After scoring points at Losail last week GIL Kawasaki riders Katsuaki Fujiwara and Chris Walker take their Ninja ZX-6Rs to Phillip Island this weekend. Qualifying proved something of a trial for both riders in the season opener, partly because of the massive grid of well over 30 riders, and partly as each rider is new to the team for 2008. In the race the riders and machines came good, with Walker ninth and Fujiwara 15th. It was Walker’s first ever race in Supersport, making his top ten finish an impressive feat in such a busy and well-equipped grid.
The Kawasaki duo have tested at the Australian track in the off season, and conducted long runs to test tyres which delivered reasons to be optimistic when raceday eventually comes around, on Sunday March 2.
Katsuaki Fujiwara:
“We had a good test at Phillip Island in the winter and we were able to set a fast lap time. I’m looking forward to the race and I will go there and try my best like always.”
Chris Walker:
“I learned a lot in the Qatar race, and we just have to build on that. I think the biggest thing in these races is to stay calm and let people make mistakes around you. There seem like twice as many competitors on the grid as I am used to seeing and some of them seem to know exactly what they are doing, while others seem less consistent. I think I’m somewhere in the middle! I need to trust in the bike now because it seems capable of a good pace throughout a whole race, more so than one single lap of qualifying. I actually set a better lap in the race at Qatar than I did in qualifying so that was encouraging for the next round in Australia.”
