The team completed six races over three rounds at the start of the season with rider Dave Anthony.

Despite some teething problems with the previously untested Motec electronics at the first round the team are proud of their results and confident that we could have won the championship had our funding not fallen through at the start of the season.

- 6 races
- 3 fastest laps
- 2 race wins
- 3 podium finishes
- 2 lap records

We also finished as top Suzuki four times and led the championship for the majority of the time we were competing.

Roll on 2011.

After missing nearly two thirds of the British SuperBike season due to the last minute loss of vital pre-season sponsors MIST Suzuki opted to return to the championship for the final round.

For the triple header at Oulton Park the team drafted in Australian Chris Seaton as early season regular Dave Anthony was had other commitments.

Facing the complex Cheshire circuit for the first time was daunting enough but it became clear after the first track session that something was amiss with the bike. After several long conversations with the Ohlins suspension experts some significant suspension changes were tried but Chris bravely struggled on with a major handling problem all the way through practice and qualifying.

After being left in 9th place in the Evo class after qualifying there was little time to try more settings with under two hours before the first race. Chris continued to improve as his circuit knowledge improved and he managed a lonely ride to 7th place in the class despite the problems.

With no other options the team worked with Ohlins to investigate the high quality gas forks only to find the problem, a distinct lack of gas. To compound the problem a damaged oil seal was also discovered in one fork preventing the suspension from giving the necessary support to allow the bike to hold a line or turn accurately.

Team Manager Mike Edwards: “Chris and the team worked extremely hard to resolve the handling issues that plagued the first couple of days. Once we found the problem it was obvious that when Dave had slid off the bike in practice at Cadwell Park at the last round in April he must have damaged the suspension but without anyone else riding the bike there was no way to know. As this was his first time Chris wasn’t able to pin point the issue so we were all extremely relieved when the guys at Ohlins eventually found the problem.”.

The warm up on Sunday morning was a much more confident affair but eight minutes before the first race of the day didn’t give enough time to get a good direction on the suspension settings for the race. The fact that the forks were now working well meant that all the set up data from the first two days was wasted so Chris took a gamble and took his place on the grid.

A great start saw Chris battle through the pack until he was comfortably in fourth place. As the laps went on he was soon chasing down the third place rider and everyone was hopeful of a podium finish. Championship leader Tommy Hill was having a disastrous race that ended with his bike depositing oil on the track causing the next four Evo racers, including Chris, to crash in the unexpected slippery conditions. A great team effort saw the bike repaired in time for the restart but this time Chris has to settle for fourth place.

The opportunity to change the suspension based on some good feedback from Chris and the data logging system improved the bike once again and, coupled with an excellent start, soon saw Chris up in third place in the second race of the day. Soon settling in to a strong rhythm Chris was able to lap at the same speed as the race leaders and once eventual race winner Hudson Kennaugh gapped champion elect Steve Brogan Chris was soon closing on second place.

A small error let James Hillier past only for Chris to wisely tail him for a lap to work out the best place to pass. On the last lap Chris made his move around the outside at Island Bends only for Hillier to sit his bike up hitting Seaton and pushing him right to the edge of the track and on to the rumble strip. This allowed Gary Johnson to also come through relegating poor Chris from third to fifth position.

Mike Edwards said: “We all felt so sorry for Chris not to get on the podium when he had two strong chances to do so. He improved every time he got on the bike and once the fork problem was fixed he was able to demonstrate just how good a rider he is. I am sure had we identified the problem on the first day that Chris would have been challenging for the lead in the races.”.

He added: “Despite all the set backs and financial issues we have had a great season in the Evo class. We’ve completed races on three different circuits, still hold two lap records, secured two race wins and had other podium finishes along the way. I like to think that we could have won the championship had we been able to secure the funding to contest the whole series and are already working hard to secure the necessary sponsorship for the 2011 season”.

The team would like to thank Chris for working so hard over the weekend and always putting on a brave face despite some of the issues we faced. Thanks must also go to our main mechanic, Graham Ledger, plus all the other people that have helped us along the way. Thanks also to Tim Seed for the help and advice on the electronics at each round.

Also thanks to those sponsors that did stick by us all season, including GPR for their steering dampers, Silkolene for the oil, HEL Performance for the brake and oil lines, Stomp for the tank grips and Moto GB for their help with the Leo Vince exhausts.

Roll on 2011.

With early season championship leader Dave Anthony having other commitments for the final British SuperBike round MIST Suzuki have agreed a deal for Australian Chris Seaton to ride at Oulton Park.

