Is Suzuki pulling out of AMA for 09?

[Cajun]

November 21 may very well go down in US Superbike history as black Friday.

While there is no official comment as yet, it is known that American Suzuki has told Yoshimura Suzuki that they will not be participating in the Daytona tire test next month, and sources suggest that not racing at all in 2009 is definitely on the table for Suzuki.

article --> http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2008/...grayfriday.htm

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Kawasaki started another revolte with the new rules that DMG are trying to bring in to AMA next year, standard gas tank(instead of custom ones, to change weight balance), standard 17" rims(instead of 16.5)

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/...?article=35052
http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/...?article=35056

[Tony.OK]

Crickey.....

[steveyb]

Yamaha are signed up it seems.

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/...?article=35009

There is some big poos hitting the oscillator over there right now. There is even rumours of a breakaway series given the so-called' dumbing down' that DMG want to do.

Watch that space.

[steveyb]

PS Check this out.
US champion of some class or other (they have SOOOO many).
Melissa Paris, now I'd certainly buy that for a dollar!

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/...?article=35046

[Cajun]

interesting talk with Mel Harris - American Suzuki Vice-President

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2008/...5melharris.htm

The use of stock components inside the engine cases also is an issue with Harris. "We've pointed out to him that the British Superbike series used stock pistons, rings and rods this year. It didn't work. Every manufacturer was blowing up engines and then what did they do? They sided with the WSBK series on those rules modifications."

DMG Superbike rules require OEM forks, but one can add internal parts to improve them. Bolting on a set of high performance brakes to a stock fork is an issue for Suzuki, Harris says.

"There's some liability concerns, frankly," Harris said. "Exotic brakes on a motorcycle with stock forks? We don't sell those bikes that way and if you start racing them that way and you have a problem you're going to hurt riders. And if you don't have a problem then you have a product liability situation because you're going to have a lawyer who is going to point out, Jeez, you don't do this on your streetbikes but you do to race them?".

[Cajun]

Came across this which shines a different light on it.
http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/...?article=35067

That Suzuki want to buy $230M in shares that GM own back, so making cut backs in areas to pay for that

[steveyb]

Came across this which shines a different light on it.
http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/...?article=35067

That Suzuki want to buy $230M in shares that GM own back, so making cut backs in areas to pay for that

Ha!
There you go.
They are preparing to make sure that they don't have a ticket on the GM Titanic!
When that ship hits the iceberg all manner of crap will start flying around and on down the line too.
If the shares are put on the market they will be dumped and their value with plummet, something the chairman of Suzuki legally cannot allow to happen if he is aware that it could. The first responsibility of the board is to retain value for the shareholders.

Suzuki USA is clearly not profitable enough to do that and go racing at the same time.
Just goes to show though, that even major tuners and speed shops in the US are not prepared to go racing on their own dollar.

[Cajun]

yeah steveyb another take on it, i think it you put both things together will get somewhere closer to the truth