Suzuki and RCH Racing Conclude Partnership

GD2
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GD2
Edited Date/Time 8/1/2017 5:32am

Brea, Calif, (July 27, 2017) – Suzuki Motor of America, Inc., (SMAI) and RCH Racing today announced the mutual decision to conclude their partnership agreement at the end of the 2017 AMA Supercross and AMA Motocross championship series.

“It’s been a privilege to work with such a driven group of individuals and Suzuki is very appreciative of the hard work and efforts the team has put forth culminating in the 2016 AMA Pro Motocross Championship”, said Kerry Graeber, Suzuki’s Vice President, MC/ATV Sales and Marketing. “The team and Suzuki achieved their respective goals of winning a championship and it’s gratifying to conclude this partnership successfully.”

“As defending AMA Pro Motocross Champions, it’s tough to get to the point where plans evolve and tough business decisions must be made,” said RCH team co-owner Ricky Carmichael. “My partner Carey Hart and I are very proud of our guys and grateful we were able to achieve the success we did as a team. I am also personally looking forward to continuing my long relationship with Suzuki in another capacity as we wind down RCH.”

Carmichael will continue his role as Suzuki Brand Ambassador representing the company, hosting the Camp Carmichael event for Suzuki’s amateur racers, as well as working with Suzuki’s Racing programs and assisting with future product development.

Suzuki will announce further plans for its 2018 Supercross and Motocross Racing efforts in the coming weeks.
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Jbulz
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Jbulz 7/27/2017 11:07am
7/27/2017 11:07am Edited Date/Time 7/27/2017 11:13am
So is this the end of RCH as a race team, or will they be partnering with a different OEM?
tcallahan707
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tcallahan707 7/27/2017 11:12am
7/27/2017 11:12am
Jbulz wrote:
So is this the end of RCH as a race team, or will they be partnering with a different OEM?
"as we wind down RCH".
NorCal 50+
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NorCal 50+ 7/27/2017 11:12am
7/27/2017 11:12am
Eeesh...who is actually making any money in this sport? This team had celebrity ownership, an amazing pit presence, groundbreaking B2B concepts, and won a championship! They should be hitting it over the fence, not shutting down.
Finnish_Flash_62 7/27/2017 11:13am
7/27/2017 11:13am
Jbulz wrote:
So is this the end of RCH as a race team, or will they be partnering with a different OEM?
Seems like they will shutdown completely.

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NV825
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NV825 7/27/2017 11:13am
7/27/2017 11:13am
Definitely sounds like RCH is done if RC will continue to work with Suzuki in another capacity. Unless Hart can find another reason to continue on alone or with another partner/OEM to team up with.
Jbulz
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Jbulz 7/27/2017 11:14am
7/27/2017 11:14am
Jbulz wrote:
So is this the end of RCH as a race team, or will they be partnering with a different OEM?
tcallahan707 wrote:
"as we wind down RCH".
I missed that line.

Wow, pretty crazy that they just won a championship for Suzuki and are closing their doors already. Too bad.
davistld01
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davistld01 7/27/2017 11:16am
7/27/2017 11:16am Edited Date/Time 7/27/2017 11:17am
Wow...very sad. Seems like if anybody did everything right...had all the right stuff in their corner it was Hart & Carmichael. You never know the whole story, but it's a shame to see them go.

Soooooo...don't tell me that JGR will become the factory Suzuki team.
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dsmith 7/27/2017 11:19am
7/27/2017 11:19am
I knew it! ... that sucks ... bogle better get a ride ..
Motofinne
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Motofinne 7/27/2017 11:20am
7/27/2017 11:20am Edited Date/Time 7/27/2017 11:22am
I hope Suzuki comes back with an own factory team.

There are way too little 450 spots as it is and now 2 are gone for 2018.

Open up the 250 class, no age or pointing out rules.

RonJon
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RonJon 7/27/2017 11:23am
7/27/2017 11:23am
They're going probably going to give full factory support JGR since they have a proven track record of race wins and championships Laughing
mauidex
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mauidex 7/27/2017 11:24am
7/27/2017 11:24am
no use throwing good money after bad............just not good enough ROI in this sport to justify a race team strictly on a business front............everyone else has personal interest at stake to absorb the expense...........sad for sureSadSad
Tenacious P
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Tenacious P 7/27/2017 11:25am
7/27/2017 11:25am
Honestly, I'm surprised they funded a full 2017 season. It's a bummer that race teams cost so much to run these days. I wish something would make our sport flush with cash like the good old 90's. My #1 fear is that energy drink sales will slip and the sport goes with.
VicDaMoan03
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VicDaMoan03 7/27/2017 11:27am
7/27/2017 11:27am
Crazy they had a bunch of big sponsors over the years -if they can't make it who can?
FeetUp
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FeetUp 7/27/2017 11:31am
7/27/2017 11:31am
I know K-DUB will land on his feet (always does), whish all those other guy's that will out of jobs "good luck."
mxjon454
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mxjon454 7/27/2017 11:31am
7/27/2017 11:31am
Damn that sucks. So JGR will most likely be the factory suzuki team, but whos going to be their top rider? They need to sign some up and coming kid to develop for their future. Does this mean JGR wont be doing any 250 riders? Also with a new 450 coming out you would think suzuki would want more then just 1 team on it.
scott_nz
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scott_nz 7/27/2017 11:31am
7/27/2017 11:31am
Carey has not seemed to be that interested in the MX team for the last couple of years, and i am not sure how much Suzuki would like him promoting Indian motorcycles so much on his Social Media,

