Stephen Vieira says it's the rider, not the bike

Stephen Vieira says it’s the rider, not the bike

Jul 20, 2010 Sports

-Menezes dissatisfied with his performance

Super Bikes racer, Stephen Vieira dispelled the belief on Sunday that the main difference between him and other riders was the ultra powerful, and obviously advantageous 1000cc bike that he had recently acquired from Canadian racing foe, Kevin Graham.
Vieira, who faced questions, after a thrilling and dominant performance at South Dakota Sunday, that his machine was superior to the rest of the field, said that “the rider makes the difference and not the bike”, informing that he wanted to ride his 600cc bike instead.
The local ace rider said that if it were completely up to him, he would have rode his Yamaha R6 600ccbut his team and mechanics opted for the Kawasaki 2X10 1000 cc machine, which made him hard to beat at the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club contest.
Vieira informed that the bigger bike is much more difficult to control at South Dakota and would have preferred the smaller one on that track.
Nevertheless, he said that the competition was still a lot stiffer even with a bike that gave him a clear advantage.
“It was good competition.
The track was ok, and I think everybody was just good competition on the track today,” he said, adding that it was good preparation for him ahead of the what would be the second stage of the Caribbean Championships in Barbados.
Meanwhile, rival Maurice Menezes indicated point blankly that he felt that he could have done a lot better at the meet. “I am not satisfied with my performance,” Menezes said, adding he needs a lot more work before he departs for Bushy Park next month.
Prior to Sunday’s event, Menezes had indicated to this newspaper that the race meeting would be a defining moment for him because he was wary of being second runner-up to Vieira. Menezes is of the view that his lack of preparation cost him Sunday. (Edison Jefford)