I’m a huge fan of naked bikes, mainly because of how fun and versatile they are.
They’re capable of pretty much anything—from long-distance touring, spirited rides on twisty roads, heck, even some off-road fun. But given the fact that most naked bikes today are built atop sporty platforms, you can bet that they’re tons of fun and plenty capable on track.
This is exactly what Suzuki’s doing with its relatively new middleweight naked sportbike, the GSX-8S. The spiritual successor to the SV650, the GSX-8S is Suzuki’s entry into the middleweight parallel-twin-powered naked bike segment.
And for 2025, Suzuki France is launching a one-make racing series that sees the GSX-8S as the star of the show.
Dubbed the 8S Cup, the racing series will be open to around 40 amateur racers. It’s integrated into the Promosport French Cups and is anticipated to share schedules with the French SBK and World Endurance Races.
While no schedule has yet to be set in stone, the 8S Cup is eyeing five major circuits consisting of Lédenon, Nogaro, Magny-Cours, Carole, and Le Mans.
Of course, like all one-make racing series, the 8S Cup will feature souped-up bikes slapped on with 3,470 euros, or about $3,783 USD, worth of aftermarket high-performance goodies. These include S2 Concept polycarbonate bodywork, an EMC fork cartridge and rear shock, a Yoshimura exhaust system, GB Racing protectors, adjustable rearsets, and a racing air filter.
Having said that, it’s not far-fetched that Suzuki will release a limited production run of the 8S Cup bikes in street-legal form simply because of how desirable these upgrades are.
Oh, and a nice little bonus for would-be participants in the 8S Cup: coaching with Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT) racers and end-of-season bonuses for top racers.
If you happen to be based in France and want to participate in the Suzuki 8S Cup, be sure to check out its official website. Read up on everything you need to know to participate, and if you think it’s your cup of tea, there’s a handy registration form at the bottom of the page.
