With Alvaro moving not only to a new class and a new team, but also a new manufacturer after spending almost his entire MotoGP career with Aprilia, we’d like to give you a few features on Alvaro’s new employer Suzuki. We start with the history of Suzuki in the MotoGP class.

Suzuki is one of the manufacturers that is present in Grand Prix racing the longest, being on the scene since 1960 – making Bati’s first year with the team their 50th anniversary. In those years Suzuki has won seven manufacturer titles and six rider titles, courtesy of some of the most popular legendary riders like Barry Sheene and Kevin Schwantz.

Barry Sheene was probably the brightest light of his generation, often referred to as “the early Valentino Rossi”, since he was the first rider in the Grand Prix scene to be probably as popular for his charisma and charme off track as he was for his undeniable talent and excellent results on track.

The man with Donald Duck on his helmet was part of the first works team Suzuki entered in the 500cc Grand Prix World Championship, back in 1974. He was joined by Jack Findlay, both riding the Suzuki RG500. In the first year a second place in the first round by Sheene stayed the best result of the season, but a pole-to-finish win by Barry Sheene at the Dutch TT 1975 finally brought the team their first win with Sheene finishing the season 6th overall and adding another win to the tally.

The Sheene-Suzuki star continued to rise as Barry Sheene won the 500cc title in 1976 with a total of five wins and successfully defended the crown in 1977, this time with six race victories along the way. Teammate Steve Parrish finished the season in fifth place.

In 1978, using the new Suzuki RGA, Sheene finished 2nd in the championship behind Kenny Roberts, with two wins. Team mate Wil Hartog also had two wins and was 4th overall. Riding the new Suzuki RGB in the 1979 championship, Suzuki riders Virginio Ferrari, Barry Sheene and Wil Hartog finished 2nd, 3rd and 4th behind Yamaha rider Kenny Roberts, securing the manufacturer’s title.

Randy Mamola joined Suzuki in 1980 and finished the season in 2nd, his teammate Marco Lucchinelli ending the year in 3rd. But already a year later Marco Lucchinelli became the 500cc World Champion, riding the new Suzuki RG-Gamma.

Marco Lucchinelli left Suzuki to join Honda in 1982, but was replaced by Franco Uncini who went on to win the World Championship with five victories along the way. Unfortunately Uncini was severely injured at the 1983 Assen TT and not able to defend his title. Partly due to the consequences of that incident Suzuki withdrew its works support at the end of the season.

After three years away from Grand Prix, Suzuki returned in 1987 with factory supported entries. While it was not a full time return, Suzuki riders Takumi Itoh and Kevin Schwantz took some good results. Following this, Suzuki made a full return in 1988 where Kevin Schwantz took two wins.

The following years Schwantz slowly worked his way up the ranks and towards his world title, finishing the 1989 season in 4th place despite six race wins, taking the runner-up spot in 1990 with five wins, and another five wins see him finish 1991 in 3rd, then only one win in 1992 relegates him further back to finish 4th again.
But in 1993 Schwantz finally takes the 500cc world championship title with Suzuki, scoring four race wins.
Schwantz’ teammates in those years all finished inside the Top 6, proving the Suzuki to be a more than competitive package.

In 1994 Kevin Schwantz is not able to defend the title and finishes the season in 4th with 2 wins. Early in the 1995 season he announces his retirement from competitive racing. Suzuki’s other rider Daryl Beattie finishes the season runner-up with two race wins. Those will remain the last Suzuki wins for quite some time.

Daryl Beattie is joined in 1996 by Scott Russell. While Russell finished the season sixth, Beattie suffered serious injuries in pre-season and did not manage to get back to his previous form, finishing the year in 18th.
1997 holds more of the same for the team with Daryl Beattie finishing the season in 11th while Anthony Gobert is 15th. A 5th-place finish by Beattie is the team’s best result of the season.
Trying to turn things around, Suzuki entered an all Japanese riders lineup in 1998 with Nobuatsu Aoki and Katsuaki Fujiwara. But bad fortune strikes again as Fujiwara gets injured during pre-season tests and Aoki is left alone. He finishes 9th for the season with a best result of 4th place.

