When Suzuki left MotoGP at the end of 2011, it was with a promise to return in 2014. Since then, there have been a string of news stories pointing to an imminent return, with reports gaining a massive boost once (clearly leaked) 'spy shots' of the brand new inline four MotoGP bike Suzuki is working on emerged.
But bringing Suzuki back into the fold has not proved to be easy. Hamamatsu bigwigs visited the Brno round of MotoGP in August last year to talk to Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta about a possible return, and also to clear up confusion which then existed about the rules. The outcome of those talks was not as Suzuki had hoped: Suzuki had told Ezpeleta that they were only interested in signing a one-year contract, Ezpeleta refused, saying Suzuki must sign up for a minimum of three years, to ensure some kind of continuity; the Japanese factory also stated categorically that they would not make a return if a spec ECU with spec software were to be implemented, Ezpeleta reiterated his position that the Grand Prix Commission would implement rules as they saw fit, regardless of what Suzuki felt about it. The spec ECU - at least in terms of software - was later dropped, removing one obstacle, but Suzuki have still to commit to a return to MotoGP.
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