Suzuki opens up to MotoGP: “One day we will return to the track”

Bologna, 6 December 2024 – Ktm in crisis, but who knows what Suzuki cannot return. Troubled times in MotoGP. The Austrian company is struggling with huge debts and unpaid salaries to employees, an insolvency plan, the need for financial help, perhaps Red Bull, and the Government's very attentive eyes, all with a debt mountain of almost 3 billion euros. On the other hand, Suzuki, which is reorganizing and timidly opening up to a return to racing. The risk for the MotoGP is to lose the fifth constructor, so the Japanese could become an important help. President Toshihiro Suzuki he doesn't hide.

Suzuki: “We will be back”

The situation at KTM is dramatic, with the risk of not being able to field the four bikes on the grid planned for 2025. The contract with Dorna expires in 2026, but the financial debts are huge and for now the development of the four has been blocked. Ktm which should be on track by February, with huge concern for Enea bastianini, fresh from his transfer from Ducati. His manager Carlo Feathered he was more optimistic '90% of the time we'll race', but there are no certainties about development, because investments risk being cut due to the hole in the company's budgets. And without updates, how can we keep up with Ducati, Aprilia, Yamaha and Honda? In short, Dorna is worried that Ktm is not able to field its bikes and for MotoGP, recently transferred to Liberty Media, losing a manufacturer would be bad news, also because the entry of bmw as had been hypothesized months ago. Not that there is a desperate search for a new brand, Ktm has made it known that the debts do not concern the sporting part, however Dorna does not want to be caught unprepared and is testing the waters. Rescue could come from Suzuki, who instead in 2022 ended the contract with the organizers of the world championship early by deciding to retire early. It was the second time in the Moto GP era after the first retirement in 2011. And yet, Suzuki had managed to win the world championship in 2020 with Joan Mir and seemed set, also with the addition of Livio Suppo, to remain permanently at the top. After two years, however, a certain desire to return to the world of racing has re-emerged at the top of the company and recently the president Toshihiro Suzuki left the door open: "Winning in MotoGp was very important for us and we want to offer a complete range of motorcycles to satisfy our users. If all goes well we will return to racing and return to winning". Suzuki It has always been a historical pillar of the world championship with the first title won in 1962 in the 50cc class and the first won in the premier class with Barry Sheene in 1976. Suzuki is also linked to the great, extremely spectacular duo with Kevin Schwantz, world champion in 1993. Who knows, maybe there could be some nice surprises.

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