Former British Superbike star Yukio Kagayama has questioned the progress of his WSB Alstare Suzuki outfit, saying the bike hasn't developed as much as the other four-cylinder machines around it.

Kagayama, who will ride with the team in 2009, reckons he had a strong start to the year but the other bikes have now caught and passed the factory GSX-R1000.

"At the start of the season, our bike was fast and strong, but maybe the other bikes have caught us up and passed us and maybe now their package is better than ours," he said.

"We have to work hard for the last round, but I want to show that I am a good rider and end the year with a good result. I am disappointed and a bit frustrated this weekend because I feel that I have given 100 per cent, as usual, but my bike was not as good as it should’ve been.

"In the warm-up this morning, we found a better set-up for my bike and the grip was better, so we used this set-up in the first race. But the bike felt different, did not give any better grip and lost positions because I could not lap fast.

"But I never want to give up, so I rode my best and finished the race. For race two, we adjusted the rear shock in order to give more grip and the feeling was a bit better, but not enough to challenge the top positions."