Suzuki preparing for Valencia wild card appearance

Suzuki’s new 1000cc MotoGP contender is set to make its much anticipated race debut in the final round of the 2014 world championship in Valencia in November.

Plans for one or more wild card appearances for the new bike have been kicked around for months, but it seems Valencia will be the first time Suzuki will go up against Honda, Yamaha and Ducati.

It had been expected that Suzuki would debut the new bike on home soil at the Japanese GP on October 12.

But team boss Davide Brivio confirmed that the final round in Valencia on November 9 was now the preferred date.

A Valencia wild card makes sense from a logistical standpoint, as Suzuki will need to be in Spain, with the 2015 winter testing campaign kicking off immediately after the final race.

Brivio told MCN: “The final decision has not come yet but we are thinking about Valencia. We are starting to prepare for that and it will be with Randy de Puniet.”

Suzuki is preparing to return to MotoGP next season for the first time since 2011 and Cal Crutchlow, Andrea Dovizioso and Aleix Espargaro have all been linked with a ride with the Japanese manufacturer.