PostedMay 12, 2022, 8:02 p.m.
The Hamamatsu manufacturer has (finally) formalized what many people knew since the day after the Spanish GP. There will be a brand less in MotoGP from next year.
- par
- Jean Claude Schertenleib
Reminder of the facts: the bomb exploded on May 2, so ten days ago. The MotoGP teams stayed on the Jerez de la Frontera circuit, which hosted the traditional Spanish GP the day before. On the stroke of 4 p.m., the staff and the staff of the Suzuki Ecstar team are called for an information session.
At the end of the said, the faces are closed: “You will understand that we are not going to talk”, hardly launches Livio Suppo, the team-manager hired by Suzuki this winter; for a contract valid for several years. In the afternoon, first leaks arise: “Suzuki will withdraw at the end of the year!” Some believe that an official press release will be released on Tuesday morning, but nothing.
Except a reaction from Dorna, the promoter of the world championship, who recalls “that we cannot break a contract unilaterally and that Suzuki had extended its agreement with the promoter of MotoGP until the end of 2026.” The fact that a body as important as Dorna responds to what is then… just a noise proves that, up to the top of the MotoGP organization chart, everyone was taken aback, that no one didn’t know. And it is worrying!
No info, too much info!
Joan Mir is in shock following the announcement of Suzuki’s withdrawal, we would be less.
AFP
The days pass, the formalization is long overdue. So, as it is necessary to blacken the paper – or rather to feed the curiosity of Internet users -, everyone has their own little secret. Joan Mir and Alex Rins, the two Suzuki riders, are in shock, we would be less. “The president wanted to pursue MotoGP, it was the general management who had the last word,” some say. “Not true, everyone knows that the president doesn’t like motorcycles, that he is a car man,” others respond.
Without forgetting: “And then, entangled in a scandal similar to that experienced by Volkswagen in the United States – the “dieselgate”, or a fraudulent reduction of polluting emissions on German cars -, Suzuki will have to pay fines amounting to several billion.”
It goes in all directions. Until the announcement of this Thursday morning May 12, the day after the publication of the financial results of Suzuki Motor Company, in which we learn that, from April 2021 to March 2022, the profit of the automotive sector appears to be down 18 .2%, that of the motorcycle sector, 59.5%.
Some very raw lines
The text of this press release can be summed up in a few lines: “Suzuki Motor Corporation is in discussions with Dorna regarding the possibility of ending its participation in MotoGP at the end of 2022. Unfortunately, the current economic situation and the need to concentrate our efforts on the major changes underway in motor vehicles are forcing Suzuki to reduce costs and refocus its human resources to develop new technologies. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the Suzuki Ecstar team, to all those who have supported Suzuki’s sporting activities for years, as well as to all the fans of the brand who have brought us their enthusiasm.
What about 2023… and after?
The withdrawal of a historic manufacturer from motorsport – this is not the first time that Suzuki has withdrawn from the GPs; in addition, the brand has not been present for five years now in world motocross – is a worrying signal. As was that of the renunciation, at the end of last season, of the Malaysian sponsor Petronas. Could the quality and density of the MotoGP spectacle be nothing more than, to take a well-known formula, a tree hiding the forest?
“You can’t break a contract unilaterally, but I don’t think there is a solution. And we have no more interest in forcing someone to continue, if he does not want it.
While waiting for an official position from Dorna, its CEO, Carmelo Ezpeleta spoke on a Spanish “twitch” channel: “You can’t break a contract unilaterally, but I don’t think there is a solution. And we don’t have any interest in forcing someone to continue, if they don’t want to. We have a lot of requests to fill the two places that should become available and my role now is to work on this file in peace.
Aprilia: double mise?
If the name of GasGas was heard to recover the two places left vacant by Suzuki (it would then be two additional KTMs, “badged” in the colors of the Spanish brand of the Pierer Mobility group), many in the paddock think that it It is Aprilia who could double the bet: “We would like to be able to rely on a junior team”, admits the boss Massimo Rivola.
“Within a month, we should know,” adds the former manager of the next generation at Ferrari. New rumor: the Yamaha “satellite” team (Dovizioso and Darryn Binder) is looking for another builder-partner!
The sentence: Alex Rins
Alex Rins, Suzuki rider.
AFP
“I think we have the best package that Suzuki has ever had. So let’s show them that they made the wrong decision”: Alex Rins is fourth in the intermediate classification of the world championship on the eve of this GP of France. And he is motivated like never before.
Domi, the electric eclectic
Before returning to the supersport world championship in a week in Portugal (Estoril), Dominique Aegerter is entered this weekend in the FIM MotoE Cup, where he ranks second after the first two rounds in Jerez de la Frontera. “Le Mans is a historic circuit, the weather there is often special, but my goal is always the same: to fight for victory and the podium at each race”, explains the Bernese.