Suzuki’s green entry into this year’s Suzuka 8-Hour endurance race showed that an environmentally-friendly future can still be fast. Team Suzuki CN Challenge raced a GSX-R1000R – fitted with a host of greener parts and technologies – to eighth place at the 45th running of the prestigious race. After eight hours of racing against full-factory superbike machines from the top manufacturers, the team finished just four laps down on the race winners.
Headed by experienced former MotoGP chief Shinichi Sahara – who steered Suzuki to MotoGP championship glory in 2020 – and piloted by former Endurance World Championship winner Etienne Masson, Sodo Hamahara, and Hideyuki Ikugata, the GSX-R1000R ran on 40% bio-sourced sustainable fuel from Elf, with its four-cylinder engine lubricated by engine oil from Motul, made from a bio-sourced base oil.
Utilising Suzuki’s long-standing relationship with Yoshimura, emissions were controlled by an exhaust system from the renowned manufacturer and tuning house, complete with catalytic converter.
With emissions and environmental impact not just limited to the sourcing and burning of fuel, the GSX-R also ran low-dust brake pads from Sunstar Engineering. Further outlining Suzuki’s dedication to eco-friendly competition were tyres from Bridgestone that use an increased ratio of recycled materials, front and rear fenders made from a natural flax fibre, supplied by Bcomp and bodywork provided by JHI that utilises recycled carbon materials.
Team director Sahara san, said after the race, “At the start of last week I thought it was amazing that we were able to make it to the final without any problems, despite the unusually short preparation time. From then on, the team and riders worked perfectly, and we made it to the final day without any trouble. We not only finished the race as we had aimed, but we also finished in eighth place, so I feel a real sense of accomplishment.
“This doesn’t mean the project is over, and we still have work to do to gather data, verify sustainable items, and set our next goal, but today I really want to praise the riders for their hard work and the team for giving 100%. I think this is a result of everyone’s dedication, including the fans who supported this initiative, the partner companies, and the people at each workplace who supported the team members. I hope to continue this success in the future.”
Ahead of the race the president of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Toshihiro Suzuki, emphasised the link between racing and improving products for consumers in the future, saying, “We have been making efforts in re-allocating resources toward promoting the development of sustainability-related technologies. The Endurance World Championship is an extremely demanding race series for the machine, riders, and the team, forced to make long hours of running. By making development of sustainable fuel and other sustainable items of Yoshimura Japan, who has been working alongside us for a long time, and other partners in such a challenging environment, I believe that it will lead not only to improving Suzuki’s environmental performance technologies, but also to contribute to personnel development and to increase motivation, which will be linked to making even better products in the future.”
Tsuyoshi Tanaka, executive general manager of motorcycle operations, highlighted his belief that there is a future for the internal combustion engine, commenting, “I believe this initiative has a very significant meaning to realise carbon neutrality, especially for mid to large displacement motorcycles, for which we believe combustion engines will still be needed. I can say with confidence that endurance racing, which simultaneously demands running performance and endurance, is the optimal place for testing and development of not only fuel but also various sustainable items, and it is an activity that would revitalise the future of the motorcycle industry. We will not make it a one-time initiative but make firm efforts so that we can continue the initiative by aiming for higher goals in the years to come.”
Suzuki’s official entry into the 2024 Endurance World Championship, the Yoshimura SERT team, finished the Suzuka 8-Hour on the podium in third place. The team has lifted 14 EWC titles with the GSX-R1000, and will be aiming to secure a 15th at the final round of the season; the Bol d’Or, hosted at Paul Ricard on 12-15 September.
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