When John Reynolds was pushing me hard in the late nineties for BSB titles he was always polite and would happily stop to chew the fat and talk about the weather. But that was the limit of our friendship as he never wanted to like rivals too much, just in case it affected his competitive edge. These days, he has no great desire to barge me off the track at Redgate or Cascades so when our paths cross we happily spend time sorting out the problems of the world. I bumped into the family man and pilot, who also happens to be Suzuki GB’s Motorcycle Race Director at Circuito Cartagena in Spain.
NM. So what does your Suzuki role involve?
JR. Basically, I work as a consultant for Suzuki GB on all things concerning racing in the UK. That might be choosing riders, team support and budgets plus attending all the major UK events. I'm also involved in the development of the new GSXRs which is a great honour although it comes with huge responsibility.
NM. You must have been pleased with Alastair Seeley’s BSS championship victory last year then?
JR. You bet. Alastair had a great bike and he is an incredible talent but to be fair the TAS team never stopped improving the package throughout the season. At one point they even went back to trying parts from earlier models, however, I’m pleased to say the 2011 bike always proved to be the best option.
NM. So how come there was no other successful GSXR 600s in BSS last year and none on the WSS grid?
JR. In the UK this was probably down to the GSXR being a new model and totally unproven. In the world championship there was simply no factory support available so we didn’t have any out there. This was unfortunate as I believe the bike would have easily been competitive at world level.
NM. Tell me about the 2012 GSXR 1000?
JR. From the outside this looks like a facelift model but there are many more changes aside from the new single exhaust. It has a stronger, smoother mid range power which I think will work particularly well on the race track. With complex electronics being banned in BSB I think this bike will really suit Alastair Seeley’s riding style.
NM. You still do a bit of track day instructing, are the old skills still in there?
JR. They sure are but I need to be properly bike fit and that involves losing a stone! This winter’s good living has caught me out but I’m now on a mission to sort that out.
And so to the important questions.
NM. I know you enjoy a bit of quality telly so is it Corrie or Emmerdale?
JR. Corrie
NM. And with your chosen lunchtime viewing being Loose Women which one is your favourite?
JR. Andrea McLean
NM. Nice, and recently just become single! It's always a pleasure John.
