HAMAMATSU, JAPAN -- Maverick Viñales has been suspended from the Austrian GP by Yamaha after an internal investigation revealed that the veteran MotoGP rider frequently hit the rev limiter during the closing laps of the last race.
Yamaha claims that these actions were extremely dangerous, not only for Viñales, but for other riders on the track as well. However, the executives at Suzuki saw an opportunity. “It’s rare to find a rider at this level that truly embodies what the average ‘gixxer’ rider is like,” said Satoshi Suzuki, CEO of Suzuki Motor Corp. “Of course we’re very interested. Our fan-base practically invented the ‘rev-bomb’ so it’s nice to see a professional rider pay homage to this staple of Suzuki culture.”
When asked if Viñales could have a future on Suzuki’s MotoGP team, Suzuki had this to say.
“Hell no, what he did was dangerous for both himself and the other riders… we were thinking more like a test rider for our GSX-R 600s. He can really abuse the engine and help us improve reliability for our fans who also enjoy flirting with the red line.”