Suzuki MotoGP

Suzuki has been part of motorcycle racing for a quite a while now and has been part of the inaugural MotoGP class championship in 2002. The company always struggled in the premium class and failed to capture a single riders’ championship till date. The company managed to take the final step of the podium in the Team World Championship in 2007. Chris Vermeulen’s first place at the 2007 French Motorcycle Grand Prix was the team’s maiden victory since the influx of four-stroke machines. After a string of disappointing finishes in the next couple of years, the company withdrew from MotoGP in 2011.

The team marked a return to the MotoGP championship in 2015 season with Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaró in a brand-new motorcycle specifically developed for the MotoGP class.

Suzuki secured their first victory after the return at the 2016 British Grand Prix, which is the team’s only win since their return to competitive racing. The team finished the 2016 constructor’s championship in the fourth place.

Suzuki has showed a lot of promise this year and manged to grab four podiums till date (British Grand Prix).

Current Riders

Andrea Iannone moved to the Suzuki team at the end of the 2016 season after enduring two difficult years with the Ducati team. The Italian rider had a disappointing 2017 where could not even manage to grab a single podium. Iannone showed signs of improvement in the following season and secured two podiums to his name so far.

Alex Rins made his MotoGP debut with the Suzuki team in 2017. The Spanish rider endured difficult times during his first season that saw him finish sixteenth in the riders’ championship. However, his performances improved in the 2018 season and secured two podiums so far.

Team Principal: Davide Brivio

Team Director: Shinichi Sahara

Prominent Riders: Barry Sheene, Kenny Roberts Jr.