Suppo takes on Honda role

From motogp.com

The Ducati Marlboro Team has announced that the final round of the 2009 MotoGP season in Valencia will be Livio Suppo’s last race as team manager, with the Italian confirming he has agreed to take a role with Honda Racing Corporation.

Suppo, who has been with the Italian manufacturer since 1999, will end his 11-year association with Ducati after the final race of the season in Valencia, and will fulfil a role as a marketing director for HRC’s MotoGP activities for the start of the 2010 season.

The Italian, who helped turn Ducati into a 2007 title-winning team with the signing of Casey Stoner, has explained that the desire for a new challenge was the driving force behind his switch.

“It’s been a very good relationship for me; eleven years working with Ducati has been a dream, and I think together we have achieved something good,” said Suppo. “I think sometimes in life you need new motivation. I must thank Ducati of course for all the opportunities they gave me, and also HRC for being interested in me. It’s a new challenge, it won’t be easy but we will do our best.

“Eleven years at Ducati has been magic. Of course the 2007 World Championship was the highest hope at the beginning. Since then it has also been good to work together with Filippo (Preziosi, Ducati Corse General Manager) and Claudio (Domenicali, General Director of Ducati) and all the team, and I’ll leave a piece of my heart in this company. But again, I think Honda is something difficult to resist.”