Something old, something new. Something borrowed, something blue. Suzuki complied with the old marriage saw, as the factory began its rapprochement with MotoGP.
Old is the company itself, in GP racing since 1960; new is the bike – a Yamaha-like in-line four. Test rider Randy de Puniet is borrowed from the Aspar team. The paint was blue.
The bike went well, damned well, in its first test. The only downer was when Suzuki simultaneously announced that instead of returning in 2014 it will be one year later. But will the old wives’ tale be enough to secure a smooth resumption of relations with the World Championship?
The Suzuki/MotoGP story is as complicated as any gossip mag’s account of a troubled celebrity marriage.
On the one side, a very old-school Japanese company whose motives are shielded by a wall of inscrutability, and which goes its own way without feeling much need to explain.
On the other, Dorna’s Carmelo Ezpeleta – a fiery table-thumper, full of threats and ultimatums, alternately cajoling and demanding, and changing his tune at will to suit ever-changing circumstances.
