No decision on Rizla’s MotoGP future

Rizla has yet to decide whether it will continue to back Suzuki’s factory MotoGP squad in 2009.

Having recently announced it would quit backing Suzuki’s British superbike team after a seven-year partnership, Rizla is still in negotiation with factory management about whether it will continue to back Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi in MotoGP next season.

Rizla’s current deal with the British-based MotoGP squad expires at the end of the 2008 campaign and team manager Paul Denning told MCN: “The BSB decision has no impact, either positive or negative on the discussions about renewing the MotoGP sponsorship.

“The position is that Rizla is still considering very carefully its plans for next year and we are in discussion and I hope to have a final position quite soon.

The BSB sponsorship has been running for a long time now, and there comes a point where to deliver new values and new messages becomes quite difficult. With the lack of terrestrial TV coverage for the British championship, a brand like Rizla isn’t getting its message to the armchair viewer in the quantities it used to.

“But it doesn’t have any direct implication on the MotoGP situation. Hopefully before at Valencia we will have a final position.”