In the immediate aftermath of the MotoGP withdrawal announcement, the Suzuki factory riders recorded a series of zeros: Livio Suppo talks about this difficult time
In early May it leaked out that Suzuki would be leaving MotoGP at the end of the season. With this surprising decision, Suzuki upset its fans, but also its team members and riders. Joan Mir and Alex Rins were planning to continue racing for Suzuki in 2023. The two Spaniards had to look for alternatives and seemed somewhat distracted in the following races.
Sportingly, things did not go smoothly at all after the shock news. At the Grands Prix in Le Mans and Mugello, Suzuki came away completely empty-handed. Before that, Rins had been fighting for the lead in the championship. The Suzuki rider came away empty-handed a total of five times in a row. At the race in Assen, Rins collected his first points since the Portuguese Grand Prix in Portimao in April.
Team manager Livio Suppo also has to look for a new job. The former Ducati and Honda manager returned to MotoGP earlier this year and, like the rest of the team, was thrown out on his ear. “It’s a very professional and familiar squad,” notes Suppo, who has only a few months left with the Suzuki team.
Lead in the team standings in April, free fall from May
“In Portimao we were leading the team classification. Alex had as many points as Fabio (Quartararo),” Suppo recalls, joking, “That would have been the right time to resign.”
“We really had a very good start to the season. Alex was in a good shape. He was a completely different driver compared to last year,” Suppo notes. In former champion Joan Mir’s box, however, things didn’t go quite so well.
“Joan struggled a bit more. It suited his style to start a championship. He prefers to take it easy and then be stronger from Europe onwards. What happened then certainly had an impact,” Suppo notes, referring to the news of Suzuki’s withdrawal.
Mir has yet to make the podium this season and is currently eighth in the World Championship. “Joan found a very positive set-up change for him at the Barcelona test. I am very confident that we can finish this season with good results. That would be good for the atmosphere,” said Suppo.
Continued good mood in Suzuki team according to Livio Suppo
And how did the team members react to the news of the impending retirement? “I have to thank everyone in the team. Despite the news, they didn’t give up and kept a good mood. If you are in the paddock until the evening, you can see that there is a very good atmosphere in our hospitality,” Suppo said.
“Of course I try to help the staff for next year. The important thing is that they reacted well to the first shock. With the drivers, it’s difficult. Alex scored two zeros that were not his fault,” commented Suppo, referring to the controversial collisions with Honda rider Takaaki Nakagami at Mugello and Barcelona.
With two podium finishes, Rins has been the more eye-catching of the two Suzuki riders this year. Despite the five nil in a row, he has only two points less than teammate Mir. “He was pretty fast. So it’s difficult to say if the news had an impact on the performances,” Suppo muses.
