Corser puts money where mouth is.

Motorcycling hero Troy Corser has put his money where his mouth is by backing fellow Australian Josh Forster in the 2005 Suzuki GSX-R European Cup Championship.

Currently dominating the 2005 World Superbike Championship aboard his Alstare Suzuki, Corser has teamed up with Suzuki Australia to assist Forster in this year's GSX-R Cup series.

"Josh is a fantastic young talent. I've got a lot of faith in his ability and given a start in the right competition, he could definitely make his mark on the international racing scene," said Corser.

"I know from experience how tough it can be to make it overseas without good solid support and financial backing and that's why I decided to pay the entry fee to enter the series and back Josh. It would be a real waste for such a promising Aussie rider to be left on the sidelines.

"It's absolutely brilliant that Suzuki Australia will support our team with spare parts assistance to help Josh throughout the European GSX-R Cup series," he added.

Previously known as the worldwide GSX-R Cup and run over one weekend, the revised GSX-R Cup program now comprises a five-round championship throughout Europe.

While non-European Suzuki distributors were not scheduled to be involved this year, Suzuki Motor Corporation has allowed Suzuki Australia to field a late entry at the special request of Corser.

At the inaugural round in Valencia, Spain on April 24th, Forster showed much promise in the opening event and, having only received confirmation of his entry one week prior to the event, he qualified 18th and finished a very creditable sixth overall in his first outing.

"Suzuki Australia is very pleased to support Josh throughout the Suzuki GSX-R European Cup Championship. With one round completed, he has already shown a lot of potential and is positioned very well for the series," said Glyn Griffiths, national marketing manager - motorcycles, Suzuki Australia.

"We have a range of on-going initiatives offering assistance for up-and-coming racing talents in Australia; extending this support to a rider contesting an entire series abroad takes our commitment to the next level."

The next round of the series takes place at the British World Superbike Championship round at Silverstone on May 29th, while Corser will be back in action this weekend at Monza.

Suzuki GSX-R European Cup points (after 1 of 5 rounds):

1. David Salom (Spain) 25.
2. Hudson Kennaugh (South Africa) 20.
3. David Fouloy (France) 16.
4. Carmelo Morales (Spain) 13.
5. Mike Edwards (UK) 11.
6. Josh Forster (Australia) 10.
7. Ismael Ortega (Spain) 9.
8. Oliver Skatch (Germany) 8.
9. Dominic Lammert (Germany) 7.
10. Rene Mahr (Austria) 6.