Suzuki boss targets next step up

After a slump in form following their 2000 title win with Kenny Roberts Jr, Suzuki have regained ground this year - winning at Le Mans and taking seven other podium finishes.

"Suzuki's not won the world championship this year, so it can always be better," Denning said.

"But from where we started from with the four-stroke project to where we've arrived at now with a very solid, competitive machine with good durability, and a machine that - apart from maybe last week at Phillip Island - has adapted well to most circuits, we have to be happy.

"We're in third position in the teams' championship. We hope to at least retain that, if not possibly even catch Fiat Yamaha for second.

"Our riders are both in the top five in the championship. I think it's going to be a big fight to retain those two positions because Marco (Melandri) and Loris (Capirossi) are very close and riding very competitively.

"But we have to be satisfied with this year as a place to build on for the future, and to bring Suzuki back into a competitive position in MotoGP."

Denning believes that increased support from the Suzuki corporation is playing a big part in the team's improvement.

"We have worked really, really hard at recreating the motivation within the Suzuki company," he said. "You can say that you want to do something, but if you really want to do it, it requires a different level of commitment and motivation.

"Suzuki, at a high level of senior management within the company, are now becoming enthusiastic again about MotoGP. It feels now like we're part of the game again, and we hope to continue that and push a little bit harder in years to come."

Test rider Nobuatsu Aoki is to race a 2008 development bike as a wild card in this weekend's Malaysian MotoGP.

"The machine is not the complete 2008 package, but it's the base for the 2008 machine," Denning said.

"For me it's quite a good signal of Suzuki's commitment that the bike is here already and that we're beginning with something to find our baseline for this year.

"We have two very quick test riders in Nobu and in (Kousuke) Akiyoshi-san, who was flying all weekend at Motegi and really deserved a better result than he got.

"This helps us a lot, because when these guys test we can really trust their comments and trust their results. They've been a big part of Suzuki's development and our steps back towards being competitive."

Suzuki stalwart John Hopkins is to leave for Kawasaki next season and will be replaced by Capirossi. Denning paid tribute to Hopkins, but said he understood why he chose to move.

"We're sad to lose John, who's been part of the Suzuki family now for five years," he said. "But change is always good and I think it's positive for John, and we hope it will positive for us as well. We've had a very good and close relationship with John as a company and personally.

"I don't want to speak too much from the Suzuki side about Loris Capirossi because we have to respect the fact that at this time he's a Ducati rider. I think sometimes things are discussed in the press a little bit too early when we should really be respecting the fact that at the moment Ducati is paying Loris's mortgage."