The time is long gone when a few specialist journalists could try the factory 500cc and then the MotoGP at the end of the season. Today, we can probably count on the fingers of one hand the riders to whom the manufacturers involved in MotoGP trust enough to lend their little jewels. KTM promised it to the Moto2 rookie of the year Peter Acosta, Suzuki did it with Greg Black, essential leader of the 2020 and 2021 EWC world champion trio fielded by the team Yoshimura SERT Motul !
Very kindly, the rider who makes Suzuki's colors shine in Endurance was kind enough to go back in detail on this unique experience, before outlining what his future should be... A big thank you to him!
With a MotoGP, with carbon brakes and tires that you don't know, under the eyes of the engineers on a circuit where you did around forty laps with the endurance bike, is there any stress before taking the first laps of the wheel?
« No not necessarily. I wasn't particularly stressed because I told myself that I was there to have fun. I didn't particularly put pressure on myself, because if I had broken the bike, ultimately they break them every weekend and that wasn't the most serious thing, especially since we knew that Suzuki was going to stop (laughs). But most importantly, I had no pressure to perform and it was just about discovering the bike and trying to understand its strong points. »
Did the Test Team then question you to get the sensations from the fresh eyes of a professional driver?
« Yes of course. They were super interested in knowing my opinion, whether it was the endurance team or the MotoGP Test Team, to compare the bikes and know the positives and negatives of MotoGP. Of course, it interests them because it was the development team, and they are the ones who developed the bike and who made it win in MotoGP with the riders and the MotoGP team. We saw it recently in the championship, it's a bike that is technically very good and it's a team that is very good, so they are listening and I think that all the comments are interesting for them. »
Were you able to sense their disappointment with the end of the program, and did you have the opportunity to ask them what would become of the motorcycles?
« Yes, I spoke with the people at Suzuki and everyone is disappointed, very disappointed, with Suzuki stopping, because they put all their energy into developing the bike, with a small budget. compared to teams like Honda or others. And with the time, the energy, the thought, and everything they put into creating this bike and this team, which in the end is a great package, not only in terms of the bike and the team but also the understanding between the drivers and the staff, they were extremely disappointed with this stoppage by the team. Afterwards, motorcycles, since they have a tax system in Japan, most of them go to destruction. »
Let's move on to endurance: there are more and more rumors which indicate that the adventure of the Yoshimura SERT Motul team would continue, with perhaps slightly different financing and perhaps an effort from Suzuki France, but the same riders . Where are we, or is it still too early to talk about it?
« It's still a little early to talk about it because nothing is 100% confirmed yet. We are still waiting for the final decision and last minute adjustments, but indeed everything should work the same way, with Suzuki Japan, Yoshimura, SERT and Suzuki France. So overall, everything should stay the same, as well as the drivers, but once again, nothing is signed yet, and even if we hope that it is 99% done, as long as it is not is not 100% signed, nothing is recorded. I indeed remain a priority for the team and I'm happy that it can continue, because I can't see endurance without Suzuki! For the Suzuki group, the endurance budget is very small, and I would find it unfortunate to stop such an adventure when we see the energy that is spent. »
If the solution we all hope for is confirmed, when will the next endurance test take place?
« We will wait until all the contracts are signed and everything is put in place, but normally we do tests in February in Spain with Bridgestone, like every year. But once again, we are waiting for everything to be finalized and clarified, to put this in place. »
