Suzuki aims for consistency over complacency.

Team Telefonica MoviStar Suzuki is spending the mid-season break not looking back over their success so far, but looking forward to ensure that the championship lead secured by Kenny Roberts carries him through the last six races to win the World Championship.

Roberts and the Suzuki have been significantly the most successful combination so far this year. He has three wins so far; and his points lead is 38, but team manager Garry Taylor sounds a strong note of caution for the top team so far of the year 2000.

''I am unhappy with our lack of overall consistency,'' he said, ''and believe that if the competition was doing anything like a workmanlike job, we wouldn't be looking at the lead we have.

''Kenny has three fine wins, but we have also had some notable screw-ups - at Mugello, at Assen, and in South Africa ..... again. Championships should be won by consistency rather than erratic strength. This year it seems the other way around - as if the championship will be lost by inconsistency.''

The second part of the year was not likely to be so easy for Roberts and Suzuki, predicted Taylor, as British GP winner Valentino Rossi gains experience in his first season in the premier 500 class.

''I believe Rossi and Barros will be the riders we will have to beat for the rest of the year, as Rossi learns the bike more, gets more confidence in himself and the machine, and learns to work better and better with the very experienced team who are behind him; and as Barros continues to improve,'' said the team boss.

Statistics comparing this year with last show that Roberts has done better in 2000 up to and including the German GP, though he has had one more race this year to do so. He has improved on his number of pole positions - three so far against two last year; and started from the front row every race but one this year, whereas last year he was twice on the second row. Last year he had three wins by now, the same number as this year. Last year he was second in the championship by 47 points; this year he leads by 38.

But his lead is not so much because of his own results, but because the opposition has been fragmented, with the other six races won by six different riders.

''It's made for great racing for the spectators, and a boost for GPs in general. But from the point of view of the team, that's secondary to winning,'' Taylor said, ''As a team and as a factory we must spend the gap working on ways to lift our own game to achieve better consistency. We have to improve the machine performance all round, in order to allow Kenny to shine even more than he has already.

''Our biggest worry and fear is lapsing into complacency - for the factory, for the rider, for the team and for myself. Will that happen? No - because we won't let it happen. We must make sure we come back to the Czech Republic after the break stronger in every way.''