Team Suzuki GB has arrived in Valencia with an all-new line up featuring Tom Bridewell and Grant Molloy as the team's two permanent riders. They are joined by Peter Hickman who will ride as a wildcard entry in Spain.

Bridewell, 19, contested four rounds of the 2006 GSX-R European Cup championship, with a best result of second at Silverstone. Molloy, meanwhile, is a relative newcomer - the 20-year-old having only started his racing career in 2006.

Hickman, although not 21 until next Tuesday, is a seasoned campaigner, having competed in the British Superbike championship last season. He was planning to race European Superstock in 2008 but the collapse of his team recently has left him without a ride.

"I haven't ridden at Valencia since 2000," said Bridewell on arriving at the Spanish circuit, "and that was on a 125. The new GSX-R750 looks absolutely perfect and I can't wait to get back on the track tomorrow."

Qualifying begins at 17.10 on Friday, with a further session at 18.20 on Saturday evening. The 11-lap, 44km race is scheduled to start between Sunday's World Supersport and second World Superbike races.

For more information on the GSX-R750, click here .

UPDATE

Spanish resident Kenny Noyes continued his domination of the opening round of this year’s Suzuki GSX-R Cup at Valencia with a faultless start to finish victory in the 11-lap race. Despite strong winds, he controlled the race from the front and ran out the winner by over four and a half seconds. But Noyes is a ‘wild card’, so although he had the glory of standing on the top step of the podium, it is runner-up Ismael Ortega who gets the 25 points. Third place in the race was Austrian Roland Resch, with Spaniard Arturo Tizon third and Italian Simone Saltarelli fourth.
Kenny Noyes

    “I got a good start, managed to pull out a bit of a gap quite soon and then maintained it to cruise home at the end. The biggest problem I had was the wind! It was so strong that it made it difficult to get the bike to turn in some of the corners. I had to really keep my concentration up because it would’ve been so easy to crash. I have enjoyed myself a lot over the three days and it’s been a great experience for all of us racing in front of a World Superbike crowd.  The atmosphere has been great throughout and I hope I get another chance to do it again sometime.”

Ismael Ortega

    “Kenny made a good start and once he was away, I concentrated on my own race because I knew he was a ‘wild card’ and couldn’t score any points. I had a good fight with Tizon and Resch and then moved into second place after four laps. The wind was very strong and it was hard to keep the bike heading in the right direction in quite a few corners, but I was determined to take second spot. The Suzuki Cup is a very enjoyable series and it’s good to race in front of so many fans. Already, I am looking forward to the next round.”

Points standing (after 1 round)

   1. Ismael Ortega 25
   2. Roland Resch 20
   3. Arturo Tizon 16
   4. Simone Saltarelli 13
   5. Lucas De Carolis 11
   6. Alessandro Colatosti 10
   7. Tom Bridewell 9
   8. Timo Gieseler 8
   9. David Juhasz 7
  10. Emeric Jonchiere 6