Chris Vermeulen will arrive at Brno next weekend riding the crest of a wave, on the back of scoring his maiden dry-weather rostrum finish in
MotoGP last time out at Laguna Seca and re-signing to remain with Rizla Suzuki for a third successive season.
The Aussie took the chequered flag second only to fellow countryman and championship leader
Casey Stoner in California, in so doing cementing his impressive fourth spot in the riders' standings, having already notched up 15 points more than he managed during the whole of 2006. Refreshed and reinvigorated following the mid-summer break, Vermeulen is clearly raring to get back on-track.
“I can't wait to get back in the saddle again,” the 25-year-old enthused. “I have had some downtime relaxing on my boat in Australia – I even went whale-watching – but I need to be racing again; it's my job!
“I'm glad I've got next year's negotiations all sorted and out of the way. I'm delighted to be staying with Suzuki and will now be able to concentrate on my riding and getting the best possible results for the remainder of the season, starting at Brno!”
Team-mate
John Hopkins came home seventh in the Czech Republic last year, but is looking to significantly better that this time around after tasting podium champagne in China, and following the disappointment of an opening lap contretemps in his home race three weeks ago. The 24-year-old currently lies just nine points adrift of Vermeulen in the title chase.
“I was very disappointed at Laguna,” the combative Anglo-American underlined, “but that's racing and it's all done now. I love Brno – it's a great circuit and with how the bike and tyres are working this year I really believe we have a great opportunity there.
“I am fully committed to getting the best out of the GSV-R, and with corner speed being a vital ingredient to success at Brno I think I have a good chance of putting us on the podium again!”
