Suzuki’s GSX-8R and GSX-R750 scored championship wins at the final round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch, with Kas Beekmans taking the 8R to glory in the Pirelli National Sportbike Championship, while Rhys Irwin helped the GSX-R750 celebrate its 40th anniversary by winning the Quattro Group British Supersport Championship.
Beekmans, on the VLR/NIWA Racing Suzuki 8R, was unstoppable all season long. Making his debut in British Championship racing this year, the Dutch youngster took seven wins and five runner-up finishes. His only non-podium finish came in the first race at the final round where he crossed the line in fifth place to secure the title – in a race won by Asher Durham on the Powerslide Suzuki 8R – before ending the season with another race victory.
He concluded the year with a 57-point advantage over his nearest rival, despite missing two rounds through injury, underlining his and the 8R’s dominance this season.
In a year that sees Suzuki celebrating 40 years of GSX-R and the announcement of a new GSX-R1000R 40th Anniversary Edition, Rhys Irwin and the Gearlink by Performance15 team raced their GSX-R750 to title success in the British Supersport Championship.
The championship fight went to the wire, but Irwin put himself in a commanding position after taking victory in race one at Brands Hatch, before taking an assured podium finish in tricky conditions in race two. The result meant he took the title by four points, with six wins and a further seven podium finishes for the season.
Suzuki GB motorcycle marking manager, Jak Tyrrell, commented after the weekend’s results, “It’s great to see the 8R achieving success in British Championship racing. The bike was only launched in the spring of last year, so 2025 was arguably its first full year of competition and we saw Beekmans and VLR/NIWA Racing team put together a dominant campaign, but also Durham and the Powerslide Suzuki team taking wins and podium finishes all season, too, and battling for second in the championship until the final round. That sector of the market is one of the most competitive, with lots of bikes vying for the attention of buyers, but the results this season clearly demonstrate the performance and usability of the 8R.
“It’s also incredibly pleasing to see the GSX-R750 winning races and a championship and the Gearlink by Performance15 team and Irwin have done an incredible job. While it’s not a bike currently on sale in Europe, the fact that it can race and beat newer machinery really shows how good and how strong a platform it is. Adding to that the fact that it has come in the 40th anniversary year of GSX-R and the 750 specifically makes it even more special.
“Everyone at Suzuki GB offers their congratulations to Beekmans, Irwin, and everyone involved with VLR/NIWA Racing and Gearlink by Performance 15.”
The GSX-8R was the third bike launched on Suzuki’s award-winning 800 platform. It uses the same 776cc engine found in the the GSX-8S, the V-Strom 800DE and RE, and, more recently, the GSX-8T and 8TT retro machines, renowned for its punchy performance, abundance of torque, and midrange drive. An electronics package comprises a bi-directional quickshifter as standard, three selectable traction control modes and the ability to switch off completely, and three selectable power maps, all displayed through a colour TFT screen.
It is currently available with 5.9% APR representative finance and an OTR price of £8,999.
