Kevin Schwantz regrets it like many others, but the fact is that Suzuki's departure from MotoGP at the end of the year is currently being negotiated between the promoter Dorna, who is rightly demanding accountability, and the manufacturer, who is watching legitimately his own. For the paddock, both in substance and in form, this was a shock and the latter impacts the current transfer market which finds itself with two less popular stalls, and two more high-level drivers looking for 'a box. Hence the current lively debate on the salaries offered... However, there are some diehard optimists because they are in love with the brand who still believe in it. For them, a sensational turnaround could keep the GSX-RRs on the starting grid. Among them, Kevin Schwantz…
The sudden farewell of Suzuki at MotoGP took everyone by surprise, or almost. Those close to the Hamamatsu brand already harbored some fears about this brutal outcome. The 500 cc world champion in 1993 Kevin schwantz So he wasn't exactly taken aback when the news arrived. The legend that also immortalized his n°34 even understands the reasons which led the Hamamatsu factory to withdraw from the Motorcycle World Championship only two years after Joan mir won the MotoGP title.
The former American pilot gave an interview taken up by Todocircuito to the Motomagazine.co portal where he gave his opinion on this news that he discovered, like everyone else, through the press: “ I wasn't really surprised, because Suzuki has had problems in recent years selling new motorcycles and products “, he explains.
Kevin Schwantz : “le MotoGP est un énorme effort, et être à l’intérieur n’est pas bon marché, je vous assure"
“I’d like to say I’m surprised…but I’m not”, keep on going Schwantz, recalling at the same time the effort it takes for any factory to compete in the premier category of the World Championship, where only six brands are present: “When you see the bikes, the riders, all the team personnel, you have the impression that everything is in place. You might think they are doing their best to continue competing, but financially it's a big dream. Le MotoGP est un énorme effort, et être à l’intérieur n’est pas bon marché, je vous assure".
To the question of whether Suzuki is making a mistake leaving MotoGP now that the bike is competitive and with two riders capable of winning races, Schwantz thinks that the answer will come with time, even if, now, the main thing in Hamamatsu is to stop burning money in this paddock: « whether this is a mistake or not will have to wait and see, but maybe spending so much money on Grand Prix doesn't make sense for them ».
Concerning the coldness with which Suzuki a pris cette décision, le pilote texan assure qu’au moins lui, par le passé, ne s’est jamais senti “traité comme un objet” alors qu’il était encore en compétition, et souligne l’effort constant qu’ils ont fait depuis le Japon ” pour que nous, pilotes, étions contents et satisfaits, surtout du salaire que nous recevions. Parfois, on a l’impression que ce sont les hommes en costard qui décident de tout, mais je pense aussi que lorsqu’il y a quelque chose qui leur tient vraiment à cœur, ils trouvent une façon de bien faire".
Suzuki could he sensationally change his mind before the end of the year? Schwantz does not close the door by conditioning this turnaround on the entry of a last minute sponsor who would spend several million to occupy the fairings of the GSX-RR, something which, at this stage seems unthinkable in a climate of international crisis which dominated Today : " maybe Suzuki will change its mind if a big sponsor comes along and says 'hey we have money, why don't you stay in MotoGP?' I think a few dollars could change Suzuki's mind, but I think it's going to be difficult, it's not going to be easy for them to change their mind, because once they make the decision and "communicated to the team, I think they made it clear that they were convinced to do it" concludes a Schwantz saddened.
