When Suzuki pulled out of Grand Prix racing at the end of the 1968 season, it looked like the end of a story that had begun with the company’s first works entries for the 1960 Isle of Man TT. In fact, with Yamaha following suit and Honda already out at the end of 1967, Grand Prix racing was heavily into survival mode. The days of World Championship domination by Suzuki in the 50cc and 125cc classes with riders like Ernst Degner, Hugh Anderson, and Hans-Georg Anscheidt were over as restrictions tightened on engine design and gearboxes in the smaller classes. Moreover, with costs escalating and motorcycle sales declining, the late ‘sixties were about diversification into other areas such as cars, especially for Suzuki and Honda. Yamaha at least had their ‘production’ 250 and 350 twins to swell the grids, but without works development, were under pressure from the likes of Benelli, OSSA and MZ.
Suzuki had kept a toe in the water through the FIM Formula 750 class in Europe and the AMA Series, and notably the Daytona 200, in USA. The vehicle was the fast but fickle water-cooled TR750, developed from the road-going GT750 ‘Water Bottle’ which adhered strictly to the FIM and AMA rules in being developed from a street design, but as these rules were relaxed, opening the door for Yamaha’s all-conquering TZ700/750, Suzuki lost interest. Post 1969, Suzuki did have a presence in the 500cc GPs
