As postponed yesterday, the Yoshimura Suzuki Shell Advance team has announced its second driver for the Suzuka 8 Hours.
The last line of the press release mentioned the upcoming announcement of a third driver and this is so unusual that we did not, at first, notice it.
1/ Why release an “incomplete” press release?
We are still two months away from the demonstration and there is no real apparent urgency to produce an incomplete press release, especially since the arrival of Josh Brookes does not constitute an event in itself.
While saving extra time, the reason seems to be to do a sort of tease on the third driver who, for everyone, would be called Johann Zarco, according to the latter's statements at Le Mans.
2/ Therefore, why not mention Johann Zarco in the official press release?
Experience has taught us that in 99% of cases there is only one reason; because nothing has been signed yet!
As a reminder, the only statements from Suzuki about the French rider concern the tests of the GSX-RR which will take place in Japan in June, and an option to race Johann Zarco in MotoGP if the Japanese so wish.
Or this possibility seems (a priori) closely linked to the fact that Suzuki provides at least one satellite motorcycle. Remember that there is no no regulatory obligation in this regard, but only a financial incentive of around one million euros.
At the moment, Suzuki does not want to supply satellite motorcycles next year, but Davide Brivio always tries with all his might to change their minds. A final decision will be made very soon on this subject.
But even if this were to succeed, it would probably not happen at LCR, the Monegasque team having rather made known its desire to remain faithful to Honda. Stay Asparagus, a team experiencing some difficulties which would no doubt gladly welcome financial aid, but already refused by the French pilot's entourage last year while Honda was ready to provide its engineers…
In short, a quite complex waiting situation near Avignon, and which seems to justify the strange press release issued yesterday by Suzuki.
For the moment, we therefore stick to what seems obvious to us; even if everything remains possible, currently and in the near future, no contract nothing is signed between Suzuki and Zarco for the French rider to ride next year in MotoGP !
But even if this Japanese project is not carried out, the worst is never certain, and the most optimistic, of which we are part, will be able to cling to other solutions allowing us to see the #5 in MotoGP next year, such as, for example, one which no longer seems completely impossible to us today; the arrival of Johann Zarco within the Tech3 team…
In any case, the French driver's situation should seriously become clearer between the Catalan and Assen Grands Prix.
Wait and see ...
