Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli will make his Team Suzuki Alstare debut in the last round of this year’s Superbike World Championship at the Autodromo Algarve in Portimao this coming weekend.

Two new and talented riders will join Suzuki Alstare for the 2010 season - the 25th anniversary of the Suzuki GSXR - Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli (27) and Briton Leon Haslam (26).
The past few days have been very busy for us. We began our negotiations with Sylvain Guintoli late last Thursday evening and worked throughout the weekend to finalise the agreement. Thanks to the quick response and excellent collaboration between Suzuki Japan, Suzuki GB and Team Crescent’s Paul Denning, we were quickly able to conclude a very satisfactory deal allowing Sylvain’s arrival at Alstare (for the World Superbike Championship, on an official factory bike) and Yukio Kagayama’s return to BSB with Team Crescent, who are looking forward to working with him again.

For the very first time "En vies d'avenir" and Alstare will be partners for the Enduro du Touquet (France) which will take place this Sunday February 22nd.

We want to thank all our fans and partners and all the other people who have supported us over this year.

Team Suzuki Alstare rider Max Neukirchner was voted in fourth place in a poll conducted by British website Crash.net. Nearly 25,000 votes were cast in the poll to determine the top riders in the World Superbike Championship and Max came a superb fourth.

Team Suzuki Alstare rider Fonsi Nieto started from sixteenth place on the grid, but put in storming performances in both races and superbly took a pair of fifth places. It was a mixed day for Team Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner, who crashed out of race one, but the recovered to take a hard-fought for fourth place in race two. For Team Suzuki Alstare rider Yukio Kagayama, it was a weekend to forget. He ended 15th in the first race and an even more disappointing 23rd in the second.

After yesterday's difficult conditions, all riders were happy to see a dry track and sunshine in this morning's timed qualifying and go for a good dry set-up. But all the good work in the session was of no use in the afternoon 16 rider Superpole shoot-out because once again the heavens opened and the 4.592 kilometre track was drenched in water.

The ever changing conditions and a brand new circuit hampered Suzuki Alstare riders Fonsi Nieto and Yukio Kagayama and Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimao, Portugal, today.

The fourteenth and final round of this year’s Superbike World Championship takes place at the newly built Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimao, Portugal, this coming weekend. For Suzuki Alstare riders Fonsi Nieto and Yukio Kagayama and Alstare Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner together with most of their rivals, it will be their first visit to the circuit. However, Ducati Xerox tested there last week and will have collected invaluable data, giving them a considerable advantage going into the event.

Team Suzuki Alstare rider Fonsi Nieto had his best weekend of the year since the opening round in Qatar, by taking a superb runner-up spot in race one at Magny-Cours today. Fonsi had started from the front row of the grid and spent most of the race fighting with Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and eventual race winner, Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha).

Team Suzuki Alstare rider Fonsi Nieto finally laid his Superpole demons to rest by setting the second quickest lap in the 16-rider Superpole shoot-out at Magny-Cours today. Fonsi had been fourth in regular qualifying, but stormed round the 4.411 kilometre circuit in 1:38.574 - a time bettered by just one tenth of a second by Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha).

The changing conditions throughout the first day of practice and qualifying disrupted proceedings so badly that no rider completed more than nine laps in the afternoon timed session. Qualifying had started dry, but after about ten minutes or so, the first rain shower fell, causing the field to scurry back to their garages.