Suzuki Europe MX2 in 2012 on several fronts
The Suzuki Europe MX2team had to focus during the Grand Prix of Italy of last weekend with the role of spectator. But the team was clearly present in the sweltering paddock FermoAfter all, exciting plans were being made for 2012.
The German team now hopes to soon see some important and interesting developments regarding the future of the European MX2 racing program, which is based on the RM and RM-Z250 machinesto announce. Manager Thomas Ramsbacher explained the current state of affairs at the Suzuki Europe MX2 team.
MXMag: How do you evaluate 2011?
“If you've already experienced a season like ours, you can only look to the future! We now need to make an assessment and see what mistakes we have made as a team. And just like a driver, we have to learn from those mistakes. We must now strive to be competitive again in 2012. Valentin only rode six of the fifteen GPs this season and so you cannot expect to be at the top as a team. But this was mainly a matter of bad luck, both for the driver and for the team.”
MXMag: What is your vision for 2012 and beyond?
“For us, the most important thing – as we have always done – is to look at what we can do for young riders. When Teillet was injured this year, we had the opportunity to recruit a rider who was 22 or 23 from another brand. to step in for him. But that was something we didn't want to do. Our priority was to give some 'Suzuki kids' the opportunity to ride a factory bike. To then see what their options were and at the same time learn how they deal with those types of situations. We ultimately chose Simone Zecchina, who managed to surprise us. He was relatively unknown in Italy but he still performed well, just like Jeremy Seewer last weekend in Gaildorf. These are cool kids and they also rode a Suzuki in their own championships. So it was positive to see them progress and at the same time show them the level they can reach.”
MXMag: How do you see the team's presence next year? Will there be a greater spread across different championships?
“For my part, since we started the team, I have always been busy training young guys. The most famous one is of course Ken Roczen, but we also guided Clément Desalle for four years. In addition, there were Xavier Boog and Arnaud Tonus. We recruited these riders very young and we were able to make progress together. I like the idea of developing talent with the excellent opportunities we have, especially because of the link with GRP (Geboers Racing Promotion) and Jens Johansson whose experience certainly plays a role. I think we can continue our work. And that probably means that we will be present in the important championships that are currently available: from the two-stroke championship to the MX2 European Championship and then of course to the flagship with the factory-backed RM-Z250 in the MX2 Grands Prix.”
Photo Credits: Suzuki Racing/Ray Archer
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