With the factory Suzuki team flailing near the bottom of the pack, many have expected the ill-fated teal team to withdraw from the series. However Suzuki has a contract with Dorna through 2011, which would prevent the team from leaving MotoGP, but as we saw with Kawasaki in the 2009 season, even Dorna can’t force a manufacturer to race. Putting the issue to bed during the British Superbike round at Brands Hatch, Suzuki Team Boss Paul Denning said that the Suzuki GP team would “100%” be in MotoGP next year.
Despite all the special considerations that MotoGP has given Suzuki (extra testing time, exception from the rookie rule, extra engines for the 2010 season), it’s hard to say that we’ll see Suzuki in MotoGP for 2012, given how uncompetitive the team has been since the switch to four-stroke motors.
Perhaps the only factor that could cause Suzuki to stay in GP racing is the possibility of a claiming rule team. Starting in 2012 production motor bikes with prototype chassis will be allowed to run in MotoGP. Designed to help reduce the barriers to GP entry, the claiming rule teams are not only be cheaper to run, but also have larger fuel provisions in the rules (more fuel, more power). With WSBK-spec motors closing in on GP-spec motors, the CRT rule could provide the bang-for-buck that teams like Suzuki are looking for in MotoGP.
Source: Moto.Caradisiac; Photo: Rizla Suzuki
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