In a shocking announcement, Suzuki Motor Corp. announced the withdrawal of its factory-supported teams from the Motocross World Championship (MXGP) and All Japan Motocross Championship – two high-profile series for Suzuki’s off-road racing efforts.
Suzuki says that the move comes after evaluating its motorcycle operations, as it plans to focus on its core business function, and it also restructures its motorcycle business. The result, as we have now seen, is the Japanese brand reducing its MX commitments.
While this news isn’t our usual fare, it is of note that Suzuki is withdrawing from MXGP and All Japan Motocross, especially after just debuting an all-new RM-Z450 motocross bike for the 2018 model year.
Despite this, Suzuki says that it will continue to produce the RM-Z450 and RM-Z250 series of bikes.
The move to leave MXGP and All Japan Motocross surely stems from the financial difficulties that Suzuki has sustained through the recession.
Out of the four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers, Suzuki was perhaps the one affected the most by the global economic crisis, and while Suzuki has begun to turn around its operations, there are clearly tough decisions still ahead for the folks at Hamamatsu.
Source: Suzuki
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