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Tetsuo Suzuki

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For the past decade or so, we have been promised a V4 superbike from Honda – one that’s been based off the Japanese manufacturer’s MotoGP program. The Honda RC213V-S is perhaps our closest realization of that promise, though the $184,000 price tag was considerably more than many envisioned.

Now the rumors are rife again, with a V4-powered superbike said to be coming our way for the 2017 model year, in parallel of course with a new inline-four powered CBR1000RR as well.

Like the rumors of old, this current excitement comes from the insatiably minds at MCN, and while there is certainly evidence for the rumor, when you drill down into the facts, Honda’s plan is far from certain.

HRC are to have a get a new President. After five years, Tetsuo Suzuki (right) is to step down as present of Honda’s racing department, and move back towards the production side of the business. He is to be replaced by Yoshishige Nomura (left), a man with a long history in HRC.

Nomura was involved in the engineering of some of Honda’s most classic engines, including the NR750, the RC30, and the RC45. He also had a role in the 990cc V5 RC211V MotoGP machine.

Nomura will oversee all of Honda’s racing activities, while HRC Vice President Shuhei Nakamoto will look after the day-to-day running of Honda’s involvement in MotoGP. The HRC press release issued announcing Nomura’s appointment appears after the jump.

After declaring its intention to field a three-man team in the 2011 MotoGP season with riders Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso, and Casey Stoner, HRC went immediately into circles about how it would pull-off such an arrangement when the money to finance a larger factory squad did not materialize. Exploring avenues that would see a second, single-bike, factory team (rumored to be sponsored by Red Bull) centered around Andrea Dovizioso, Honda also tried to stick the Italian rider inside the Gresini Honda satellite squad (with the promise of factory support), but both efforts came to no avail.

With Dovizioso holding his ground, and Honda bound by a contract, questions regarding how the Japanese manufacture would handle its predicament were a common source of conjecture in the MotoGP paddock. This speculation has finally come to a conclusion though, as HRC has announced it has secured Andrea Dovizioso in the factory team for 2011, which will will continue to be sponsored by Repsol Honda.