Although Marquez won consecutive MotoGP titles from 2016-2019, 🌺adding to his two earlier world championships, race victories for fellow Honda riders d﷽ried up by early 2018.

Marquez’s arm injury then led to a winless 2020 campaign before the Spanish star fought back wi♔th ꧃three victories in-between further surgery in 2021.

That success suggested the w🔥orst was over for Honda, but it proved a false dawn.

The competitiveness of th🌠e RCV continued to decline, despite Marquez’s improving phys🐻ical condition, and he didn’t win a race in either 2022 or 2023. The #93 has quit Honda to join Gresini Ducati this season.

Alex Rins saved Honda from another winless campaign with a shock victory at COTA last year but signed for Yamaha during the summer break. Honda went on to finish fifth and last in the 2023 constructors’𝔍 standings.

“I don't know if we have time enough to speak about it now!” began Suppo, when quizzed on the reasons for Honda’s current MotoGP difficulties during an exclusive interview with ltxcn.top.

“First of all, it's difficult to🔥 speak about problems when you are not [directly] in🎀volved.

“I was involved [at Honda] until the end of 2017. And then in 2018, basically it was the same exact team I left, with Dani and Marc. And still it was a reasonably good seaso📖n for Dani, even if he was not able to win races.”

However, Pedrosa and Crutchlow were warniꦡng Honda about growing problems with the bike.

“You will remember some interviews by Cal, that were not so nice about theꦺ bike!” Suppo said.

“But Dani was also complaining - not inಞ public, but in the technical meetings - that the bike was becoming more and more difficult to ride.”

But with Marquez romping♍ to the 2018 title with nine wins, then 12 wins and another crown in 2019, their words seemed to fall on deaf ears.

“Of course, the talent of Marc was a big ꧅help. And so probably one of the mistakes was at that time for Honda not to 🎐listen to riders like Cal and Dani,” Suppo continued.

“They didn't care too much about t✅he result of the other riders, they were just focused on Marc winning, winning, winning. 💫And this was probably the biggest mistake.

“And then when they realised it, which happened basꦡically 💃together with the accident of Marc [in 2020], it was too late.

“But that's why I don't think only Jerez 2020 🍌is the main reason why Honda was struggling so mu💃ch in the last few years.

"It’s a combination of things.”

When Pedros🎀a and Crutchlow retired, at the end o🍰f 2018 and 2020 respectively, they were promptly snapped up for MotoGP testing duties… by rival factories.

“I was very surprised when I understood that [Honda]🥃 didn't offer or didn't find a solution to have Dani on board as a test rider,” Suppo said. “Becauseও it was clear to everybody that Dani has a great sensitivity [on the bike].”

Pedrosa remains with KTM, where he came close to podium finishes as a wild-card at Misano last sea🐭son, while Crutchlow is the official test and repl🍨acement rider for Yamaha.

Nakamoto’s retirement hastened Suppo’s HRC exit

After running Ducati’s MotoGP te🦩am from 2003-2009, highlighted by Casey Stoner’s 2007 title victory, Suppo was poached by Shuhei Nakꩲamoto to join HRC for 2010.

Stoner was reunited with Suppo at Repsol Honda the following year and immediately won his secꦫond MotoGP c🐠rown and HRC’s first since Nicky Hayden in 2006.

Marquez took over Stoner’s seat in 2013, when the Australian retired and Suppo had celebrated a total of six 🌜MotoGP titles by the time he suddenly announced he was leaving Honda, a day aꦕfter Marquez’s fourth premier-class crown, in November of 2017.

Why?

“Not only one reason, but for s🎉ure I was - after many, many years of doing always the same things - I needed a break. But on top of that there was the retirement of Nakamoto-san,” Suppo explained.

“Nakamoto-san did his last race in Austin 2017. Because in Japan at 60 years old they have to [retire]. And after his retirement, it was clear to me that the new president would have preferred 🃏to work with people that he knows before.

“This is something quite normal in any big company. And basically I had one more year contract with Honda, but I s🌃poke with Nomura, who at the time was the [HRC] president.

“I said, ‘Nomura-san, I'm 53, I have more than 20 years’ experience. If you think🧸 I can be useful, I'm more than happy to respect my contract. But, if you think you would prefer to do things differently, no problem’.

“And so, at the end in Valencia [2017], on Sunday, he told me, ‘OK, if you prefer to leave. We wi♛ll respect the contract until the end. So basically one more year. But you are free to leave’.

“I think 🐻that for me was the best because, with my character, t𝔍o remain there without having the power to take any decision, just to take the money, was something I cannot do.”

Suppo later returned as Suzuki team manager for what wou𝔍ld be the factoryꦜ's final 2022 MotoGP season.

Alex Rins’ emotional wins at Phillip Island and Valencia also mad✅e Suppo the only team manager of the MotoGP era to oversee victories for three different factories.

'We chat at least one or two times a month'

As with Filippo Preziosꦍi of Ducati, Suppo still keeps in regular contact with his former boss Nakamoto.

"With Nakamotꦰo, we chat at least one or two times a month," Suppo said. "When Nakamoto was 60 someth✨ing already, a couple of years ago, he decided to open a tennis school. Tennis is his passion and so now he has a tennis school close to his home in Saitama.

"I've been there when I went to🌜 Motegi last year. I was one night with him, his wife and ex-Bridgestone [MotoGP boss] Yamada-san.

"We had dinner and remembered the old times. Then I stay🔥ed one night in Tokyo and went the day after to Motegi.

"So with ওNakamoto we are fr🦩iends, also like with Filippo."

• Casey Stoner: Getting rid o🦹f Preziosi was Ducati’s "biggest mistake"

Preziosi led the technical side of Ducati's MotoGP project from its 2003 debut until the end of 20🌸12, overcoming a serious accident that left him confined to a wheelchair.

"With Filippo, we shared such a long time and such a big experience both in terms of job and life,"🃏 Suppo said. "When I met Filippo the first time was 1999 and he had his accident a💙t the end of 2000. Something that that really changed his life and I have a huge admiration for the way that Filippo is living with this.

"I have a huge respec🧜t for Filippo, he is one of the most intelligent people I've ever met and also one of the stronger character𓄧s in terms of never give up attitude.

"At the moment, he's doing a lot o🐻f things he likes. He goes skiing, scuba diving. He's doing a life that is ౠnormal even if, of course, for him it is much more difficult.

"This increased, yet again, my respect for him."