After months of rumors and speculation, it is now official: Suzuki is leaving MotoGP, and, just as surprising, the Endurance World Championship as well. Both racing efforts will end at the conclusion of the 2022 season.

When word first got out about Suzuki leaving MotoGP, it appeared to be a bit of a surprise to Dorna, the commercial rights owner of the world championship series. Subsequent discussions between Suzuki and Dorna have resulted in an agreement between the two, culminating in the official announcement of the withdrawal on July 13. There will likely be a financial penalty given to Suzuki for terminating their contract, although details are unclear at this time.

Current Suzuki Ecstar MotoGP riders Joan Mir and Alex Rins would normally be in a tough spot in a situation like this, but Rins has already signed for LCR Honda for 2023, and Mir is apparently very close to a deal with Repsol Honda for next year. The fate of the rest of the Ecstar team is currently unknown.

Suzuki has a long history of racing in MotoGP and its predecessors, notably with Barry Sheene in the 1970s, Kevin Schwantz’ overall win in 1993, and winning the team and rider’s title with Ecstar and Joan Mir in 2020.

The Japanese factory’s history in the Endurance World Championship is just as storied, with a long line of beautiful GSX-R endurance bikes in its wake, and Suzuki is currently leading the EWC standings for the 2022 season.

Suzuki cited a shift away from racing and towards sustainability in their business model as the reason for the exits. The factory already left World Superbike in 2015.

Suzuki has promised to continue supporting and competing at the highest level in both series for the remainder of the season.

Credit: Advrider

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