What's going on at Suzuki? It is certain that the Japanese manufacturer, which still counts in the history of motorcycling, will withdraw from MotoGP at the end of the year. However, no official statement has yet arrived from Hamamatsu to set this situation in stone. By brutally announcing to its troops engaged in Grand Prix that they would be demobilized at the end of this campaign, surprising even the promoter of the category, Dorna, who has in his pocket a contract sealing the involvement of the brand until 2026, Suzuki first damaged the image of MotoGP before shooting itself in the foot. In Japan, the Suzuki duck seems to be running headless, since the board of directors is said to have gone against the President. Worse, Suzuki would expect a heavy sentence for having tampered with the diesel engines of its automobile range...
Can we trust Suzuki ? The soap opera that unfolds before our eyes about a withdrawal from MotoGP that the entire paddock has validated – up to the promoter Dorna which issued a warning to the Japanese by reminding them that they have contractual obligations – orients the answer towards the negative. Rather than an orderly retreat, the action of Suzuki looks like a save which can be a precursor to a greater debacle. It will be noted, however, that Suzuki This is not his first attempt. Hamamatsu's word is unreliable. In the 70s and 80s, the epic story of the RG500 would not have happened without the private teams who took over from the factory.
With the RGV, things got better and the titles of Kevin Schwantz in 1993 and Kenny Roberts Jr. in 2000 attest to this. The GSV-R had mixed success before disappearing in 2011. At that time, the financial crisis had taken its toll, then the GSX-RR project was launched with the means at hand and the linchpin Davide Brivio. A human adventure rewarded with the title in 2020 of Joan mir. But given the overall implication, the feeling was that the final destination had just been reached. Besides, Davide Brivio left the box as soon as the crown was taken.
Suzuki will also experience its tampered diesel engine scandal
This season hasn't started off badly for the GSX-RR, but Suzuki has problems. Proof of this is that the brand has still not officially announced this withdrawal, validated by the entire paddock. It is said that while the president of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Hiroshi Tsuda, pleaded for the MotoGP team to continue, the board suddenly and cold-bloodedly cut the money supply during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.
Why ? speedweek reminds that Suzuki is accused of having equipped at least 22 diesel cars with devices distorting anti-pollution standards, a maneuver similar to that of the VW group. Expected fines of around three million dollars in the automotive division are feared so much so that we are cutting into the fat and the MotoGP budget is one of the victims. However, Carmelo Ezpeleta reminded to Suzuki that there will be penalties due to this early withdrawal. The economy is therefore likely to be expensive, while the bill for brand image has already been presented. It is not MotoGP which is not good, but Suzuki which raises questions.
