World Endurance Champion Warwick Nowland will give the new Suzuki GSX-R1000, the would be challenger to the Formula Xtreme throne which has been dominated by Yamaha in recent years, its Formula Xtreme race debut at Sydney's Oran Park Raceway, this weekend, April 28-29.

Nowland will be one of up to ten riders who will to the Narellan circuit armed with the very latest in Suzuki's arsenal. The GSX-R1000 has recently been released in Australian and it has all of the characteristics of being a real challenger to the Yamaha R1 dominance.

Nowland was Suzuki mounted when he won the WEC last year and is keen to get back to Australia and compete in the remaining events of the 2001 Yamaha Xtreme Tri-State. He last competed in formula Xtreme in 1998 and has been racing overseas since that time.

"I'm very much looking forward to not only racing the new Suzuki GSX-R1000, but also racing in Formula Xtreme once again," said Nowland prior to his departure to France where he is competing in this weekends Le Mans Endurance race. "I'm actually looking forward to renewing an old rivalry that I had with Robbie Baird back in 1993 when he beat me for the 250 Production title. He is the form rider in Formula Xtreme at present, but I think that I will have a very good chance of overhauling him ion the championship. That's how good I think the new Suzuki is."

The Sydneysider will be out to make it a hat trick of wins in his last three Australian race appearances. He won the Formula Xtreme event at Oran Park in 1998 before returning home late last year to win the Eastern Creek 6-Hour.

"I was very happy with how things went at the 6-Hour at Eastern Creek last year and going from the times I set there on a Suzuki GSX-R 750, I think there should be no reason why we couldn't go a second or two quicker than that on the new 1000," Nowland added. "I wont get a chance to test the bike before Oran Park, but I'm confident that the guys who are preparing the bike will have it all sorted for when we get there."

The debut of the new Suzuki's will add to the fierce action that is building in this years Yamaha Xtreme Tri-State. The Suzuki's will be up against the all-conquering Yamaha YZF-R1's and Honda's CBR929 Fireblades, with a number of the top Honda Xtreme machines being modified to full Formula Xtreme race trim in time for the upcoming round at Oran Park, plus Kawasaki's race proven ZX-9R and new ZX-12R.

Queenslander Robbie Baird (pictured left) currently leads the series after one event accumulating 95 points after taking three wins and a second at Eastern Creek. Second is his teammate Jamie Stauffer (67) and New Zealander Tony Rees (Bikebiz Yamaha) a further two points adrift.

"I've only raced the Yamaha R1 once previously at Oran Park, so I'll be looking at trying to get the bike set up as quickly as possible for the conditions," Baird said. "I haven't raced there a lot before, but I don't mind the place at all. It will be tough, especially with guys such as Craig Coxhell, Tony Rees and Jamie (Stauffer) out there, so I'll just have to concentrate as hard as I can and get the best possible results."

Jamie Stauffer currently lies second on the points table and is hopeful of mounting a serious challenge to his more experienced teammate and current leader Baird.

"It will be a tough weekend but I feel I can get on the winners podium this weekend," said Stauffer. "I haven't ridden the R1 since Eastern Creek back in February, so it will be good to get back on the big bike again. Oran Park is a challenging circuit, plus it will be the first time that I've ridden the 1000cc Yamaha R1 around there and I'm really looking forward to it."

18-year-old Victorian Craig Coxhell, is fresh from a good result at Phillip Island where he finished third in Sunday's Yamaha Production Superbike race.

"I like Oran Park," said Coxhell. "It's technical with a few stop / go style corners which I think should suit the Yamaha R1. I will be going there with the attitude of winning each of the four Formula Xtreme races. Robbie (Baird) was the form rider at Eastern Creek, so I believe that he is the man to beat at the moment."  Coxhell is currently 4th in the Formula Xtreme points but will be out to improve that situation this weekend.

Formula Xtreme Results from round 1
Race 1 - Race 2 - Race 3 - Race 4

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