Suzuki wary of fielding more bikes

While Honda, Yamaha, and Ducati all field additional bikes to their works machines, Suzuki and Kawasaki have been put under pressure to do the same to help increase the number of bikes on the grid.

This week, 125cc and 250cc outfit Team Aspar have been linked to running at least one Suzuki in MotoGP next year, and the manufacturer's racing department group leader, Fumihiro Oonishi, believes that they are now in a position to make it happen.

"We are trying to find out whether we can afford it," he was quoted as saying by Italian magazine Motosprint.

"The problem is the organisation. It's a matter of creating a structure that can support a second team and their needs."

Oonishi added that Suzuki had not been in a position to run more than two bikes in the past.

"The racing department had considerable problems when we started making an effort in MotoGP, and I'm not just talking about the bikes performance," he said. "It was also a matter of logistics, and now things are much better."

While he pointed out that the decision against fielding extra bikes was not down to performance, the pace of the works bikes so far this season is likely to be a factor in the final decision on adding more Suzuki's to the grid.

"We need our bike to be consistently competitive, so that we can also concentrate on parts management and development for a second team," Oonishi added.

Suzuki are hoping to continue improving their fortunes this season with the introduction of a new engine, which could run as soon as the next Grand Prix in France.