Not to sure Ricky had that much to do with the day to day running,

Other private teams are still running, with Butler Bros being the top one at the moment on results, its a shame we can't keep more well funded teams in the sport,
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Falcon 7/27/2017 11:32am
7/27/2017 11:32am Edited Date/Time 7/27/2017 11:33am
01101101 01101001 01100011 01110010 01101111 01110011 01101111 01100110 01110100

Just thinking out loud here...not really sure about anything... Whistling
mauidex
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mauidex 7/27/2017 11:32am
7/27/2017 11:32am Edited Date/Time 7/27/2017 11:34am
VicDaMoan03 wrote:
Crazy they had a bunch of big sponsors over the years -if they can't make it who can?
key word............HAD............for big guys with big bean counting departments there has to be proven results of ROI......so far the curve on energy drinks is big enough that no one really even cares it seems as long as a lot more black at the end of the year no matter how it got there!!CoolCool

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twotwosix
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twotwosix 7/27/2017 11:34am
7/27/2017 11:34am
Wonder when they told Tickle about this? Hangtown?
TXDirt
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TXDirt 7/27/2017 11:36am
7/27/2017 11:36am
I think they accomplished what they wanted to. They ran a top flight team and won a championship.
davistld01
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davistld01 7/27/2017 11:39am
7/27/2017 11:39am
FeetUp wrote:
I know K-DUB will land on his feet (always does), whish all those other guy's that will out of jobs "good luck."
K-Dub? Didn't know Kevin Windham was part of RCH?
fullfloater
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fullfloater 7/27/2017 11:44am
7/27/2017 11:44am
^^He means K Watson. Wonder if Hart and RC are out of pocket at the end of the day. The Roczen years would not have been cheap.
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Braaaphole 7/27/2017 11:49am
7/27/2017 11:49am
FeetUp wrote:
I know K-DUB will land on his feet (always does), whish all those other guy's that will out of jobs "good luck."
davistld01 wrote:
K-Dub? Didn't know Kevin Windham was part of RCH?
He's talking about Kenny Watson
TriRacer27
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TriRacer27 7/27/2017 11:50am
7/27/2017 11:50am
Man, I agree. If RCH can't make it work, then it just doesn't work.

The current model doesn't make sense for any team as anything other than either a) a marketing investment or b) a fun thing to do for someone with enough money to not care. And even then, as a marketing investment, this shows that it only really makes sense for companies directly selling motocross products.

This is a big problem guys.
tprice07
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tprice07 7/27/2017 11:52am
7/27/2017 11:52am
Make Microsoft is working on an electric bike for them.
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Gebken40 7/27/2017 11:56am
7/27/2017 11:56am
Keep an eye on Ronnie Stewarts team...
oshow
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oshow 7/27/2017 11:59am
7/27/2017 11:59am
fullfloater wrote:
^^He means K Watson. Wonder if Hart and RC are out of pocket at the end of the day. The Roczen years would not have been...
^^He means K Watson. Wonder if Hart and RC are out of pocket at the end of the day. The Roczen years would not have been cheap.
They made money
yzrider314
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yzrider314 7/27/2017 12:02pm
7/27/2017 12:02pm
fullfloater wrote:
^^He means K Watson. Wonder if Hart and RC are out of pocket at the end of the day. The Roczen years would not have been...
^^He means K Watson. Wonder if Hart and RC are out of pocket at the end of the day. The Roczen years would not have been cheap.
oshow wrote:
They made money
Not to mention Carey Hart is married to someone with a net worth north of $120 million...
RoflCopter726 7/27/2017 12:03pm
7/27/2017 12:03pm
Falcon wrote:
01101101 01101001 01100011 01110010 01101111 01110011 01101111 01100110 01110100

Just thinking out loud here...not really sure about anything... Whistling
What about Microsoft?
Underground 7/27/2017 12:03pm
7/27/2017 12:03pm
Those rumours of Tickle to RB KTM just grabbed a lot more traction. Where will Bogle end up?

Sucks to loose another top team for sure. Why is too expensive? The excessive criss-crossing the country, the number of events in a year, the amount of staff required, the hardware? Sure is a big problem emerging that needs to be addressed.

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