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SUZUKI PRESS RELEASE:
In virtually every country that embraces the racing of open class sports motorcycles, the Suzuki GSX-R1000 has been the bike to beat, amassing a staggering tally of wins since its release in late 2000.
This year the 990cc Suzuki reached new heights at the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy meeting in June, taking out the Formula One, Open Production and Senior TTs in the hands of David Jefferies.
In the process, Jefferies chopped five seconds off his own lap record around the 37.73 mile Mountain Course, turning a fastest lap of 17m 47.0s – a staggering one lap average of 127.29 mph.
That made the GSX-R1000 the fastest motorcycle ever around the daunting public roads TT course and, in places, Jefferies had the big Suzuki exceeding 190 mph (305 km/h).
Voted International Bike of the Year by a wide margin in 2001, the GSX-R1000 continued to prove its mettle by clinching the 2002 World Endurance Championship and also wrapping up the U.S. Formula Xtreme title.
In the World Endurance Championship, Suzuki clinched the title with one round to go – all that remains to be decided is which team of Suzuki riders will be crowned champions after the final round at Vallelunga in Italy on October 6.SUZUKI PRESS RELEASE:
2002/34 "WORLD ENDURANCE CROWN TO SUZUKI"
This follows the penultimate round of the series at Oschersleben in Germany, where the Suzuki GSX-R1000s of the Zongshen 2 team of Igor Jerman and Warwick Nowland finished second, beating the Zongshen 9 team of Bonhuil/Cristobal/Vanstaen, which finished third.
This sees the two Zongshen Suzuki teams separated by 25 points in the world title, which will thus be decided in Italy in October.
For the Zongshen 9 team to win the crown, it must win the race in Italy and the Zongshen 2 team must fail to finish in the points. They would then be tied on points and the FIM’s tie-breaking rule would have to be activated.
But whatever the result in Italy, Suzuki is virtually assured of first and second places in the title chase through the efforts of the Zongshen Endurance organisation.
Meantime, in the USA, Jason Pridmore, son of inaugural AMA Superbike Champion ‘Rammin’ Reg Pridmore, has won the American Motorcyclist Association Formula Xtreme championship on a GSX-R1000 Suzuki.
This follows the final race of the series, at Virginia International Raceway, where Australian Adam Fergusson won on his Corona Extra Suzuki GSX-R1000 from Pridmore (Attack Suzuki GSX-R1000).
The final points tally saw Pridmore tied on 273 points Jake Zemke, but Pridmore took the Formula Xtreme title as he had a greater number of race wins over the course of the nine race series.
