SUZUKI ENDS DIRECT SUPPORT
FOR SBK RIDERS IN NZ
S
uzuki’s support for motorcycling internationally
and in New Zealand has been legendary, the
brand enjoying outstanding successes and a
high profile in many different areas over the years.
Riders of the popular yellow brand have long enjoyed
winning national and international titles – Suzuki
riders especially prominent in New Zealand with their
dominance of the superbike road-race scene over the
past few decades, but also in tasting major wins on the
enduro, cross-country and motocross scenes as well.
The Suzuki brand powered the remarkable national
title-title winning streak enjoyed by Hamilton’s
Andrew Stroud – a record nine-time New Zealand
Superbike Champion between 1991 and 2011 – with
Suzuki riders such as Christchurch’s Dennis Charlett,
Auckland’s Jaden Hassan, Wellington’s Sloan Frost
and Glen Eden’s current champion Daniel Mettam
following in his wheel tracks with national title
wins of their own in the years that followed.
decided to end direct support for our current
Superbike team riders following the completion
of this year’s national championship series,” said
Simon Meade, Suzuki New Zealand’s general
manager of Motorcycle/ATV/Marine Marketing.
“This was a difficult and complex decision to make
and highlights the reality of our changing market
place and increasing costs to go racing,” he said.
“The old adage that ‘what wins on Sunday, sells on
Monday’, is a thing of the past and, for the past 10
to 15 years, our sponsorship of motorcycle racing
has been focused on building events for riders and
customers.”
He pointed to the phenomenally-popular Suzuki
International Series as an example of where Suzuki
has been serving the motorcycling
community so well.
It is staggering to believe, but Suzuki riders have
won the premier superbike class title in New Zealand
for 16 of the past 18 seasons and Mettam begins
his national superbike title defence with the first
of five rounds of the 2020 New Zealand Superbike
Championships in Christchurch this coming weekend.
Suzuki is also synonymous with the national
motocross title wins celebrated by riders such
as Hawera’s Daryl Hurley, the enduro and
cross-country wins savoured by Marton’s Cam
Smith and Taupo’s Brad Groombridge and
even the numerous national ATV title wins
captured by Taumarunui’s Quentin Palmer.
It is obvious that Suzuki NZ has satisfied the appetites
of the motorcycling industry, race fans, sponsors,
casual riders and top-tier racers alike over many
years, but the company has now decided to “butter
the bread a little bit differently” in the future.
“Following more than two decades of domination
in the Superbike class in New Zealand, Suzuki has
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