In early May 2022, without anything to expect, Suzuki announced its exit from MotoGP at the end of this year. In a good phase in terms of results and without apparent financial problems, the project seemed to be ‘set in stone’.
At the time, the team manager was Livio Suppo, who spoke to the Moto.it website about the end of Suzuki’s program: ‘In reality, I found out about Suzuki’s decision a bit before it was official. I found out on Sunday night in Portimão. At that moment, Álex Rins was leading the World Championship tied on points with Fabio Quartararo and Suzuki was leading the team championship. So, I remember that after the race, [Shinichi] Sahara came into the truck office and told me: “Livio, I’m not joking, Suzuki has decided to withdraw.” I remember that the next morning when I woke up I thought, “what a strange dream I had,” and unfortunately it was real’.
For the Italian, the news was ‘a cold shower’. And, after analyzing the situation, one thing was certain – it was not the financial aspect that justified the decision: ‘The problem was not the money, we decided that priorities were different and we had to accept the decision. But from the beginning I tried to understand if there were other alternatives. The team was well organized, the bikes were very competitive… let’s say I tried to find a solution compatible with the reality we had, but I couldn’t.’
Despite the huge setback, Suppo did not give up trying to keep the Suzuki group, without success: ‘I tried in every way to keep the team standing, also because a team with so many people in MotoGP is difficult to replace, they would be left without work. Dorna wanted to put another team for another manufacturer at all costs and it is obvious that it is not from one day to the next, but in 2022 it could have been done by changing the regulations in 2027. Those who invest have to know that they have to build a new bike that is already old after four years. It gave me the motivation to try to do it.’