The team got to know Chris when he competed in the FIM SuperStock Cup class back in 2008 alongside Matt Bond and Gareth Jones who both rode for the team.

Team Manager Mike Edwards said “We are really looking forward to working with Chris as we were impressed by both his speed and his attitude when we got to know him in the World SuperBike paddock. We’ve been trying to find a way to work with Chris over the past couple of seasons as we think he has great potential and are confident he can do the business for us at Oulton Park.”.

He added “With no budget for testing and never having seen the circuit it will be a steep learning curve for him at Oulton Park and we looking forward to helping showcase another talented rider in the BSB paddock”.

MIST Suzuki would welcome the opportunity to speak to any prospective sponsors about support for this final round with a few to working together for the 2011 season and beyond.

Due to a change of plans for 2011 we are now looking to sell our GSXR1000K9 SuperBike EVO machine.

Consistently one of the fastest bikes in the EVO class this bike secured several fastest laps and several podiums in the few races we contested at the start of the season. Won both EVO races at Thruxton and have battled regularly with full spec. SuperBikes in the main class.

The bike was bought new from Suzuki at the start of 2009 and raced for five rounds in the SuperBike Privateer Cup championship, including securing a podium finish at Snetterton. For 2010 our unused standard engine was fitted along with all the parts necessary to compete in the EVO class. The bike is more than capable of winning the EVO class in the right hands.

The bike is now available as a ready to go EVO machine, all it needs are the control ECU and dash that can be rented from the series organisers. It can also be supplied with the standard wiring loom and ECU, plus an Interceptor fuelling box, for use in other classes.

In it’s current form the bike cost £37,000 to build and has been maintained to the best level during that time. The engine has just been rebuilt, the forks were serviced at the last round and the shock serviced at the start of the year.

Suzuki GSXR1000K9
Active QA Throttle
Brembo 320mm Front Discs
Brembo Master Cylinder
Brembo Single Pin Monobloc Callipers
Brembo Z4 Brake Pads
GPR Steering Damper
Harris Adjustable Yokes
Harris Clip Ons
HEL Braided Hoses
Sharkskinz Bodywork
HM Quickshifter
Leo Vince Corsa Titanium Full Exhaust System
Lightek Adjustable Rear Sets
Marchesini Magnesium 16.5″ Wheels
MWR Air Filter
Ohlins FGR900 SuperBike Forks
Ohlins TTX Shock
Standard Engine with Yoshimura Head Gasket
Stomp Tank Grips
Valter Moto Quick Release Fuel Cap
Yoshimura ISC Blind Kit
Yoshimura Second Air Blind Kit

Plus:

Two Spare Front Marchesini Magnesium 16.5″ Wheels w/Brembo 320mm Front Discs
Three Spare Rear Marchesini Magnesium 16.5″ Wheels w/Sprocket Carriers

EVO equipment includes:

Engine Oil Pressure Sensor
Front Brake Pressure Sensor
Front & Rear Suspension Potentiometers
Performance Fabrications Dash Mount
Motec Ignition Module (IGN4)
Motec ISC Controller (to permit engine braking adjustment)
SuperBike Evo Loom (suitable for EVO or main SuperBike class).

Available now at £26,995 (incl. vat).

Since being forced to abandon the Cadwell Park round due to mechanical problems the team has continued to work hard developing the bike whilst searching for the funds necessary to continue.

With the season progressing the opportunity to win the championship has passed but there are still plenty of races remaining to show what we can do. Rather than try to do all the rounds on a tight budget the team has opted to do one or two rounds to the best of their ability, including taking the opportunity to test the new swing arm and factory suspension parts that have arrived since the last round.

Any individuals or companies interested in taking on title sponsorship for one or two high profile rounds this season please get in touch via the website.

For 2011 the team is looking to expand further and build on their skills and experience by competing in both the SuperBike and SuperBike Evo classes.

For the first time this season it looked like MIST Suzuki were going to be racing in warm, sunny conditions at Cadwell Park. Sitting just three points adrift of the top of the points table expectations were high for fourth round of the Championship despite being another circuit for Dave Anthony to learn on a SuperBike.

First practice went well with the team sitting as top Evo bike until the dying seconds when he was just pipped by another rider who had slipped in another new rear tyre. The reduced grip levels from the increasing temperature for the afternoon session caught Dave out a few laps in and he slid off on a particularly fast part of the circuit. The bike wasn’t badly damaged but it cost valuable track time which is crucial racing at this level.

