Suzuki 2010 season review

Suzuki Celebrates A Championship And Overall Successful AMA Road Racing Season

Brea, Calif. - October 7, 2010 - American Suzuki Motor Corp. is proud to congratulate all of the racers who took the powerful GSX-R lineup of motorcycles to the top of the AMA Pro Road Racing circuit in 2010, including Martin Cardenas who earned the Daytona SportBike Championship aboard his GSX-R600. Suzuki had a great 2010 and took home the Manufacturer's Cup in both the AMA American SuperBike class with the strength and the power of the GSX-R1000 on the racetrack, as well as in the Daytona SportBike class with the championship-winning GSX-R600.

Martin Cardenas and his M4 Monster Energy Suzuki GSX-R600 took the championship at the series finale at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama, in the hotly contested Daytona SportBike class. His win in the second race of the doubleheader gave him enough points to edge out Danny Eslick and his Geico Powersports RMR Suzuki GSX-R600, who finished second in the class. Cardenas won a total of nine races in 2010 and was a consistent threat to others' championship hopes in the series. Eslick took his Suzuki to three wins during the season and was on the podium far more often than not in the highly competitive class. The GSX-R600 was a venerable threat on the track to all other competitors, and overall the machine won nine races and was on the podium a total of 25 times.

In the SuperBike class, Tommy Hayden took his Rockstar Energy Suzuki GSX-R1000 to second place overall in the championship, and with the strength of his season along with teammate Blake Young, they earned Suzuki the Manufacturer Championship in the series. Hayden took his first SuperBike-class win in 2010 and finished the year with five total wins. Young and his GSX-R1000 also won their first races of their career with a double victory at Road Atlanta, and a wild win in the rain during the final race of the season at Barber. John Hopkins, after recovering from an injury, finished off his 2010 season strong with three podium finishes aboard his M4 Monster Energy Suzuki GSX-R1000, finishing as high as second in the final race. Jake Zemke of the National Guard Jordan Suzuki team took first place in both races at Daytona. His GSX-R1000 worked flawlessly throughout both 44-mile, 15-lap races. The GSX-R1000 was victorious a total of 10 times in the SuperBike series and finished on the podium an impressive 26 times in all.

In the AMA SuperSport class, Suzuki made history in 2010 when Lucas Oil RMR RoadRacingWorld.com's Elena Myers won at Infineon Raceway, making her the first female ever to win an AMA Pro Road Racing competition.

Congratulations to all the Suzuki racers in 2010, and we're looking forward to a successful 2011!

-source: suzuki