Suzuki and Joan Mir’s 2020 MotoGP world titles are to be celebrated this weekend [27 February] by Football League club the MK Dons, with the League One outfit wearing a commemorative shirt for Saturday’s fixture with Oxford United.
Mir became the sixth rider to win the biggest prize in motorcycle racing with Suzuki, after Britain’s Barry Sheene first took the premier class world title for the Japanese manufacturer in 1976. Mir’s unerring consistency in 2020 saw him claim the title with a round to spare in only his second season in the top flight.
Team Suzuki – Suzuki’s factory racing effort – also won the team world championship last season, making it a double title-winning year in the premier class of motorcycle racing.
To mark the feat, the MK Dons will wear a special shirt for this weekend’s game – modelled by Cameron Jerome, Scott Fraser, and Warren O’Hara with Suzuki’s GSX-R1000R, which features a host of MotoGP-derived technology – with the usual Suzuki logo on the front of the jersey adorned with a wreath and the line ‘MotoGP World Champions 2020’ positioned underneath.
Suzuki has sponsored the MK Dons since 2014, with the famous SUZUKI logo on the front of the playing kit and around Stadium MK, while also investmenting in the MK Dons’ community initiatives, providing support for the women’s team, as well as the many inclusion and disability activities run by the MK Dons Sport and Education Trust.
Suzuki GB Director, Paul de Lusignan, said, “We enjoy a great relationship with the MK Dons, and it’s going to be very special to see our MotoGP world championships celebrated on the front of their shirts this weekend. In MotoGP Joan Mir lifted the rider’s title while Team Suzuki was able to win the team championship, highlighting the performance of Mir, but also our GSX-RR. We hope the MK Dons can achieve success this weekend in the commemorative shirt and we have something to celebrate together.”
MK Dons commercial manager Andy Wooldridge added, “When speaking to the team at Suzuki, I can sense the immense pride that everyone there has in this achievement. We are pleased that we are able to show our support of this and raise money for local causes at the same time.”
After the game there will be opportunities for MK Dons supporters and MotoGP enthusiasts to win some of the match-worn shirts in a special charity draw, with funds generated going to the MK Dons Sport and Education Trust as well as the Milton Keynes Hospital Charity. Full details to be announced.
