Dorna’s last Friday’s deadline for Suzuki to commit to the 2012 MotoGP season has come and gone with no official word from the Hamamatsu manufacturer, however the authoritive GPWeek is reporting that Suzuki will not be on the grid next season and has pink slipped the pit crew via email.
Rumors had it that the company had been working on a 1000cc bike and that it would be ready by next year’s Brno GP and that they would continue their commitment in MotoGP by racing their 800cc until then.
When the Rizla team gave Randy de Puniet an ‘impromptu’ test on the GSV-R during the post-season test at Valencia many had thought this was a good sign despite the fact they would later release Alvaro Bautista, but apparently the manufacturer has decided not to invest any further in MotoGP racing.
This leaves Randy de Puniet without a ride, unless he settles for a CRT machine as Stefan Bradl is now firmly linked with LCR Honda, and Dorna with only three manufacturers in the series, Honda, Yamaha and Ducati and with a miserly 12 bikes, between factory and satellite teams for 2012, and an imprecise number of CRTs.