CARMICHAEL MAINTAINS RELATIONSHIP WITH SUZUKI
D
espite seeing his RCH Suzuki Racing Team shutting
down at the end of the 2017 season, Ricky Carmichael
will continue to act as the company's brand manager.
In support of Suzuki's all-new factory racing program in the
U.S., Carmichael will also interact with Autotrader/Yoshimu-
ra/Suzuki Racing team management at Joe Gibbs Racing
(JGR) as well as the contracted racers directly.
Carmichael will also continue to be an integral part of Su-
zuki's efforts, including the RM Army initiative—the umbrella
under which Suzuki racing support resides. The Camp Car-
michael program, an exclusive Suzuki offering, will continue
with Carmichael providing personal coaching for riders who
qualify on Suzuki RM and RM-Z race bikes.
Another significant portion of Carmichael's responsibility
with Suzuki will be product development and feedback. With the recent announcement that Suzuki Mo-
tor Corporation (SMC) was suspending participation in the MXGP and All-Japan MX championships, a
greater portion of the development and refinement of the company's motocross models has shifted to
Suzuki in the United States. CN
VOL. 54 ISSUE 45 NOVEMBER 14, 2017 P43
YAMAHA AIMS TO SOLVE NIGHTMARE 2017 MOTOGP SEASON
Y
amaha has a major MotoGP testing program
lined up before the testing moratorium at
the end of November, after a season where the
mixture of fortunes went awry. Substitute Monster
Yamaha rider Michael van der Mark will miss his
chance of joining the upcoming Valencia tests as
a result, as the factory enlists the satellite team
and rider Johann Zarco in the efforts to get back
on course.
Yamaha racing boss Lin Jarvis spoke of "a
difficult technical year." Yamaha won races early
in the season, "then got into difficulties at tracks
where we didn't expect it, mainly in low-grip situa-
tions."
The problems sank pre-season favorite Maver-
ick Vinales's hopes, and the Spaniard told press
that, "testing is more important than racing,"
suggesting that the team was using the Valencia
round to advance the test program.
Valentino Rossi previously said that the difficult
handling problems had cost him more than break-
ing his leg.
A revised engine was "in the program," said
Rossi before the Valencia weekend. "But our
problem is the chassis. We have been struggling
a lot, and we don't know how to fix it."
In addition to the two days at Valencia, Yamaha
are to take both factory riders and Johann Zarco
to Sepang before the end of the month.
Michael Scott
Ricky Carmichael
will continue his
relationship with Suzuki
as brand manager.
When factory Yamaha is fighting just for points,
you know there's something wrong.
