Top six for Suzuki Supersport stars.

Team Suzuki Alstare riders Katsuaki Fujiwara and Karl Muggeridge posted top six finishes in the opening round of the 2001 Supersport World Championship at Valencia yesterday [Sunday].

Fujiwara, dropping into the support class after two unproductive years in World Superbikes, narrowly missed out on a podium place to finish fourth in his first WSS race after battling with veteran Piergiorgio Bontempi, pole sitter Fabien Foret and Christian Kellner.

"I'm disappointed because I wanted to finish on the podium, but in the end it wasn't to be," Fujiwara said, "My GSX-R Suzuki ran very well today. We put the forks from my second bike into my number one bike and it was much better. Now I'm looking forward to the next race and getting on the podium."

Team-mate Muggeridge ended the day in sixth position after fighting off the effects of a qualifying crash - which left him fifth on the grid - and a poor start that meant he had to fight his way through the field to make up lost ground.

"I had quite a good race today and I am very pleased to have a good number of points under my belt," the Australian reported afterwards, "The bike ran well today and I am sure that we are far from its full potential. I'm sure we will be challenging for a top three finish every time out."

Honda's Pere Riba won the race on home ground.

British Suzuki rider James Ellison won the supporting European Superstock round at Valencia, taking his GSX-R1000 to a clear win over similarly mounted Italian Walter Tortoroglio. Five of the top ten finishers were Suzuki mounted.