It took a few laps to rebuild the confidence lost in the crash but a new tyre towards the end of the third practice session going faster and in 17th place and 2nd Evo bike. Things were looking good for qualifying but once again the increased grip levels caused problems thanks to our reduced set up time leaving Dave uncharacteristically down in twenty second and fifth Evo runner.

A good start in race one saw Dave make up a couple of places on the first lap and he soon caught Tom Tunstall on his high spec. SuperBike had a lot more power delaying his progress for a few laps. Soon both riders caught the next group slipping by Aaron Zanotti and then chasing down and passing Hudson Kennaugh, his nearest championship rival. With clear track ahead Dave chased Tom Tunstall and the two riders soon started closing on the leading Evo bike ahead.

Despite posting the second fastest lap of the race and closing in on the Evo class leader it was not meant to be as an engine problem soon put paid to the race and the team’s hopes for the race weekend. Despite having rebuilt the engine before the previous round one of the main bearings in the engine had failed and with no spare it was not possible to start the second race.

In typical fashion had it failed at any other point over the weekend there would probably have been time to rebuild the engine from our spares kit, especially as Dave’s lap times from race one would have given him second place in the second race as well.

Team Manage Mike Edwards commented “Not our finest weekend but as all the teams have to drop their worst two race results we are still in second place in the championship but we really should have been leading the class the way things were going. Given the crash on Friday and the changing grip levels over the weekend we never really got a good race setup so if this is what we can achieve on a bad weekend I am looking forward to the next round when hopefully we will have some more luck.”.

After the race Dave Anthony said “It was a bit of a weekend to forget for us really as we have lost a place in the Evo standings but it was just one of those tough rounds. We struggled a bit with grip and then we had a technical problem whilst running second in the first race which meant we didn’t start the second one. We now have a bit of a break and hopefully we can come back at Mallory Park and be on the podium again.”.

The team is now back on the hunt for further sponsorship to allow them to be on the grid when racing resumes after the Summer break.

After taking the double win at Thruxton MIST Suzuki were looking forward to seeing the podium once more at Oulton Park. Having been stuck in the UK since the last round due to the Volcanic Ash situation rider Dave Anthony spent his time rebuilding the race engine in the bike and relaxing ready for learning his way around another new track on the SuperBike.

Reluctant to make any changes on the bike for the first session Dave spent the whole session out on track to get a feel for the place and came away 17th overall and fastest Evo bike by 1.27 seconds. Second practice had him in 20th place and second Evo after experimenting with tyre pressures although normal service was resumed in the third session in 18th and over 0.6 seconds faster than any of the Evo runners.

Some minor changes for qualifying and Dave easily made it in to the second session, improving his best time once again, to line up first Evo rider in 19th on the grid. Things were looking good for race day although the weather forecast was not quite so optimistic. For an Australian who is now settled in California the opportunity to ride in the rain is fairly rare so plenty of fingers were crossed the weather would remain dry.

A poor start in race one saw Dave drop to 25th at the end of the first lap with plenty of work to do. He soon found his feet and fought his way through the pack. Despite a significant power deficit he was running some 1.2 seconds a lap faster than the BMW in second place and soon caught him. A momentary lapse of concentration causing him to briefly run off the track but he collected himself and made short work of the new five second gap. With his rhythm now broken it was a struggle to make a pass that would stick and he crossed the line as the 3rd Evo bike, and 16th place overall, just 0.1 seconds adrift having set the fastest Evo lap of the race.

Things looked good for the second race until the clouds opened 20 minutes before we were due on track. The rain stopped as abruptly as it started only to restart a short while later. We were given a seven minute practice to get used to the wet conditions only for the team to discover one of the front discs was causing braking problems. With no time to change it, and reduced time on the grid due to the delays, Dave was going to have to ride around the problems in the race.

With no experience on how hard to push off the start Dave struggled and was was soon relegated to 26th place (out of 27 remaining runners) over the first couple of laps. Aware that he already had a 27 second deficit over the BMW that was running in 12th place at that point Dave gradually picked up the pace as he got the hang of the conditions and chased down some well established SuperBike riders as he moved forward.

As a number of riders struggled they were soon passed by the Suzuki that just got faster as the race went on. Dave was soon racing over four seconds a lap faster than Brogan on the BMW but just ran out of laps at the end finishing just three seconds behind at the flag and posting a faster lap time than overall race winner Michael Laverty’s final lap. Finishing 16th overall once again and 4th Evo was a testament to just how quickly Dave got to grips with the conditions, especially as he was getting faster as the race went on.

