The three day test, held under sunny conditions at the 2.915-mile Algarve circuit, saw Camier experiencing very unusual front brake issues on the first day. However, thanks to hard work by the team and Brembo supplying the latest 2012 calipers, the problem was resolved and Camier was able to concentrate his efforts on the chassis set-up as well as the new Yoshimura engine and Motec ECU firmware.

The final day threw some further challenges at Camier’s side of the garage, but Camier and the team steadily improved to post a best lap time of 1:43:7 on race tyres, just 1 second off leader Eugene Laverty’s best lap set on his Aprilia.  Due to a setting sun and dwindling track temperatures, Camier was not able to post a faster lap-time on soft tyres.

Leon Camier

“Unfortunately we had a few issues throughout the test, which can easily happen with new parts and systems, but I must say I really like the initial feel of the bike. The first day was pretty much lost due to the front brake problem and we had some issues with the new electronics – so there is still a lot to try out still with the chassis to find the exactly right set-up for me.

“But at least we now know what needs to be done and we can head in the right direction at the next test, where I hope to get a lot more time out on track to find my ideal setting and post some faster lap times.”

Jack Valentine

“It was a pretty frustrating start to the test, particularly on Leon’s side. The first day was hampered with a braking issue, and the second saw us struggling with the bike’s firmware. However, once we reverted back to our old settings on Leon’s bike he was able to get going properly. He posted some quick times on the race tyres on day three, after which some mechanical issues put us back again.

“He then went on to post a 1:43:7 with the new firmware, which puts him a second off the fastest lap set by Eugene Laverty, but is very close to the rest of the field running in the mid 1:43s. Leon’s done a great job considering he was only able to do 120 laps across the three days, and I’m convinced we are going to improve from here on.

“On a final note – despite a few set-backs, the team is bonding really well and I’ll ensure we take all the positives forward. Yoshimura’s support and team spirit was also very welcome – we’re looking forward to 2012 together.”

This will be Camier’s first outing on the Crescent Suzuki, during which he aims to familiarise himself with the bike and try out numerous chassis set-ups to establish a solid foundation to work from. Running existing engines from Crescent as well as new performance partner Yoshimura, another aim of three day test will be not only to test the new engines but also to fine-tune the Motec electronics package. Camier, who is very familiar with the Portimão track having completed his last race there only six weeks ago, cannot wait to get out on track with the Crescent Suzuki.

He comments: “I’m very excited to get out on the bike. There is a lot to test on the Crescent Suzuki and I’ll be getting to know the team. My focus will initially not be solely on lap times; at the minute it’s more about getting comfortable with the bike and having a good platform for the next test.”

With Crescent Suzuki’s Californian star, John Hopkins, sidelined due to the ongoing recuperation of his recently operated finger, newly crowned British Supersport Champion Alastair Seeley will be riding the other Crescent Suzuki to add valuable input. As part of the Suzuki family, Alastair is relishing the opportunity to test with the squad.

He says: “I’m really excited about testing with Crescent Suzuki. It’s always interesting to see how things work with another team, plus it will be great to be back on a superbike after a year in a different class.”

Crescent Suzuki Team Manager Jack Valentine is also very excited about getting the team’s SBK effort underway: “I’m really looking forward to getting Leon on the bike. We’ll be aiming to get a good chassis set-up for him, and if he clicks with the bike early on – then we’ll be looking at lap times. But my primary aim is to get Leon comfortable on the bike so he can head into the winter testing break with a good feeling.

“We will also be testing engines and electronic packages with the help of Alastair Seeley, who is standing in for the injured John Hopkins. Alastair proved this season in British Superbikes what a good rider he is, so we believe he’ll give us some useful input towards the development of the bike.

“And last but not least, the team itself has had some new additions to it, making this trip somewhat of a team bonding exercise. So far the lads have gelled really well in the workshop, so I expect this will be the case in Portugal.

“The main thing is to come away happy, focussed, and with some positive feedback that will allow us to step up again before the next test in the new year.”

