Four teams, a total of seven riders are supported by Honda in the 2001 campaign and following a blistering lap in pre-season testing at Valencia two weeks ago Spain's Pere Riba, riding for the Dutch G. Ten Kate team, is one of the hot favourites for victory on Sunday.

"We have done a lot of testing at Valencia this winter so I am hoping that will pay off with a victory this weekend," said Riba. "The new Sport machine is very good and we have some good tyres from Pirelli so I'm just looking for that little bit of luck you need in Supersport and I know I can do the rest."

Riba's team-mate in the Dutch team is Frenchman Fabien Foret while the Belgian BKM Honda team will run Australian Kevin Curtain and Italian Ivan Goi. The German Alpha Technik team of German Markus Barth and Adam Fergusson has already suffered a setback with Fergusson ruled out of the Valencia round due to a cracked pelvis, sustained in a test session crash. Fergusson is expected to return for the second round on April 22 at Phillip Island, Australia but is replaced at Valencia by fellow Australian Alex Gobert. The Castrol Honda team will field one rider in World Supersport, 18-year-old Australian Chris Vermeulen.

Vermeulen rode three races for Castrol Honda at the end of 2000, finishing sixth in Holland, crashing at the first corner in Germany and finishing 10th at the final Brands Hatch, UK round. "I'm just raring to get going. It seems to have been a long winter and I canšt wait for Valencia. The new Honda is a strong machine, faster than last year and Michelin have definitely put some hard work in with the new Pilot tyres."

Kawasaki returns with its 2000 line-up of Scotsman Iain MacPherson, the Valencia lap record holder, and young Australian Andrew Pitt.  "It's going to feel a bit like we're racing in the Australian championships again," said Pitt. "There's definitely more Aussies in the paddock than last year and it shows how many good riders we have at the moment."

Pitt, whose best result in the 2000 championship was finishing fourth in the round at Donington Park in Great Britain, said rear traction and grip were crucial for fast lap times at Valencia.  "You're on the edge of the tyres all the time, and you need to be able open the throttle and power out of the turns," he said. "The straight isn't very long and there aren't a lot of passing places, apart from under brakes in a couple of corners." 

"As always, it's going to be important to qualify well. I found out last year you need to get away with the front group, otherwise you lose contact with them in the first few laps and it's difficult to close the gap because the bikes are so competitive."

Pitt, who finished eighth in the 2000 championship round at Valencia, said this year's Kawasaki was an evolution of the machine he rode in his debut season in the series.  "Basically the bike isn't much different compared to last year, but there are a number of small improvements and the good thing is we know we've got a proven and reliable package," he said. "Dunlop have also done a lot of work, and we have a better wet-weather tyre than before."

Team Suzuki Alstare Supersport 600 riders Katsuaki Fujiwara and Karl Muggeridge are confident they will both be challenging for the world title in 2001. 

Fujiwara brings a wealth of experience from riding Superbikes and has proved he can match the quickest times during pre-season testing. Australian Muggeridge has raced in this class before and is a proven race winner.   Both riders are very happy with their new for 2001 Suzuki GSX-R600 race bikes and have spent the off-season learning the limits and set-up of the bikes. 

Katsuaki Fujiwara - "Everybody asks me if I think going from a Superbike to a Supersport bike is a backward step, but I am very happy with this change in my life. Ever since I first rode the Supersport bike I felt comfortable and happy. There aren't so many things to change on the Supersport bike, so I could concentrate on just riding hard! For me, this is the fun. The GSX-R 600 Suzuki is a very good bike and I think we will be challenging for the title for sure. It's going to very tough this year ­ maybe even harder then riding a Superbike ­ but I'm really looking forward to it. Last year I had a good result at Valencia on the Superbike, so this year I'm hoping for the same again." 

Karl Muggeridge - "I'm so happy to be part of the Suzuki Alstare set-up. They're the best team in the paddock and I think we're going to have a good year. The GSX-R 600 Suzuki is quite a bit different to the bike I rode last year, but it's fast and handles well. In the winter tests I've been learning to understand it before pushing hard - there'll be enough of that in the races! Last year at Valencia I only managed half the distance, so this year I'm aiming to complete the race, get a good result and start the year in a very positive manner." 

Yamaha has last year's championship runner-up Paolo Casoli joining them from Ducati and Italian Casoli - the 1997 champion - is partnered by experienced British rider James Whitham. Defending champion Jorg Teuchert remains with Yamaha and is again joined by fellow German and last year's Valencia race winner Christian Kellner, this year in a new team backed by Wilbers
Suspension.

The Ducati challenge is expected from hard-riding Italian Vittoriano Guareschi, making the move from superbike to supersport and the 1998 season runner-up will start the year as one of the main championship challengers.

2000 pole position: Jorg Teuchert, Germany (Yamaha) 1m 39.725s
2000 race winner: Christian Kellner, Germany (Yamaha)
Lap record: Iain MacPherson, GB (Kawasaki) 1m 40.199s (June 2000)

Last year at Valencia - Race Report

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a pit pass with Team Alstare Suzuki at the Phillip Island round