Capirossi, Vermeulen stay with Suzuki

From Team Suzuki News Service

Suzuki Motor Corporation has announced that Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen have both agreed terms to continue riding for the Japanese company's MotoGP squad for a further season.

Capirossi joined Suzuki at the end of 2007 and his wealth of knowledge and experience has been invaluable to the development of the Suzuki GSV-R during this year, both in a racing and developmental role.

Capirossi comes from Bologna in Italy and began Grand Prix racing in 1990. He has won World Championship titles in both the 125cc class (twice) and the 250cc categories. He still holds the record for becoming the youngest ever World Champion and also the record for the longest winning career in Grand Prix racing, a time-span of over 17 years from his first victory (125cc - Great Britain, 1990) to his most recent (MotoGP - Japan, 2007). He has also just broken the record for the most starts at Grand Prix events, an amazing 277 races.

"I am delighted to be staying with Suzuki for another season," Capirossi said. "I have really enjoyed my short time here and know we are making progress and can be on top again. The management has shown faith in me - even though I have not been at my best due to my injuries - and now I must start to re-pay them for their belief in me and to committing to me a further season."

Vermeulen joined Suzuki at the Valencia test in 2005 - having finished as runner-up in the World Superbike Championship that year - and made his racing debut at Jerez in 2006. He achieved his first pole position in Turkey that year and followed up with his debut podium in Suzuki colours at his home Grand Prix in Australia later that same season. Vermeulen then created history for Suzuki by becoming the first winner for the famous Japanese marque in the four-stroke era, when he raced to a stunning wet-weather victory at Le Mans in France in 2007 - a season that also saw him take three further podiums, one pole-position and two front-row starts.

Vermeulen hails from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. The 26-year-old Australian races with the crossed number seven on his bike, a number made famous by the late Suzuki great Barry Sheene.

Vermeulen began road racing in 1998 - after winning a number of Dirt Track championships - where he was soon spotted by Sheene who persuaded Vermeulen to leave his home and race in the UK in 2000. Vermeulen spent two years racing Superstock and Supersport classes in Britain before moving to the World Supersport Championship, a title that he won in 2003.

"I'm extremely happy to be staying with the Suzuki team," Vermeulen said. "It is a factory and squad that I know well and respect enormously. Over the last three years there has been big progress with both the machine and with my level as a rider. I had offers from other teams, but I always felt that I wanted to stay with Suzuki if we could get the terms agreed so that everyone was happy."