Suzuki

OPINION: Does MotoGP Really Need More Than Five Factories?

By David Emmett |

It is almost a ritual at this point. Every few months, a news story or rumor will pop up suggesting that a major motorcycle manufacturer is considering joining MotoGP. Usually after a senior executive has given a wide-ranging interview on a host of subjects relating to their brands, and at the end is asked, "oh, what about MotoGP?" and doesn't immediately reject the idea out of hand.

Earlier this year, it was BMW which was going to enter MotoGP. That theory grew off the back of two pieces of news. Firstly, an interview with the new CEO of BMW Motorrad, Markus Flasch, in which he was asked about MotoGP, and said that he would not rule it out. And secondly, the news that BMW had bought Suzuki's MotoGP data.

The latest set of rumors (as I referred to last week) refer to an interview given by Suzuki Motor CEO Toshihiro Suzuki about their position in the market and range of models. Suzuki-san was asked if there were any plans to enter MotoGP, and responded that though they were proud of having won the MotoGP title in 2020, "it doesn't make much sense if we don't have a complete and varied range of models to offer all motorcyclists. And I don't think we are in this situation at the moment."

Feed the beast

That hasn't stopped the MotoGP media from launching a barrage of stories stating that Suzuki is considering a return to premier class racing. The explanation is fairly simple. It is December, and very little is happening in the world of motorcycle racing. But the insatiable hunger for content must be filled (and for websites which rely on internet advertising income, the existential need for clicks and ad impressions), and so yarns get spun out to seem as large and significant as possible.

OPINION: Are BMW About To Enter MotoGP? Maybe...

By David Emmett |

The reason there are currently only 22 bikes on the MotoGP grid, rather than the 24 Dorna has always said is the number they want, is simple. They have been keeping two slots open on the grid for another manufacturer ever since Suzuki pulled out of the series at the end of the 2022 season.

The phrase "another manufacturer" is a euphemism. The other manufacturer in question is BMW. Dorna have been trying to persuade BMW to enter MotoGP for decades. They came close shortly after the start of the four-stroke MotoGP era, with BMW building and testing a 990cc triple. But ever since then, BMW have been content to be an official partner, with German manufacturer supplying safety vehicles, sponsoring the BMW M Award for the best qualifier, and providing extensive sponsorship of each event.

Dorna took another shot at persuading BMW shortly after Suzuki pulled out at the end of 2022. Reportedly, BMW were offered Suzuki's entire MotoGP program (bikes, trucks, equipment) for free, if they agreed to enter MotoGP. BMW declined again.

Dropping a hint?

Rumors of a BMW entry into MotoGP persist. Speculation was reignited on the basis of comments by new BMW Motorrad CEO Markus Flasch in an interview with preeminent German magazine Motorrad. In a long interview about the current state of the Bavarian manufacturer, and the importance of the new flagship R1300GS launched earlier this year, Flasch was asked about MotoGP.

2024 Sepang MotoGP Test Live Blog - Update 15:00

By David Emmett |

11:30am local time

The risk of rain is ever-present at Sepang, so as soon as the lights at pit lane exit went green this morning, at 10am, bikes were out on track. Within 15 minutes, there was a red flag, as Pecco Bagnaia and Raul Fernandez crashed. Bagnaia was the first to go down, either on a piece of dirty track or on water on the kerbs. Raul Fernandez, who had been following, highsided behind him. The team said possibly because of conditions caused by Bagnaia’s crash.

Davide Brivio Leaves Alpine F1 Team, Return To MotoGP On The Cards?

By David Emmett |

In a surprising turn of events, the Alpine F1 team has announced that they are parting ways with Davide Brivio by mutual agreement. Brivio was Director of Racing Expansion Projects for the team, and in charge of nurturing young talent for the French F1 squad. The announcement came as something of a surprise, as the Italian had previously told journalists that he had a contract in F1 for 2024.

Brivio, long-time team manager for Yamaha's MotoGP squad, and then involved in setting up and running Suzuki's championship-winning MotoGP effort, has been linked with numerous MotoGP projects in the past few months. There have been persistent rumors that Brivio could take the place of Repsol Honda team principal Alberto Puig, though Honda sources insist that Puig's position is safe.

Silverstone MotoGP Saturday Round Up: A Missed Red Flag, A Woeful Day For Factories, And The Root Of Honda's Problems

By David Emmett |

For a while on Saturday morning, it looked like we were on for a repeat of Silverstone 2018. The race that Sunday was canceled, after torrential rain fell all night and through the morning, and Tito Rabat suffered a horrific broken leg when he crashed due to standing water, and was hit by the Yamaha of Franco Morbidelli, who had also crashed due to standing water, and the rain kept coming and the track never dried. The circuit is still suffering the repercussions of that weekend today, as it slowly wins back the trust of MotoGP fans.

