Davide Brivio quits Suzuki MotoGP team
Announcing his decision on 7 January, the 56-year-old Italian said: “A new professional challenge and opportunity suddenly came to me and, in the end, I decided to take it."
Brivio started his career in race team management in 1990, running a privateer Yamaha team in World Superbikes, then stepped up to Yamaha’s factory WSBK team before transferring to the Yamaha grand prix squad in 2001.
After overseeing the team’s transition from 500cc to MotoGP, Brivio started negotiations to lure Valentino Rossi from Honda, which came to fruition for the 2004 season and would see Rossi secure four World Championships on the YZR-M1.
When Rossi left Yamaha for Ducati at the end of the 2010 MotoGP season, Brivio went with him, but wasn’t as closely connected to the team as he had been with Yamaha.
Joining Suzuki in 2013, Brivio was part of the preparations for the manufacturer’s return to MotoGP in 2015, then oversaw a rise that culminated in last year’s “double” – the World Championship for Joan Mir and the Teams’ Championship for Team Suzuki Ecstar.
“Achieving a MotoGP title is something that will remain in the Suzuki history books and it will always have a special place in my life memories,” Brivio said.
“I would like to deeply thank all the Suzuki management for their trust and confidence in me. I would like to thank every single member of our MotoGP group in Japan and at the track, all the Suzuki network, and of course all the riders who rode for the Team in this period, especially Joan and Alex who did a great 2020 season."
Unsurprisingly, Mir’s World Championship was the highlight of Brivio’s career with Suzuki.
“Joan becoming World Champion was a dream come true for me and for all the people who worked hard and accompanied me on this magnificent journey.
“I wish the best to Team Suzuki MotoGP. I hope that the results in the future will be better and better and I will always be a Suzuki fan.”
At time of writing, Brivio’s replacement at Team Suzuki Ecstar not been announced, but he leaves big shoes to fill.