Yoshimura will build, supply and develop the engines for the Crescent Suzuki GSX-R1000 that will participate in the 2012 World Superbike Championship, as well as supplying bespoke race performance exhausts The Yoshimura engineers have already spent some time at the Crescent race headquarters in Verwood and evaluated the development that Chief Engineer Lez Pearson and his team have already made with the 2011 GSX-R engine. The Japanese company will work alongside Crescent to develop the motors further and make them as competitive as possible in time for the start of the 2012 season.

Yoshimura has an enviable record in the world of motorcycle racing and tuning. The company was started in 1954 by Hideo ‘Pops’ Yoshimura in Japan, followed by the opening of a tuning shop in North Hollywood, America in 1971. The work ethic and dedication installed into the company from day one by Pops still holds strong today and has seen Yoshimura have success in MotoGP, WSB and many national championships as well as in the world of motocross and supercross racing. Pops passed away in 1995, but his legacy will live forever in the history of motorcycle competition and it is that spirit and drive that Crescent Suzuki will now be a part of for its attack on the World Superbike series next year.

Crescent Suzuki SBK – powered by Yoshimura – will begin testing later this month with Leon Camier who was recently named as the first racer to join the team. His team-mate will be announced soon, as will further sponsorship and partner agreements. The 2012 World Superbike championship kicks off at Phillip Island in Australia in February.

Fujio Yoshimura – Owner, Yoshimura Japan:
“We at Yoshimura greatly appreciate this collaboration and it will be our highest priority. Thanks to Paul and Crescent Suzuki for trusting our engine tuning capabilities and our passion towards competing at the front of the 2012 WSBK Championship Series. We believe Crescent Suzuki has a record of structuring the best racing team in the BSB championship series, with very dedicated technical and supportive team members presenting the most competitive machinery and riders at all races. We hope that the partnership between Yoshimura and Crescent Suzuki will be the most perfectly matched racing team on the WSBK circuits!”

Paul Denning – Crescent Suzuki Team Principal:
“When Fujio and Yohei came to see me at the Japanese Grand Prix to discuss this partnership, it was clear that their passion and enthusiasm to work with Crescent Suzuki on the global stage was genuine and something they felt strongly about. For us as a team it is a significant level of assistance and a substantial boost to our performance potential. The Yoshimura company was built on engineering the best possible performance from engines and exhaust systems, and that principle has never changed. It is also very pleasing that the whole attitude to the project is of open communication and using the best combination of Yoshimura’s own concepts and ideas and those which already exist in the Crescent developed engine.

“Yoshimura is a global household name in the motorcycle industry and we are very proud that they have shown such trust in the Crescent Suzuki World Superbike team to partner us so closely, and for us to uphold their honour on the world stage.”
Jack Valentine – Team Manager:
“I’m very excited with the ‘Powered by Yoshimura’ partnership for next year and after spending time with Fujio, Yohei and the Yoshimura team both in Portimao and at the Crescent workshops, I can see they share the same passion and vision as our team. With that in mind it should make for a formidable partnership in SBK 2012.”

Right from its birth when the first shop opened its doors in Guernsey in 1936, racing was in the blood, with support for the islands Triumph sand racing team, starting in 1940.

In 1949 Crescent relocated its shop to Bourenmouth and in 1963 signed up as a Suzuki dealership and it was then that the seeds for success were sewn. 

In 1994 Paul Denning, son of Crescent owner John, took an interest in his dad’s business and racing. After club racing for two years, he graduated to British Superbikes in 1996 and managed a couple of top 10 finishes before realising he would make a better team manager than racer, so returned in 1997 with riders Jim Moodie, Matt Llewelyn and John Crawford challenging for top honours.

The race success grew with time as Crescent became the official racing arm of Suzuki in the UK; winning three British Supersport Championship titles, one British Superbike Championship (including nearly 40 race wins in total), World Superbike pole positions and podiums and on top of that, Paul is now the Team Manager for the Factory Suzuki MotoGP team and has had a colourful career so far, with several race wins and podium finishes.

