Team Suzuki's Steve Ramon finished Timed Practice with the fifth fastest lap at a sunny but breezy Sugo for the Grand Prix of Japan and the sixth round of 15 in the 2007 FIM MX1 World Championship. The Sugo circuit was as well prepped and challenging as it had been for the previous two years. The soft terrain had a liberal coating of heavy rain throughout Friday afternoon that caused the mud to become rough and rutty very quickly into the practice and qualification schedule. Some sections remained boggy and slippery which presented some problems.
Ramon, who finished second two weeks ago in Germany, started the day slowly with 13th position in the first free practice before rising to 8th in the second outing. He modified the RM-Z450 by altering some carburetion settings and also the balance of the machine. In the Timed Practice he remained among the leading group and posted a lap less than a second off the pole-time for 5th spot.
Kevin Strijbos experienced a forgettable day in which he was simply unable to get comfortable on the track and could not attack the bumps with confidence. Despite several tweaks to his four-stroke the 21 year old Belgian could do no better than 15th for his lowest qualification slot for more than two years.
Good weather conditions are also predicted for tomorrow's grand prix motos.
Steve Ramon:
"The first practice was a little bit difficult for me in terms of getting the right set-up for the bike so we changed the front suspension and it was better for the second session. I still wasn't that comfortable but could find the speed for fifth and that is quite good here and for the start gate. The difference in times is not that big so we will see tomorrow. I hope I can get a good start because it will be important."
Kevin Strijbos:"It was a bad day; it started badly and ended that way. I struggled to find the right settings. In the first practice the front forks were not working how I wanted so we changed them. The second session was good and I felt that I was riding alright but I looked at the screens and I was three or four seconds slower. I don't know what was wrong and I only hope I can shake out of it for tomorrow."
MX1 Timed Practice: 1. Joshua Coppins (Nzl) Yamaha 1:45.530,
2. Billy Mackenzie (Gbr) Kawasaki 1:45.827,
3. Ken De Dycker (Bel) Honda 1:45.925,
4. Sebastien Pourcel (Fra) Kawasaki 1:46.000,
5. Steve Ramon (Bel) Suzuki 1:46.233,
6. Tanel Leok (Est) Kawasaki 1:46.489,
7. Jonathan Barragan (Esp) Ktm 1:46.994,
8. Maximilian Nagl (Ger) Ktm 1:47.145,
9. Manuel Priem (Bel) Tm 1:47.303,
10. Marc De Reuver (Ned) Yamaha 1:47.306.
15. Kevin Strijbos (Bel) Suzuki 1:48.086.
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