Suzuki Gone

Tom said:

The good will and optimism is for the cresent team, the guys at the actual track. They are fully commited, working just as hard as anyone in the paddock and aren't mugs by any means. Suzuki in Japan at a corporate level is where the problem lies.

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Yes, did you not get that from my post?

Suzuki was in MotoGp??????????

Suzuki needs to employ some kick ... marketing people, to secure some decent sponsorship dollars, and Dorna needs to assist with this for all the teams. I have read somewhere that Rizla pays less than $ 1.0mil per year, and everything else is tipped in by Suzuki. That situation is not sustainable.

Get a decent sponsor on board willing to invest another couple of million Euros a year, and Suzuki has the potential to be competative.

There are categories of motorsport, getting a lot less international attention than MotoGP, and still getting good strong international sponsors. It really suprises me that MotoGP struggles so much to get sponsors, and Dorna needs to address this.

It doesn't help that unlike other world racing series MotoGP relies heavily on talent and money from a very specific area - Spain and Italy, both of whom are financially up .... creek without a paddle at the moment. Add to that all the terrible stuff that's been going on in Japan this year and it's not so hard to see why money is an issue. Is there any way around this issue? Probably... Bernie Ecclestone did it by taking the concept of F1 to wherever the money, manufacturers and developing economies are - it's almost turned into a competition to see who can put on the best show for F1, not whether F1 can put on a show for whichever country it is visiting. Take South Korea as a recent example of somewhere which promised to stage a great F1 show, but by building the track too far away from the main population has shot itself in the foot and may lose its place on the calendar. MotoGP needs to get out of this damaging loyalty to failing economies and go where the money is for riders and support. Think of how many bikes there are in countries like India and the far east - introduce the idea that riding a bike can be fun and exciting as well as a principle means of transportation and you're on to a winner.



Of course the market and following for bike racing in central Europe will probably never be surpassed, but MotoGP needs to sell itself as a WORLDWIDE series, not one that just happens to go to a couple of places outside of Spain and Italy. The Mahindra 125 teams looks like a step in that direction - managed a poll at the weekend too



Balancing the shift in financial influence with keeping the essential core European money/fanbase happy is going to be a challenge... Good luck Dorna...

motortom said:

It doesn't help that unlike other world racing series MotoGP relies heavily on talent and money from a very specific area - Spain and Italy, both of whom are financially up .... creek without a paddle at the moment. Add to that all the terrible stuff that's been going on in Japan this year and it's not so hard to see why money is an issue. Is there any way around this issue? Probably... Bernie Ecclestone did it by taking the concept of F1 to wherever the money, manufacturers and developing economies are - it's almost turned into a competition to see who can put on the best show for F1, not whether F1 can put on a show for whichever country it is visiting. Take South Korea as a recent example of somewhere which promised to stage a great F1 show, but by building the track too far away from the main population has shot itself in the foot and may lose its place on the calendar. MotoGP needs to get out of this damaging loyalty to failing economies and go where the money is for riders and support. Think of how many bikes there are in countries like India and the far east - introduce the idea that riding a bike can be fun and exciting as well as a principle means of transportation and you're on to a winner.



Of course the market and following for bike racing in central Europe will probably never be surpassed, but MotoGP needs to sell itself as a WORLDWIDE series, not one that just happens to go to a couple of places outside of Spain and Italy. The Mahindra 125 teams looks like a step in that direction - managed a poll at the weekend too

Balancing the shift in financial influence with keeping the essential core European money/fanbase happy is going to be a challenge... Good luck Dorna...

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You've hit the nail on the head.

Any one seen anything official?



This from paul denning (13 hours ago) is all I have seen.



"Thanks to everyone offering support and asking re Suzuki MotoGP plans 2012. I'm busting a gut to make it happen but it's not easy..."

I don't care about the Suzuki merrigoround anymore. They can go or stay, don't care, sick of them stuffing around.

akeizm said:

I don't care about the Suzuki merrigoround anymore. They can go or stay, don't care, sick of them stuffing around.

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Agreed! Its Hopper I feel for, hes just been left hanging in limbo

no need for a new thread as this is already here....



Suzuki out but planning a MotoGP return in 2014



Although there has been no official confirmation, Suzuki have pulled the plug on their factory MotoGP effort after telling staff they would not be required next year but there is an apparentl planned return to the series in 2014.



The factory had a deadline of last Friday to decide whether they were going to play and inform MotoGP bosses Dorna but that has come and gone, at least publicly. Team staff were told on Friday in an email their services would not be required next season - crew chief Tom O'Kane had already jumped ship to sit with Andrea Dovizioso at Tech3 - but the factory's racing department hoped to be back in three years.



