Why MotoGP's 'possum' isn't as dormant as its Qatar GP suggests

Suzuki made a splash in pre-season testing with its 2022 GSX-RR and was expected to fight for big things in MotoGP’s Qatar Grand Prix. While the race didn’t yield anything special, there is a lot to suggest Suzuki could be MotoGP’s real weapon this season

Lewis Duncan Mar 9, 2022, 4:00 PM

Upd: Mar 10, 2022, 12:52 AM

“The biggest surprise to me was Suzuki playing possum all winter and coming out with 355km/h, so clearly they found some ponies in Japan,” Ducati’s Jack Miller said after the opening day of the 2022 Qatar Grand Prix in which Suzuki’s Alex Rins topped the timesheets.

The “ponies” he refers to is the significantly increased stable propelling the GSX-RR from corner to corner in 2022. Suzuki’s engineers back at its Hamamatsu base have managed to tease more power out of its inline four-cylinder engine to the point where Rins out-dragged a Ducati on Losail’s main straight in Friday practice.

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Author Lewis Duncan

Lewis Duncan is Autosport's International Editor and primary motorcycle racing reporter. A motorsport fan from a young age, Lewis became interested in journalism when he won the star letter competition in the February 2012 issue of F1 Racing Magazine. A member of the Autosport Academy from 2017, Lewis became a freelance motorcycle racing correspondent for Autosport in 2019 before becoming a full-time staffer in 2020 as International Editor.

While MotoGP coverage is his priority, Lewis also covers World Superbikes and road racing across the Motorsport Network, and hosts the Tank Slappers Podcast. He has also occasionally commentated on 750 Motor Club meetings. Away from motorsport, Lewis is a keen record collector with a collection unashamedly largely featuring Iron Maiden and Rush and an avid guitar player.