Team Manager Mike Edwards was still positive despite only making one visit to the podium, “We have to be pleased with our performance despite not being able to repeat the race winning form from Thruxton. We led for most of practice and qualifying only to be punished for a solitary mistake in race one when Dave ran off the track and then problems due to the weather in race two. Our tyres lasted so well in the wet that had the race run for the full eighteen laps instead of fifteen I am confident we could have made up several more places which would have assured us a place on the podium.”

He added “We are still waiting for some parts for the bike that should help improve the handling and we have to find some sponsorship if we are to make Cadwell Park in three weeks time. We have shown what we are capable of and are even more convinced we can win this championship with the right backing.”

The second round of the season couldn’t have worked out better for the dedicated MIST Suzuki team. Just two weeks after having run the bike for the first time they scored a whole range of firsts at Thruxton to take the double race win in the inaugural SuperBike Evo series. Having qualified at the front of the strong Evo field rider Dave Anthony also secured the Evo lap record at Thruxton and left leading the Championship by 18 points.

After all the excitement it is easy to forget that Dave nearly didn’t make it as his flight was one of the last to arrive before the airports were closed on Thursday due to the Volcanic dust in the atmosphere. Even at the time of writing he is still waiting to find out whether he will make it home to California at some point this week or whether he may have to stay a while longer.

Having fixed a fuel pump issue at Brands which cost valuable track time the team spent the interim workshop time trying to get to the bottom of why the bike appeared to be down on power. It was only when they got to the circuit on Thursday that a crucial configuration issue was spotted that meant they could fight on more equal terms at the fastest circuit in the country.

According to Team Manager Mike Edwards “A small team such as ours can only achieve so much so it is a testament to the help and support we have had from around the paddock to allow is to come so far in such a short time. The guys from Motec have ben brilliant who, along with Tim Seed, have always made time to answer our daft questions. We also had to call on the Ohlins expertise from Harris over the weekend when we had a problem with our forks otherwise we might not have been running at the front at all.”.

Taking his time in the first session to learn the track and make some minor suspension changes it was the second practice session where Dave showed his credentials finishing a close second in the Evo class before dominating the third session finishing in 16th place overall in amongst the main SuperBike riders. Just ten minutes in to the session and Dave was up in 9th place with a number of factory SuperBike riders left trailing in his wake.

With such a tight budget it was the end of the sessions where many others set their fastest time as they were able to fit new tyres whilst the MIST Suzuki team had to sit on the sidelines and watch the clock. Qualifying went well with the team inside the top twenty and thus making it through to the second qualifying session. Eventually finishing in 18th place Team Manager Mike Edwards was happy although confident that Dave could have gone faster had they more tyres available as they were sidelined half way through the period due to budgetary constraints.

Dave made a slow start in the first race and after being held up at the first corner finished the lap in 26th position a fair way down the field and behind many of the top Evo runners. Showing the same determination he had at Brands Hatch he soon found a strong rhythm and fought his way through the pack and was soon battling with the factory supported BMW that is widely recognised as having a good 20 hp more than the Suzuki. Showing that power isn’t everything Dave would overtake on the tighter parts of the circuit only to see the BMW power past on the faster straights. Swapping places every lap allowed some of the other Evo riders catch up but Dave made his pass on the BMW stick on the final lap and crossed the line 13th overall and 1st Evo bike home.

With the grid for the second race decided by fastest lap times from the first race the team were up in 16th place for the start. Getting off the line better Dave fought his way passed a couple of Evo bikes that had slipped through and rapidly opened a gap on the rest of the Evo field. Once again getting held up by the BMW Dave fought to get by but was regularly demoted again on the faster sections. Long time SuperBike regular Chris Walker had a few problems early on but used his superior power and experience to get between Dave and the BMW for much of the second half of the race.

Aware that the rest of the Evo field was closing in Dave bravely fought his way through to lead for just one lap only to have Chris and Steve Brogan on the BMW power past on the fastest part of the circuit. Giving away 30 hp to the SuperBike he bravely hung on until an incident at the chicane a couple of laps from the end delayed him enough for Tom Tunstall to slip through on another SuperBike. Not to be deterred he crossed the line in 17th place just half a second from Chris Walker in 15th. Another Evo race win and a new lap record to top off an excellent weekend.

