Katsuyuki Nakasuga Explained

Katsuyuki Nakasuga
Nationality:Japanese
Birth Date:9 August 1981
Birth Place:Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
Current Team:Yamaha Factory Racing Team
Bike Number:21
Motogp Active Years:
Motogp Manufacturers:Yamaha
Motogp Championships:0
Motogp Last Season:2018
Motogp Last Position:26th (2 pts)
Motogp Race Starts:9
Motogp Race Wins:0
Motogp Podiums:1
Motogp Poles:0
Motogp Fastest Laps:0
Motogp Total Points:65
250 Active Years:
250 Manufacturers:Yamaha
250 Championships:0
250 Last Season:2004
250 Last Position:NC (0 pts)
250 Race Starts:3
250 Race Wins:0
250 Podiums:0
250 Poles:0
250 Fastest Laps:0
250 Total Points:4

is a Japanese motorcycle racer.[1] He races a factory Yamaha YZF-R1 in the JSB1000 class of the All Japan Road Race Championship. He has won the Suzuka 8 Hours four times (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) and the JSB1000 championship title twelve times (2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023).

Career

A former competitor in the MFJ All Japan Road Race GP250 Championship between 1999 and 2005, Nakasuga moved into the All Japan Superbike Championship, winning the title in 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 for Yamaha. After losing the title to Honda's Takumi Takahashi in 2017, he added an eighth and ninth title to his resume in 2018 and 2019.

Nakasuga had his premier class Grand Prix start at the Valencia circuit at the final race of the 2011 season as a replacement for the injured Jorge Lorenzo, finishing a creditable sixth place. In 2012, he made a wild-card appearance for Yamaha at his home race at Motegi, finishing ninth, before making another appearance for the factory team at Valencia, this time in place of the injured Ben Spies. Taking advantage of a wet circuit and numerous retirements ahead of him, Nakasuga was able to finish a distant second behind race winner Dani Pedrosa, becoming the only Japanese rider to score a podium finish in any class during 2012.

He won the Suzuka 8 Hours in 2015 with Pol Espargaró and Bradley Smith, in 2016 with Espargaró and Alex Lowes and in 2017 and 2018 with Lowes and Michael van der Mark.

Career statistics

Grand Prix motorcycle racing

By season

SeasonClassMotorcycleTeamRaceWinPodiumPoleFLapPtsPlcd
250ccYamahaTechnospeed Nakasuga10000431st
250ccYamahaSP Tadao Racing Team100000NC
250ccYamahaSP Tadao Racing Team100000NC
MotoGPYamahaYamaha Factory Racing100001018th
MotoGPYamahaYamaha YSP Racing Team
Yamaha Factory Racing
201002718th
MotoGPYamahaYamaha YSP Racing Team10000522nd
MotoGPYamahaYamalube Racing Team with YSP10000426th
MotoGPYamahaYamaha Factory Racing Team10000823rd
MotoGPYamahaYamalube Yamaha Factory Racing10000523rd
MotoGPYamahaYamalube Yamaha Factory Racing10000426th
MotoGPYamahaYamalube Yamaha Factory Racing10000226th
Total12010069

Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearClassBike12345678910111213141516171819PosPts
2002250ccYamahaJPNRSASPAFRAITACATNEDGBRGERCZEPORBRAPAC
MALAUSVAL31st4
2003250ccYamahaJPN
RSASPAFRAITACATNEDGBRGERCZEPORBRAPACMALAUSVALNC0
2004250ccYamahaRSASPAFRAITACATNEDBRAGERGBRCZEPORJPN
QATMALAUSVALNC0
2011MotoGPYamahaQATSPAPORFRACATGBRNEDITAGERUSACZEINPRSMARAJPNAUSMAL
VAL
18th10
MotoGPYamahaQATSPAPORFRACATGBRNEDGERITAUSAINPCZERSMARAJPN
MALAUSVAL
18th27
MotoGPYamahaQATAMESPAFRAITACATNEDGERUSAINPCZEGBRRSMARAMALAUSJPN
VAL22nd5
MotoGPYamahaQATAMEARGSPAFRAITACATNEDGERINPCZEGBRRSMARAJPN
AUSMALVAL26th4
MotoGPYamahaQATAMEARGSPAFRAITACATNEDGERINPCZEGBRRSMARAJPN
AUSMALVAL23rd8
MotoGPYamahaQATARGAMESPAFRAITACATNEDGERAUTCZEGBRRSMARAJPN
AUSMALVAL23rd5
MotoGPYamahaQATARGAMESPAFRAITACATNEDGERCZEAUTGBRRSMARAJPN
AUSMALVAL26th4
MotoGPYamahaQATARGAMESPAFRAITACATNEDGERCZEAUTGBRRSMARATHAJPN
AUSMALVAL26th2

Suzuka 8 Hours results

YearTeamCo-RidersBikePos
2011 Monster Yamaha – YART Gwen Giabbani
Igor Jerman
Yamaha YZF-R1Ret
2012 Monster Energy Yamaha – YART Noriyuki Haga
Tommy Hill
Yamaha YZF-R1Ret
2013 Monster Energy Yamaha – YART Broc Parkes
Josh Waters
Yamaha YZF-R18th
2014 Monster Energy Yamaha with YSP Josh Brookes
Broc Parkes
Yamaha YZF-R14th
2015 Yamaha Factory Racing Team Pol Espargaró
Bradley Smith
Yamaha YZF-R11st
2016 Yamaha Factory Racing Team Pol Espargaró
Alex Lowes
Yamaha YZF-R11st
2017 Yamaha Factory Racing Team Alex Lowes
Michael van der Mark
Yamaha YZF-R11st
2018 Yamaha Factory Racing Team Alex Lowes
Michael van der Mark
Yamaha YZF-R11st
2019 Yamaha Factory Racing Team Alex Lowes
Michael van der Mark
Yamaha YZF-R12nd
Sources:[2] [3]

Notes and References

  1. http://race.yamaha-motor.co.jp/sp/2011jrr-suzuka/team-rider/ Yamaha team rider profile
  2. Web site: Suzuka 8 Hours / 300km Endurance Results. Moto Racing Japan. 19 November 2020. 16 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170916010718/http://www.motoracing-japan.com/result/spl/index.html#8h. dead.
  3. Web site: Results – FIM EWC. FIM Endurance World Championship. 19 November 2020.