Suzuki defiant despite quiet qualifying.

Rizla Suzuki riders John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen believe they can fight for the podium in Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix, despite qualifying seventh and ninth.

"It's not exactly where I wanted to start the Turkish Grand Prix, but I think from the front of the third row I can get a pretty good start," said Hopkins. "We have found a good set-up for tomorrow's race and I think we'll be able to run at the front! It will be a case of getting a good start as it will be a bit difficult to pass here as it's so slippery off-line. There are a couple of good braking spots where you might be able to get past, but it will be tough. I need to put my head down, run at the front and go for the podium!"

"It was a much better qualifying than the previous two races - we've made a big step forward, not only in qualifying but in race set-up as well," added Vermeulen. "We've done a lot of laps on both front and rear Bridgestone tyres and they seem to stay very consistent so we hope they will continue to do that tomorrow. Starting from the third row will make my job a bit easier, but I still need to get through quickly and onto the front group if I want to get on that podium!"

"Neither John nor Chris got quite the result they wanted, but that doesn't disguise the fact that they have improved dramatically over the weekend and equally have a good race pace," insisted team manager Paul Denning. "Both the guys – fingers crossed - look to be increasingly competitive for tomorrow's race. Bridgestone will be slightly disappointed with the qualifying tyre performance, but they need to be congratulated for improving the grip and durability of the race tyres so dramatically - which is far more important! If the guys get off the line well tomorrow I am sure they will both be in the hunt for success!"

Crash