With the signing of Kenny Roberts Jr. in 1999, fortune is about to change for Suzuki. Joining Nobuatsu Aoki, Roberts Jr. takes Suzuki’s first victory in four years and adding three more wins throughout the season he finishes runner-up in the championship with Aoki in 13th.
In 2000 Kenny Roberts Jr. becomes the 500cc World Champion with a total of four victories, Aoki was 10th overall. This was Suzuki’s last championship title to this day.

The latter part of Suzuki’s history inside MotoGP has been full of ups and downs. Even though Suzuki began the millennium on a high note with Kenny Roberts Jr. being the last man to win the 500cc title before the “Rossi era”, after the 2000 season Suzuki has been struggling to become a true contender in the 500cc/MotoGP class.

After Roberts Jr.’s championship year, Sete Gibernau joined the team, riding the Suzuki RGV500. However, results where nowhere near the ones from a season past. Gibernau scored on win, but finished 9th in the championship with Roberts Jr. down in a lowly 11th position.

In 2002, the debut year of the new MotoGP class, Kenny Roberts, Jr. and Sete Gibernau ride the new Suzuki GSV-R four-stroke. A long win drought is about to start. The team’s best result is a 3rd place by Roberts Jr. at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Season end results: Roberts Jr. in 9th, Gibernau in 16th.

While Gibernau leaves the team for Honda and goes on to challenge Rossi all throughout the season, John Hopkins joins Kenny Roberts Jr. in 2003. After a crash at the Italian GP Roberts Jr. is forced to miss three races, Hopkins’ best result is a 7th place at the Spanish GP. Both riders finish the year outside the Top 15.
And more of the same the following year. With the same rider line-up and both of them again finishing the season outside the Top 15, the only change for the team is a switch from Michelin to Bridgestone tyres.
In 2005 we see the same yet again. Roberts Jr. manages to at least end the Suzuki podium drought with a 2nd place in the wet British GP, but he still only finishes the year – his last with Suzuki – in 13th position, Hopkins is one behind in 14th.

Hopkins stays while Roberts Jr. is replaced by Aussie Chris Vermeulen in 2006 – the man whose seat is now taken by Alvaro. Vermeulen manages a good first year, bringing Suzuki a 2nd place finish at his home GP in Phillip Island. Regardless, the team’s overall result is still disappointing: 10th and 11th for Hopkins and Vermeulen while in the team standings Rizla Suzuki only comes in 5th, a devastating 140 points behind 4th placed satellite team Fortuna Honda.

With the same rider lineup, things looked to improve considerably in the team for 2007 when another rule regulation changed the engine capacity yet again after 2002. With the 800cc Suzuki GSV-R Chris Vermeulen took Suzuki’s first win since the advent of four-stroke regulations at the French GP and finished the season in a promising 6th place while John Hopkins even moved up to 4th with four podium positions along the way. Suzuki still only ranks 4th in the manufacturers’ standings, but a promising 3rd in the teams’ classification.

Unfortunately the following two seasons should not repeat or even improve these results. In 2008 Loris Capirossi replaces John Hopkins, but fails to match his previous performances inside the MotoGP class. The Italian racing veteran finishes the season only in 10th place, but with a highlight of a 3rd place podium finish at the Czech GP, his last MotoGP GP podium to date.
Vermeulen drops in the rankings to 8th overall, but brings home back-to-back podium finishes at Sachsenring and Laguna Seca. Suzuki still ranks 4th overall in the constructors’ classification while Rizla Suzuki slips to 5th in the teams’ rankings.
2009 sees this trend continue, with not one podium finish for Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi and an overall rather frustrating season for the team.

After the disappointing last few years, things shall change next season. The comparatively weak Suzuki package is getting a few improvements for 2010. Even if it might not be the most competitive package from the start, it should be at least a more competitive one than it had been in the last years. And with the signing of a young and hungry rider like Alvaro, the team is determined to make a fresh start and get Rizla Suzuki on the winning ways again. We hope for the best.

Suzuki’s motorcycle operations are based at Hamamatsu in Japan, with the MotoGP team’s headquarters now residing at Verwood in Dorset, England – also the home of the Rizla Suzuki British Superbike team.