start of the season.”

Assuming they will run three bikes again next season, Suzuki are the only factory-backed team yet to announce their full rider line-up for the 2009 season. Fonsi Nieto raced alongside Neukirchner and Kagayama this year, although an extension to his contract is still to be confirmed.