2,019 GSX-S/R fans from all over the country gathered at Suzuki’s Hamamatsu Factory.
On Sunday, October 20th, the “GSX-S/R Meeting 2024” was held at Suzuki Motor Corporation’s Hamamatsu Plant. This first-time event was aimed at all GSX-S/R fans, as well as GSX series owners, and it was a day that fans couldn’t resist, with talk shows by people involved with the GSX series, displays of the latest models, and an exhibition of historic race cars by Yoshimura Japan.
Limited edition original goods are an essential part of Suzuki events, and this time Hamamatsu factory T-shirts were also available as a surprise.
A staple at Suzuki events, the original goods sales corner saw a huge line forming immediately after the doors opened on this day as well. Not only do they always sell event-exclusive goods, but a post on Suzuki’s official X (formerly Twitter) in advance announcing the release of “Hamamatsu Factory T-shirts” meant that fans who had heard the information lined up early.
The 2025 models of the GSX-S1000 and GSX-S1000GT, which were announced on the day, were on display at the venue and were open to touch.
The 2025 models of the GSX-S1000 and GSX-S1000GT, which were announced on this day, were on display.
As the stage event began, Suzuki Motor Corporation President and CEO Toshihiro Suzuki took to the stage and welcomed the attendees with a “Welcome back, everyone!” He expressed his joy that a GSX-S/R meeting was finally being held in response to requests for one. He also declared, “The GSX-R (GSX-R750: Editor’s Note) was born as a global model in 1985, and next year, 2025, marks the 40th anniversary, so we want to make it a GSX-R year. I would like to hold a 40th anniversary event here next year!”
Right from the start, President Toshihiro Suzuki dropped the bombshell that he would like to hold a GSX-R 40th anniversary event next year.
The next stage event was hosted by actress Miki Mochizuki, a motorcycle enthusiast and SV1000S rider. The event began with a celebration of the Yoshimura SERT Motul team’s success in this year’s Endurance World Championship, followed by a talk show featuring the Yoshimura SERT Motul team. Yoshimura Japan President and Team Director Yohei Kato, Yoshimura SERT Motul team rider Kokoro Atsumi, Race Experiment Department Manager Masato Suzuki, and Team Suzuki CN Challenge Team Director Shinichi Sahara shared stories from this season’s races. Furthermore, riders and staff from Team Suzuki CN Challenge, who participated in this year’s Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race as part of their “carbon neutral initiative,” took to the stage. Joining them were riders Hayato Hamahara and Hideyuki Ikugata, who shared stories of their struggles.
The Yoshimura SERT Motul team also spoke about their struggles during a talk event.
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Team Suzuki CN Challenge Team, which participated in the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race, had its driver Hayato Hamahara liven up the venue.
The second part of the stage event was a talk session with the developers of the GSX series. In addition to development team members such as Tetsuji Nojiri, chief engineer of the GSX-S1000, and Yukio Kato, chief engineer of the GSX-8S/R series, racing advisor Keiichi Kitagawa also joined in, and they shared behind-the-scenes stories of development that are rarely heard in normal times.
The talk session with the developers of the GSX series will also feature development secrets that can only be heard here.
During the event, there was an award ceremony for the owner of a GSX series that had been riding for a long time, and a rock-paper-scissors tournament with luxurious prizes, which created a lot of excitement. And as a surprise plan for this event, a tour of the Hamamatsu factory was held. This plan, which was not announced in advance, attracted many fans.
The winner of the “Long-Loved Award,” an owner who cherishes his or her car, was presented with a special Suzuki apron.
At the rock-paper-scissors tournament, there were also valuable items such as autographed goods from those involved.
Many sponsoring companies will also be setting up booths, selling items at special prices at the venue.
This year’s event was attended by 2,019 people. A total of 1,812 bikes were on display, making it a huge success despite being the first time the event was held. As President Toshihiro Suzuki stated, next year’s event is expected to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the GSX-R series, and there is no doubt that it will be even more exciting than this year’s.
Despite it being the first event, 1,812 bikes gathered.
