Asher Durham and the Powerslide Suzuki team won this year’s British Sportbike Championship at the weekend, making it back-to-back titles for the GSX-8R. 

Durham went into the final round of the season at Brands Hatch with the championship lead, and despite two races set to take place over the weekend, he nearly secured the title in the first. He exited the final turn in the lead, only to provide a slipstream to those behind and lose out on a drag race to the line. He finished third, but with his title rival not scoring any points, it meant a top-10 finish in race two would be enough. 

Playing it safe in mixed conditions, he crossed the line in the final race of the year in seventh to claim the title, amassing five wins and a further four podium finishes over the course of the season. 

It was the second title in succession for the Suzuki GSX-8R, after Kas Beekmans won the 2025 championship. 

Suzuki GB’s marketing manager, Jak Tyrrell, said, “I have to start with a big thank you to Brad [Clarke] and Dale [Coaster] at Powerslide for the effort and hard work that they have put into this season, and, of course, to Asher, who put a great championship campaign together. It’s an incredibly competitive class with fine margins, so to come away with the number of wins and podiums that he has over the course of the season speaks to his talent, too. For us, in such a competitive class, it’s also shown just how strong the 8R package is, to win two titles in a row.” 

Brad Clarke, Powerslide Suzuki team principal, commented, “We have always been so passionate about our racing, and when we put this team together we knew the sort of results that we could deliver. We’ve fielded five bikes in Sportbike this season, which has been quite a task, but everyone has worked hard, from our technicians and team manager to the riders. Asher really built into the season and his speed but also his consistency has been very impressive, and to see him win the title made us proud. And to have two riders in the top three shows how strong a season we’ve had, and how good the 8R package is from Suzuki.” 

Asher Durham added, “Having missed preseason through illness it took a little while to get the season going. From Knockhill, though, we started to gain some momentum and built from there. This is my first British championship and it feels like its been a long time coming, and I have to thank Suzuki GB, Powerslide, and my sponsors for the opportunity.” 

There were two Suzuki 8Rs on the final championship podium, with Durham’s teammate Cameron Dawson finishing third in the overall standings. Carl Harris and the ROKiT Rookies team also enjoyed success with the 8R, taking one win and four more podiums.

The 8R, with its selectable power modes, traction control, standard-fit bi-directional quickshifter, and colour TFT screen comes with an OTR price of £8,999, and is currently available on 3.9% APR representative finance. It means it can be ridden for £79 per month over a four-year PCP deal with a £1,869.32 deposit. It also comes with an up-to-10-year warranty. Find out more, here.