Schwantz, Mamola 'battle' at Valencia!

1993 500cc world champion Kevin Schwantz and former four-times title runner-up Randy Mamola rolled back the years at Valencia on Tuesday, when they completed some high-speed demonstration laps on Rizla Suzuki's 2006 MotoGP machinery.

The pair were involved in Suzuki's journalist test session at the Spanish circuit - and the opportunity to be on the track at the same time was something neither could resist.

Both showed that they had lost none of their racing hunger as Schwantz first followed Mamola around the technical 4km circuit, before the pair exchanged positions.

The 'competitive' side of the demo laps was also evident as both riders unofficially recorded times within three seconds of the average race laps from Sunday's final grand prix of the 2006 season.

"Any time you are out on the track and riding around with Randy it is entertaining, and it can turn into a competition almost immediately," smiled Schwantz, who won his world title with Suzuki. "I had just left the pits and I followed him around the track - which was real interesting for me. Then I noticed he wasn't really going anywhere and I thought jeez I guess I just gotta try and run with him. It was nice to have both of us on the same bike - the GSV-R responded well to everything I wanted it to do. Most of all though it was fun to be out there again with Randy because both of us have raced together in the past, he still looks like the same Randy that I battled against on the track all those years ago."

"It's more than just Kevin and I out there - it is more the history of Suzuki," declared fellow American Mamola. "One of my first podiums was on a Suzuki and I have great memories from that, so it was great to be on the Suzuki bike nearly three decades later. When I saw Kevin on the track I thought this will be cool. Then we started to play and I looked round and he went past me. That was the best bit because I followed him and he still has that aggressive Schwantz style, and he can get the bike to turn right in the middle of a corner so differently to anybody. For both of us to be on Rizla Suzukis at the same time was just fabulous!"