Suzuki could be calling it quits, at least temporarily, from racing in the MotoGP. Suzuki missed Friday's deadline to commit to the championship for 2012 and Rizla Suzuki team boss Paul Denning sent out an email to team members saying that Suzuki would not race in the MotoGP in 2012. An official announcement hasn't been made yet, but it looks like there won't be a factory Suzuki team on the grid in 2012.
Suzuki didn't bring their 1000cc machine to the Valencia test last week and rider Alvaro Bautista recently signed with on to race with the Honda team in 2012.
According to GPWeek.com, Denning said in the email to his team that Suzuki will likely return to MotoGP racing in 2014 after they refine their 1000cc machine.
Randy De Puniet tested the 800cc Suzuki bike at Valencia but Puniet doesn't have a contract in place with the team. It looks like Randy will move to World Superbikes if he can't secure a MotoGP ride soon.
With Suzuki gone, only three manufacturers will be participating in the 2012 MotoGP season. Honda, Ducati, and Yamaha all have bikes set for the 2012 grid. The 2012 MotoGP season will also see the introduction of a new class of privateer 'Claiming Rule Teams' (CRTs) to boost grid numbers.
