Endurance and Superbike Racing History
2000s 1990s 1980s 1970s      
2008

In the World Endurance Racing, Suzuki France's SERT (Suzuki Endurance Racing Team) captured the championship for four consecutive years on the GSX-R1000. In Suzuka 8-hour endurance race (the third race in the same FIM championship series), Watanabe/Sakai pair and Kagayama/Akiyoshi pair from Yoshimura Suzuki placed second and fourth respectively.

In the Superbike World Championship, Max Neukirchner, who officially became a member of the Team Alstare Suzuki for his magnificent racing in the previous season, was awarded on the podium seven times including victory in 2 heats, and finished the season in the fifth place overall ranking. In the meantime, Fonsi Nieto dominated the 2nd heat of the opening round and achieved third place podium finish in the 2nd round, and ended the season ranked sixth overall. Kagayama concluded the season in the 11th place overall due to injuries caused by falling down in the opening round and during practice in the 7th round.
2007

In the World Motorcycle Endurance Racing, Suzuki France's SERT (Suzuki Endurance Racing Team) won the championship in three consecutive years on their GSX-R1000. And in Suzuka 8-hour endurance race, the third race of the same FIM series, Yukio Kagayama and Kosuke Akiyoshi from Yoshimura Suzuki dominated the race to win the championship for the first time in 27 years for the team and 24 years for Suzuki.

In the Superbike World Championship, Max Biaggi and Yukio Kagayama participated as members of Team Suzuki Alstare. Biaggi, in his first appearance in the series, won the 3 wins including 17 podium finish out of 26 heats, and placed third in the overall ranking of the series. Kagayama, who fell and injured in the qualifications of the second and eleventh races, had to miss various races and finished thirteenth in the final ranking. On the other hand, 24-year-old Max Neukirchner of Suzuki International Europe in Germany showed a remarkable performance finishing ninth in the overall ranking of the series.
2006

In the World Motorcycle Endurance Racing, Suzuki Castrol (Suzuki Endurance Racing Team), with its GSX-R1000, won the championship 5 times in the 7 rounds and earned its second consecutive championship of the year. 


In the Superbike World Championship, Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama of the Alstare Team raced on their GSX-R1000s. Although the defending Champion of the previous year, Troy Corser showed his excellent performances with 2 victories and 3 second places, he finished the season in the fourth place overall due to unsatisfactory results in the last half of the season. Kagayama, on the other hand, did not get on track in the first half of the season, but recovered in the last half wining the seventh round (dominating 2 heats) and tenth round. He concluded the season in the seventh place overall in the final rankings.
2005

Troy Corser from Alstare Suzuki which came back to the Superbike World Championship from the 2005 season and the GSX-R1000 win the championship.
Mat Mladin becomes an unprecedented six-time winner of the U.S. Superbike championship. Ben Spies come in 2nd, making it 1-2 for the season for the GSX-R1000. Season title wins in other countries including France and Canada further demonstrate the GSX-R1000's competitive performance.
Suzuki Castrol (Suzuki Endurance Racing Team) wins World Endurance Championship title.

Yoshimura Suzuki enters the Suzuka 8-hour endurance race with the same Watanabe/Kagayama pair from the year before, but encountering unexpected setbacks including white smoke from overheating muffler, finishes the race in 10th place. Suzuki France's SERT Kitagawa Keiichi/Vincent Phillipe team takes the best Suzuki result, coming in at 7th place.
2004

In the U.S.A., Yoshimura Suzuki rider Mat Mladin on a GSX-R1000 wins his fifth AMA Superbike series title. With a total of 32 wins including Daytona 200-mile victories, Mladin ties the record for the most number of wins. In the World Endurance Championship, Suzuki France's SERT take their GSX-R1000 to 2nd place for the season. SERT also enters and wins the Le Mans 24-hour and the Bol d'Or 24-hour endurance races. Keiichi Kitagawa becomes the first Japanese to win both of those 24-hour endurance races .(He is the first Japanese to win both races in the same year. But, in the Bol d'Or in 1994 Yasutomo Nagai and in the Le Mans of this season Keiichi Kitagawa are the first Japanese respectively to win one of these two races.)

Yoshimura Suzuki's Kagayama/Watanabe team enters the Suzuka 8-hour Endurance Race. Despite falling behind at the start, they maintain steady riding for 209 laps and score a 2nd-place finish for the first time in 16 years since the Kevin Schwantz/Doug Polen team in 1988. Kenz team rode on for six hours and 30 minutes (160 laps) when they had to retire due to radiator coolant leak. France's SERT endurance team, overcoming serious mishaps and completing 190 laps, finished the race and came in 34th.
2003 Yoshimura Suzuki team entered in Suzuka 8-hour Endurance gets caught in a crash and retires just two laps after start. Kenz's Kitagawa Keiichi/Fujiwara Katsuaki team leads the race until close to the finish but misses victory due to machine troubles encountered when switching the rider for the last time, during the final hour. Suzuki GB Phase-1 team took their GSX-R1000 to a World Endurance Championship title, bringing Suzuki the manufacturer's title. Suzuki France endurance team rode their GSX-R1000 to victory in all three historic 24-hour endurance races - Le Mans, Spa and Bol d'Or. Mat Mladin on a GSX-R1000 won a record fourth AMA Superbike championship title, while his teammate Aaron Yates followed right behind coming in 2nd for the season. Ben Spies (on a GSX-R1000) became Formula Xtreme champion; Josh Hayes (on a GSX-R750) became Superstock champion, making the Suzuki GSX-R the champion machine in three out of the four AMA Superbike Championship series.
2002

Team Suzuki Ryo/Kagayama pair in World Endurance Championship round 4 Suzuka 8-hour Endurance Race rides strongly in 2nd position until lap 156 when they unfortunately retire due to machine troubles. Nevertheless, the Suzuki GSX-R1000 dominates the top 3 positions in series ranking and Suzuki wins manufacturer's title. Suzuki France endurance racing team SERT wins all three of the historic 24-hour endurance races which were separated from the World Championship: Le Mans, Spa and Bol d'Or. Suzuki entrants succeed in taking series title in three AMA categories: Supersport (Aaron Yates on a GSX-R600), Formula Xtreme (Jason Pridmore on a GSX-R1000) and Superstock (Jimmy Moore on a GSX-R750).

In Supersport World Championship, Fujiwara Katsuaki finishes 2nd for the season and Stephane Chambon 3rd for the season, bringing the manufacturer's title to Suzuki.
2001

Mat Mladin becomes 3-year consecutive AMA Superbike champion. Jimmy Moore becomes AMA 750 Supersport champion. Suzuki France Christian Lavieille/Brian Morrison/Laurent Brian/Arnaud Van Den Bossche team becomes FIM Endurance World Cup series champion and brings manufacturer's title to Suzuki. Team Suzuki's Ryo/Kagayama/Watanabe trio takes Suzuka 8-hour Endurance Race 3rd-place finish.

Pierfrancesco Chili winner of Superbike World Championship round 6 race 2.
2000

Mat Mladin wins AMA Superbike Daytona 200-mile and becomes 2-year consecutive series champion. Suzuki machine/rider win 2-year consecutive World Endurance Championship manufacturer's and rider's titles.

Pierfrancesco Chili scores victory in Superbike World Championship round 5 race 1.