Fortunately, this wasn't a repeat of Silverstone 2018. For a start, the circuit has been resurfaced, and drainage improved. The rain was lighter and less intense, but above all, it eased off occasionally, giving the track a chance to drain. The underlying problem of Silverstone is it is flat as a pancake and sits up above the local area, making it a prime target for any precipitation which just happens to be passing by. And with rains like we saw through Saturday, water can still accumulate faster than it can drain.

Concessions For Honda And Yamaha: Can They Happen? And Will They Help?

By David Emmett |

It is no secret that Honda and Yamaha are struggling in MotoGP at the moment. The first rider in the championship on a Japanese motorcycle is Monster Energy Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo in ninth place with 64 points, less than a third of the total of championship leader, Ducati Lenovo's Pecco Bagnaia. Honda and Yamaha are in fourth and fifth place in the manufacturer standings, the Monster Energy Yamaha team are in sixth in the team standings and the Repsol Honda team are dead last, behind the CryptoDATA RNF Aprilia team and the GasGas Factory Racing Tech3 team, both of who have been missing their best riders for most of the season. Things are not going well.

This is bad for MotoGP in a number of ways. To start with, it makes the sport look very lopsided. Ducati have been very successful so far this year, but the lack of competitive Hondas and Yamahas only exaggerates the extent to which the Italian factory has dominated. Ducatis have won all but one of the grand prix, and all but two of the sprint races. They have taken 34 of 48 possible podium places, or 71%, and nearly 52% of all places in the top ten.

Sachsenring MotoGP Sunday Subscriber Notes: European Triumph, Japanese disaster

By David Emmett |

This piece will perforce be as brief as I can make it (regular readers will know that "as short as I can make it" is usually code for "longer than I intended"), as I will be riding my motorcycle home tomorrow, and sleep beckons. One of the reasons for not doing the flyaways (apart from the crippling expense) is that the schedule is just too punishing. Triple headers are tough enough when they are in the same time zone, let alone when they are spread across thousands of kilometers of Pacific Ocean.

There is plenty to write about, of course, and some of it will have to wait for later. This weekend felt like a turning point for Marc Marquez and Honda, something we will come to later. That is a story which will develop over the coming months, but the Sachsenring is the race we will look back at as the turning point.

The race itself was good, tense and with a fair amount of overtaking. With several riders complaining on Saturday that it was impossible to pass other riders, it was good to the lead change hands five or so times throughout the race. Passing isn't impossible, it just needs care to line a pass up, and planning to see it through.

Akira Nishimura On What Ken Kawauchi Leaving Suzuki For HRC Means For Honda

By Akira Nishimura |

The rumors of former Suzuki boss Ken Kawauchi moving to Honda raised many eyebrows in the MotoGP paddock. Engineers switching factories may be commonplace for European manufacturers, but it is almost unheard of, and unthinkable for Japanese factories. As Japan's leading MotoGP journalist, Akira Nishimura his his insight into what the news that Kawauchi is moving to HRC for the 2023 season means.

Ken Kawauchi, Suzuki's long-time technical boss, will become HRC's new technical manager for the 2023 season following the Hamamatsu company's withdrawal from MotoGP. Below is my brief insight into this bombshell news.

It was January 10 when I first heard about Kawauchi-san’ joining HRC. I was chatting with a fellow European journalist by text when the subject came up. I understood it was likely to happen, because I remembered a casual exchange with Kawauchi-san during our season review interview last December.

After the interview, I stopped the recorder, and we left the interview room. Then, I joked to him, “why don’t you move to, say, KTM, after your company’s withdrawal from MotoGP? I believe they will hire you with a very high salary.”

Shinichi Sahara Interview: Part 2 - How Suzuki's 2011 Withdrawal Differed From 2022, And Going Out On A High

By David Emmett |

Suzuki's MotoGP activities finally came to an end with the Valencia GP, the final round of the 2022 season. Since the bombshell news of Suzuki Motor Corporation's decision to withdraw at the end of the season hit the world this May, every venue and every racetrack has become a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all the team members of Team SUZUKI ECSTAR. On Thursday afternoon, before Team SUZUKI ECSTAR's final race at the Circuit de Valencia Ricardo Tormo, we spoke with Shinichi Sahara, the project leader who has been leading the team for twenty years.

In the second part of this two-part interview, Sahara-san discusses how Suzuki's decision to withdraw at the end of 2022 compares with 2011, when Suzuki paused participation in the premier class. He talks about what will happen to the team at the end of the season, the chances of a return, and the joy of Alex Rins' victories at Phillip Island and Valencia.

Q: Your withdrawal is inevitably compared to that of 2011, but in 2011, it was an announcement of “suspension of activities".

Shinichi Sahara: In that sense, it is different from this time. Although it was a suspension, returning to the racing was very tough. And after returning, it needs a lot of effort to become competitive and fight at the top level. Therefore, even at that time, we did everything to persuade them not to suspend racing activities. In that sense, this is the second time we have worked like this. Although there are some similarities, suspension and withdrawal are different things. Anyway, I think once is enough for this experience!

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