This has, of course, happened before when Suzuki quit in early 80s and team manager Garry Taylor carried on with backing from British importer Heron until 1987 when Suzuki re-appeared with a full V-four and his team got back their full factory status.



In terms of the 2012 grid, it leaves Randy de Puniet without a 'proper' bike to ride as Stefan Bradl has the LCR Honda so he will be after one of the more sorted CRT bikes or, god forbid, something in the World Superbike paddock - step forward either the Pata or Parkingo Aprilia teams. It also means that John Hopkins will join Leon Camier in the Crescent Suzuki WSB team.



http://www.bikesportnews.com/news-detail.cfm?newstitle=Suzuki-out-but-planning-a-MotoGP-return-in-2014&newsid=6063

RDP better ring Aspar asap

What absolute bottlers, couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery. I bet they don't come back either, just empty promises.

Any millionaires lurking among us to go and buy the remnants of the team and get them on the podium? They have the makings of a good bike/team structure and it's a real shame we wont see what they could achieve next year. Suzuki management clearly doesn't want to be a part of this transitional period - they probably expect the rules to change further and don't want to 'waste' any more money developing the bike until the 'silly season', or seasons as it most likely will be, are out of the way. The real losers here are Randy and all the mechanics/staff with no job for next year...

Not sure why anyone would think a "sorted" CRT ride is an improvement over moving to a good ride in World Superbike. Equal, if not better pay, a chance to win, friendly atmosphere, a shop window to showcase your talents. Seems like a good gig to me. Especially considering the alternative is battling for 13th with Ant West. Don't think beating Westy to 13th will win anyone a satellite ride. Knocking off Hopkins, Checa, Biaggi, Laverty, etc. for a number of wins might.

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2011/Nov/111114suzukiout.htm



I may have been hasty Tom, but it appears inevitable.......................

What should we say for Suzuki now? R.I.P or Sayonara Suzuki?

Austin said:

Not sure why anyone would think a "sorted" CRT ride is an improvement over moving to a good ride in World Superbike. Equal, if not better pay, a chance to win, friendly atmosphere, a shop window to showcase your talents. Seems like a good gig to me. Especially considering the alternative is battling for 13th with Ant West. Don't think beating Westy to 13th will win anyone a satellite ride. Knocking off Hopkins, Checa, Biaggi, Laverty, etc. for a number of wins might.

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I don't think there were any good rides left. Besides that how many guys have made a come back to GP after going to WSBK, the WSBK teams might not even know how much talent he has. He surely surprised Paul Denning when testing the Suzuki. I hope the money Dorna was talking about is thrown his way so that we have more than one CRT rider with experience on the BS tires and carbon brakes. Those bikes and teams will need all the help they can get next year.

Every time Suzuki gets better or starts to close in on the front something happens to ruin the fun. Last time it was hopper moving to Kawi, he should of stayed at suzuki. Now this where bautista was getting better and better, and of course the performance Randy D. put in at the valencia test. Lame day in GP, another manufacturer bows out of the "premier" class.

Found an interview, albeit in Spanish, from Alvaro Bautista. Some of it was lost in translation but Alvaro was asked about his switch from Suzuki, he said Suzuki would only be able to start the new season on an 800. He wasn't prepared to start the season on an 800 whilst other riders were on 1000s, so they came to an amicable split. So have Suzuki even built a new bike or were they already on the way out? Hope next year is not largely dominated by Hondas again, now that there is even less competition. One day this economic gloom will end and then hopefully we can get back to more manufacturers on the grid. I think the CRTs will be racing against themselves next year.



http://motociclismo.es/deporte/motogp/articulo/alvaro-bautista-estoy-deseando-subirme-a-la-1000cc

skaface said:

Found an interview, albeit in Spanish, from Alvaro Bautista. Some of it was lost in translation but Alvaro was asked about his switch from Suzuki, he said Suzuki would only be able to start the new season on an 800. He wasn't prepared to start the season on an 800 whilst other riders were on 1000s, so they came to an amicable split. So have Suzuki even built a new bike or were they already on the way out? Hope next year is not largely dominated by Hondas again, now that there is even less competition. One day this economic gloom will end and then hopefully we can get back to more manufacturers on the grid. I think the CRTs will be racing against themselves next year.



http://motociclismo....rme-a-la-1000cc

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I keep seeing this quote and cant help but think that there is a different meaning than meets the eye. Is it really Honda that people dont want to see dominate. Were these same people against Hondas domination in the early 2000's, or Yamahas domination in 08-10. Just curious.

SBK Planet implies we cannot bank on a return from Suzuki in 2014.



http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2011/Nov/111130thickthincrt.htm