Mike Edwards commented “We are overjoyed at the progress we have made this weekend. Our first podium in five years of racing and our second so soon after. Working with Dave Anthony has been a real pleasure. He has the experience to tell us what he needs from the bike and everyone then does their best to give it to him. Now we are leading the championship but still have to secure funding to allow us to compete in the next round at Oulton Park in under a fortnight so in between rebuilding the engine we will be out looking for sponsorship as we are determined to win the British SuperBike Evo championship title.”.

Anyone that is interested in helping the team please get in touch via the team website at www.mistsuzuki.com or email them at ‘mike.edwards@mistsuzuki.com’.

Click here to see read all about us…

This was no mean feat for the former SuperBike Cup team who only decided to enter the class four weeks before race day and then had to build a bike, find a rider and try to finance the race weekend in a short space of time. Many late nights of work followed, including rebuilding the team’s spare engine from 2009 with new standard parts to make it eligible for the class, fitting and configuring a bespoke wiring harness, etc. culminating in finally running the bike on the dyno just hours before setting off to Brands Hatch for the race.

Team Manager Mike Edwards was fairly positive saying “After losing our sponsor and original rider at the end of February we had given up hope of racing in 2010 but as we approached the first round the draw of racing proved to be too much so it was a busy period trying to get everything sorted in time. We still have plenty of parts on order so we are confident that the bike will keep getting better.”.

Drafting in AMA SuperBike privateer, Dave Anthony, was a calculated risk as despite being an experienced Suzuki rider Dave would have to get used to new circuits and Pirelli tyres with no testing time before the first round.

As it turned out the bigger issues delayed early progress, including what turned out to be a problematic fuel pump that cost valuable laps over the first few sessions and a suspension issue caused by a damaged fork internal. After finally managing to get the bike working properly on Saturday evening the first dry track time was the qualifying session where the Dave finished as 5th Evo bike, just 1.86 seconds off pole. A significant suspension change overnight had the bike running in 2nd place for morning warm up on race day and the team confident for the two races later in the day.

Struggling to get away from the line in the first race Dave dropped to 29th at the end of the first lap leaving him with a lot of work to do. Knowing that we had a good suspension set up on worn tyres Dave took the sensible option of settling in to a good rhythm and was soon moving through the pack. The guys that had been 15 places higher early on in the race were gradually reeled in with the fastest laps coming towards the end of the race with Dave finishing 21st, and 5th Evo bike home, just 1.5 seconds off the Evo class podium and a fastest lap just 1.29 seconds slower than the full on SuperBike race winner.

A small suspension change for race two and a much better start had Dave sitting in 24th place on the first lap. Once again lapping faster than many of the bikes in front Dave was held up for half a dozen laps in the middle of the race allowing the riders in front to open up a four second gap. Eventually making his way past he closed the gap rapidly setting a new personal best time to finish in 18th place, 4th in the Evo class, once again just under 1.5 seconds from the second place podium position in the Evo class. Even better Dave’s new fastest lap was only just under 1.2 seconds slower than the SuperBike race winner’s best lap.

Mike Edwards concluded, “With no prior testing and the problems over the first couple of days it was a big challenge but I think we made the best of it. To come away fourth in the championship with a the fastest Evo Suzuki lap time from the weekend is great although I felt we had the pace to make it on to the podium had we managed to get the bike sorted earlier to allow us to qualify better. We will now be doing everything in our power to secure the necessary funding to make it to Thruxton where we hope to have some new parts to make the bike even more competitive.”.

The team have plenty of sponsorship opportunities available to allow them to continue this season and have a lot to offer any organisations interested in seeing their name vying for the inaugural SuperBike Evo Championship title.

5/3 – Investigate SuperBike Evo class.
8/3 – Commit to class & order bespoke wiring harness.
13/3 – Approach MSV about race entry.
15/3 – Order new cylinder head to convert spare SuperBike engine back to stock.
22/3 – Fit bespoke wiring harness to bike.
24/3 – Pick up rebuilt engine & confirm rider.
26/3 – Fit standard engine to bike.
30/3 – Motec ECU & dash delivered.
31/3 – Fit electronics & run bike on dyno.
1/4 – Load truck & head to circuit.
2/4 – Bike & rider run on track for first time.
3/4 – Trace running problems to fuel pump.
4/4 – On track with bike running properly for first time. Qualify 5th in Evo class.
5/4 – Finish 5th and 4th in races, post fastest Evo Suzuki lap of weekend.