After nearly 70 years of racing, the history books are now steeped in Crescent’s achievements and we hope to continue adding to this in the future.

In 2009 the Yamaha franchise was added to the fold and in 2011 Kawasaki, KTM, Aprilia, Moto-Guzzi, Piaggio, Vespa, Gilera & Derbi were introduced, increasing Crescent’s exposure in two wheel culture.

Results:

2011

British Superbike Championship
2nd – John Hopkins
7th – Jon Kirkham

2010

British Superbike Championship
3rd – Tommy Hill
15th – Yukio Kagayama

2009

British Superbike Championship
8th – Sylvain Guintoli

2008

British Superbike Championship
4th – Tom Sykes
14th – Atsushi Watanabe

2007

British Superbike Championship
7th – Chris Walker
9th – Cal Crutchlow

2006

British Superbike Championship
6th – Shane Byrne
15th – James Haydon

2005

British Superbike Championship
9th – John Reynolds
11th – James Haydon
14th – Scott Smart

2004

British Superbike Championship
1st – John Reynolds
3rd – Yukio Kagayama
22nd – Gregorio Lavilla

2003

British Superbike Championship
2nd – John Reynolds
7th – Yukio Kagayama

2002

British Superbike Championship
6th – John Reynolds
12th – Karl Harris
20th – Giovanni Bussei

2001

British Superbike Championship
7th – John Crawford
Niall Mackenzie (not full season)

2000

British Superbike Championship
2nd – Chris Walker
8th – John Crawford

1999

British Superbike Championship
5th – James Haydon
8th – Marty Craghill

1998

British Superbike Championship
5th – Terry Rymer
7th – James Haydon

1997

British Superbike Championship
8th – Jim Moodie
10th – Matt Llewellyn

For more information please visit: http://www.crescent-motorcycles.com

Rosemary: I have followed motorcycle sport since 1946 and every time I hear Leon’s surname I wonder if he is related to the Camier Brothers (Tom, Bill and Bert) who raced on the grasstracks in the 40′s and 50′s.

Leon: Yes they are! They’re my dad’s uncles! 

Federica: How do you feel when you see your fans in front of you and what is the best demonstration of love from them???

Leon: The best thing is when people just go mental, jump around and make as much noise as possible. I guess the only thing that beats that is if you’re a good looking girl and you flash me, that’s a pretty good demonstration too!  I once had someone faint when they met me. I was quite flattered but it turned out they just had a blood pressure problem.

Gemma: How do you come up with your helmet designs and how many designs do you use in a season and why have you decided to live in Andorra as opposed to the Isle of Man where most of the British Riders are based?

 Leon: I’ve had about four different designs this year. Each one is a moved on version of the last. I have some ideas and work on them with Andy and Mick from Rage Designs, and then he goes away and works his magic. What a lot of people probably don’t know is that on each of my designs there’s hidden symbols and pictures that mean something to me and that unless I showed you and told you what they were, you’d probably never see them.

And as to why Andorra over the Isle of Man, it rains too much there for me and I prefer the sun of Andorra! Also it’s a good place for riding my Sherco in the mountains.

Adam:  How do you relax on and off the track?

Leon: I don’t really do any relaxing on the track! But in between races I just do whatever to keep my mind off racing, whether it’s just watching TV or joking around, but nothing specific!

Raymond:  What have you got planned merchandise-wise this year?

Leon: No exact plans just yet, but we’d like to do something. If everyone can let us know what sort of thing they’d like to see us produce, we can look at it!

So to begin with, why not check out the image gallery to see the Suzuki GSX-R1000

Following the announcement that it would be competing on the world stage next season, Crescent Suzuki is extremely pleased to secure the talents of one of the top young stars in World Superbike.

Hailing from Ashford in Kent and currently residing in Andorra, Camier already has a wealth of experience in high-level racing and includes three British Championships – 125cc in 2001, Supersport in 2005 and Superbike in 2009 – amongst his achievements. He will begin testing the Crescent Suzuki GSX-R1000 later this month and is confident for the challenge ahead.

