Tyco Suzuki Star Brookes to join Yoshimura team at Suzuka 8-Hour

Tyco Suzuki British Superbike star and top Isle of Man TT newcomer Josh Brookes, will join Nobuatsu Aoki and Takuya Tsuda in the Yoshimura Suzuki team for the forthcoming – 36th Coca-Cola Zero Suzuka 8-Hour World Endurance Championship second round in Japan next month.

Brookes will ride the Japanese company’s GSX-R1000 alongside Suzuki Factory MotoGP test rider Aoki and Takuya Tsuda in Japan’s biggest and most-prestigious motorcycle event that takes place from July 25-28th.

Yoshimura, the only team to have competed in every race since its inception in 1978, is aiming for its fifth victory after narrowly missing out in 2011 and being forced to retire from last year’s race.

Team Manager Yohei Kato, Grandson of Yoshimura founder Pops Yoshimura, explained: “We decided to return to the All Japan Championship this year with the main aim of winning the Suzuka 8-Hour World Endurance Race. Our experiences in current race events and tuning know-how, which we have learnt through our WSBK engine development, is a major weapon for us this year.

“Our riders Takuya Tsuda, Nobuatsu Aoki and Josh Brookes are all skilled riders with lots of experience and we are sure they will all put in great performances at the race. We’d like to thank everyone for their support and we will do our best to get our fifth victory at the Suzuka 8-Hours this year. We have built our best machine ever and we are aiming for victory.”

Aoki, who has just completed two tests for the Suzuki MotoGP Test Team at Catalunya and Motorland Aragon in Spain, said: This is my 10th-Anniversary Suzuka 8-Hour race. I tested the new-specification 2013 GSX-R1000 race bike at Suzuka and it performs very well. There is good power delivery and it has good chassis balance. I’m really looking forward to joining Takuya and Josh and we know we have the right bike and team to win the race.”  

Australian Brookes, who currently holds second place in the highly-competitive British Superbike Championship, and who also became the fastest-ever Newcomer in his debut ride at the Isle of Man TT earlier this month, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have been asked to join the Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team at this year’s Suzuka 8-Hour. I have had an ambition to win at Suzuka since watching GPs as a kid, when all the Grand Prix greats like Doohan, Rainey and Schwantz stopped mid-season to take part in the event.

“I have already fulfilled my goal of competing at Suzuka, but now that I’ve been given an opportunity to ride a factory supported Suzuki at the event, I know that I’ll be in a team capable of winning – even though it will not be easy. I’m really looking forward to testing in Japan before the event and returning at the end of July to hopefully step on the podium.”

Tsuda, the Superbike-class Rookie in the team, said: “It is my first year racing in the Superbike series and I have had the opportunities to experience many new things from racing and testing with the Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team. I have a better understanding of the Yoshimura GSX-R1000 now and I am making a lot of progress on the bike. It is a big step in my racing career and I am so motivated to race as a rider at the Suzuka 8-Hour. Both my team-mates are very experienced and the Yoshimura team has built the best race machine for us and I will do my best to get the victory at Suzuka.”

Tyco Suzuki team manager Philip Neill concluded: “It’s great to see Josh’s efforts from BSB being recognised at this level. The Suzuka 8-Hour is a very prestigious event, which I know Josh is very passionate about, and for him to be joining the Yoshimura Suzuki team –who have great history and pedigree at the event – is fantastic for all involved at Tyco Suzuki. We were very pleased to receive the request for Josh to compete and all at TAS Racing and Tyco Suzuki wish Josh and the team every success.”

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