Dorna lay down the law to Suzuki should they withdraw from MotoGP

Suzuki out of MotoGP?

The Jerez MotoGP Test earlier this week was the scene for a fresh wave of rumours that strongly suggest Suzuki are expected to pull out of MotoGP Racing at the end of this season. A decision has apparently been made strictly for financial reasons by the senior management bean-counters back at Hamamatsu and team members were shocked to be told this in a team meeting held during the Jerez Test.

It is currently Golden Week in Japan, a collection of four national holidays within seven days that is one of the primary holiday seasons for the Japanese people, thus it would perhaps seem a strange time for the news to break but it does appear to be true. Unless this is the Japanese version of dropping bad news late on a Friday afternoon scenario…

Statement from Dorna Sports regarding Suzuki and MotoGP

Following recent rumours of Suzuki departing MotoGP at the end of 2022 (Link), Dorna Sports has officially contacted the factory in order to remind them that the conditions of their contract to race in MotoGP do not allow for them to take this decision unilaterally.

However, should Suzuki depart following an agreement between both parties, Dorna will decide on the ideal number of riders and teams racing in the MotoGP class from 2023.

Dorna continues to receive high levels of interest from a number of both official factories and Independent Teams looking to join the MotoGP grid as the sport continues to set a global example of close competition, innovation and entertainment, reaching hundreds of millions of fans around the world.

Interest from these parties has been re-confirmed in the past 24 hours.

Suzuki currently lead the MotoGP Team’s Championship

Only a couple of weeks ago Suzuki celebrated their 500th podium in Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing.  Suzuki currently lead the MotoGP Team’s Championship and their riders, Alex Rins and Joan Mir, are currently placed fourth and sixth respectively in the MotoGP Riders Championship.

In 2020 Suzuki Motor Corporation marked its 100th anniversary and 60 years in racing, the same year that Joan Mir dominated the top class and took the MotoGP crown. And now, two years later, another important moment is marked in Suzuki’s history books.

The story started on June 4th 1962 when Ernst Degner took the brand’s first podium, riding the RM62 in the 50cc class at the Isle of Man (which in those times was a World Championship round).

Just three years later the Hamamatsu factory hit 100 podiums in Finland with Hugh Anderson and, fittingly, the 200th podium was taken by a Finn; Teuvo ‘Tepi’ Lansivuori in 1975.

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In the next decade Italy’s Marco Lucchinelli made it 300, and in 1993 it was Kevin Schwantz who secured Suzuki’s 400th podium.

Suzuki Wins & Podiums

In between these major milestones, a number of very talented riders and champions have added to the tally; the likes of Barry Sheene, Randy Mamola, Kenny Roberts Jnr along with our own Daryl Beattie and Chris Vermeulen.

Suzuki’s most successful class in terms of podiums is 500cc/ MotoGP, 316 in total, and the rider with the most podiums for the brand is Kevin Schwantz – a brilliant 51 rostrums for the American on the RGV500.

Schwantz was present in Austin to witness Alex Rins taking the 500th podium, and he was joined by other former Suzuki podium-sitters; Randy Mamola, Maverick Viñales, Franco Uncini and John Hopkins as they all toasted the success together with Team Suzuki Ecstar.

In recent years, Joan Mir and Alex Rins have been star performers for Suzuki on their GSX-RR machines, taking a total of 28 podiums between them.

Suzuki riders with most wins

Suzuki riders with most podiums

Suzuki podium milestones