Crescent Suzuki will announce Camier’s team-mate in the very near future, as well as confirming its commercial partners for the forthcoming season in due course. The first round of the 2012 WSB season is scheduled for Sunday 26th February at Phillip Island in Australia.

Leon Camier:

“I am absolutely thrilled and excited to be joining the Crescent team and with the opportunity to ride the GSX-R1000! My first two years in WSB have been tough but I’ve learnt a lot and had some good results to build on, so this is a great opportunity for me. I have met with Jack and Paul and it’s clear that the team’s attitude suits me perfectly. I feel we all have the same goals and I can’t wait to start testing. I’m really looking forward to the new season and I believe that the Suzuki GSX-R is certainly a very capable bike, especially with the technical plan the guys have in place. This is a fantastic chance for me to take the next step in my career and I’m very thankful to the guys at Crescent for giving me the opportunity.”

Jack Valentine – Team Manager:

“We are really pleased to get the first signing under our belt! Leon is a rider I’ve always admired and he did a super job when he was in BSB. We’re all looking forward to welcoming him to the team and I’m sure he will fit in well. We work as one team in the garage and this creates a good, strong atmosphere and I am sure that is something that he will benefit from. The Suzuki GSX-R is more than capable of achieving podium results in World Superbike and Leon has already showed that he is capable of producing them as well, so we should be a good partnership. I am sure that the addition of an aggressive, focused rider like Leon to our team, plus the developments planned for the 2012 GSX-R1000, will put us in a good position for the start of Crescent Suzuki’s first year of World Superbike competition.”

The Scott Trial is a time and observation event run over an off road course of approximately 84 miles, divided into approx 75 sections. Leon previously took part in the challenge back in 2008 when only 60 riders out of the 200 entrants managed to finish.
 
“Malcolm and Rhoda Rathmell who run Malcolm Rathmell Sport, once bet me that I’d never be able to make it through the first section of the trial, let alone to the first fuel stop. So in 2008 I decided to take on the bet and prove them wrong. I got much further than they thought I would. I ran out of time just before petrol check four out of six, which isn’t bad considering. More importantly, I won the bet!”
 
On the coming weekend Leon added, “I’d like to get to the finish in a decent time one day. It’s the toughest one-day trial there is and so I might not finish it this time, but I’ll keep at it.”
 
Leon will be joined at the event by fellow World Superbike rider Leon Haslam. “I think we’ll have to help each other as much as we can. We’ll be getting stuck in muddy banks, trying to get up rivers, the whole lot, and against the best trials riders in the world. This isn’t our normal day job so I expect we’ll struggle technique-wise against these guys but at least I want to go further than I managed in 2008, that’s the goal.”

Leon will compete in the 2011 Scott Trail for MRS Sherco.

PICTURES: Nige Pearson Trials UK Media

From the back of the 3^rd row of the grid, Leon headed into today’s two 22 lap races knowing he faced a hard task ahead. After a good getaway from the line in Race One, Leon had an early battle with Leon Haslam and teammate Max Biaggi. On the second lap, Leon ran off track to avoid a rider, dropping down to 22^nd and last. Over the following laps Leon made his way through the field and with 3 laps to go, moved up to 12^th by going around the outside of Ayrton Badovini on the BMW.

A better start to Race Two placed Leon 7^th in the early stages. Leon once again got the better of Badovini on lap 7 but by this time the top 5 had already pulled out a considerable gap ahead. Whilst fending off a challenge from his teammate Max Biaggi, Leon consistently lapped quicker than those ahead to fight his way up to the back of the leading group. Unfortunately he ran out of laps before he could mount a challenge, crossing the line in 6^th.

 “Two odd races for me – said Leon –because for long sections of the race I was among the fastest on the track. Unfortunately, starting from behind it’s always difficult to recover positions, especially in Race 1 because in the first stages I lost time going wide. I would have liked to end this experience on the podium. Unfortunately we weren’t able to demonstrate our true potential this year. I’d like to thank everybody anyway: my team for their constant support and Aprilia Racing for giving me the opportunity to race in World Superbike”.