Team Suzuki factory rider Akira Ryo is set to make two wild-card appearances in next month's Pacific GP at Motegi and the following Malaysian round at Sepang.
The 2001 All-Japan Superbike champion has been engaged in the development of the prototype Suzuki GSV-R four-stroke year and, although he competed in six
MotoGP races in 2002, the massive development effort in Japan has so far restricted his opportunities to compete in this year's series. However, with the development programme now entering a new phase, the time has come to test some of the new ideas and developments under real MotoGP race conditions.
Ryo gave the GSV-R a near fairy-tale debut, taking a close second place in the first ever MotoGP event that took place at Suzuka in 2002, but the bike's performance has tailed off since then, with Honda, Yamaha and newcomer Ducati all getting better results.
"So far this year, my priority has been the continuing GSV-R development and test programme," Ryo confirmed, "This has been very interesting and encouraging, but I am still a racer at heart, and so I am delighted to have the chance to get back to racing in these two MotoGP events.
"Of course, we are still developing various designs, ideas, parts and technologies, but I still want to go for a good result. Because I know these two tracks really well from numerous test sessions, I am hoping for the best. We have a lot of development items to test during these two events, but I would still like to get a good result for Suzuki and all Suzuki customers, supporters and fans."
