Asher Durham and the Powerslide Suzuki team have won the 2026 British Sportbike Championship, giving the Suzuki GSX-8R its second consecutive title. Durham sealed the crown at the season finale at Brands Hatch with a seventh-place finish in tricky mixed conditions. He follows Kas Beekmans, who won the 2025 championship on the same model.

Suzuki’s GSX-8R has won the British Sportbike Championship for the second year running. Asher Durham secured the 2026 title for the Powerslide Suzuki team at the final round of the season at Brands Hatch. In 2025 the championship went to Kas Beekmans on the same bike.

A near-miss in race one

Durham arrived at Brands Hatch leading the championship, with two races on the schedule. He came close to wrapping up the title in the first of them. He led out of the final corner but gave a tow to the riders behind him, lost the drag race to the line and finished third.

His closest title rival failed to score in that race. That meant Durham only needed a top-10 finish in the second race to become champion.

Playing it safe in race two

In mixed conditions Durham chose not to take risks. He finished the last race of the year in seventh place, which was enough to win the title. Over the season he took five wins and four further podium finishes.

He said it took him a while to get going after he missed preseason through illness:

“Having missed preseason through illness it took a little while to get the season going. From Knockhill, though, we started to gain some momentum and built from there. This is my first British championship and it feels like its been a long time coming, and I have to thank Suzuki GB, Powerslide, and my sponsors for the opportunity.”

A strong year for the 8R across the grid

It wasn’t only Durham who did well on the GSX-8R. His Powerslide teammate Cameron Dawson finished third overall, so two Suzukis made the final championship podium. Carl Harris and the ROKiT Rookies team also raced the 8R, taking one win and four more podiums.

Powerslide Suzuki team principal Brad Clarke said the team ran five bikes in the Sportbike class this season. “We’ve fielded five bikes in Sportbike this season, which has been quite a task, but everyone has worked hard, from our technicians and team manager to the riders,” he said. “Asher really built into the season and his speed but also his consistency has been very impressive, and to see him win the title made us proud. And to have two riders in the top three shows how strong a season we’ve had, and how good the 8R package is from Suzuki.”

Jak Tyrrell, marketing manager at Suzuki GB, described the series as “an incredibly competitive class with fine margins”. He added: “For us, in such a competitive class, it’s also shown just how strong the 8R package is, to win two titles in a row.”

What it means for Suzuki

Back-to-back titles give Suzuki GB a clear motorsport story for its middleweight sportbike in the UK market. The road-going GSX-8R comes with selectable power modes, traction control, a bi-directional quickshifter as standard and a colour TFT screen.

In the UK it costs £8,999 on the road. Suzuki GB is currently offering 3.9% APR representative finance. Over a four-year PCP deal, the company says that works out at £79 per month with a £1,869.32 deposit. The bike also comes with a warranty of up to 10 years.

Facts: Suzuki GSX-8R

  • 2026 British Sportbike Championship: Asher Durham, Powerslide Suzuki (five wins, four further podiums)
  • 2025 champion: Kas Beekmans, also on a GSX-8R
  • Third overall in 2026: Cameron Dawson, Powerslide Suzuki
  • Rider aids and equipment: selectable power modes, traction control, standard bi-directional quickshifter, colour TFT screen
  • UK price: £8,999 on the road
  • Finance: 3.9% APR representative; £79 per month over four years (PCP) with a £1,869.32 deposit
  • Warranty: up to 10 years

The Suzuki GSX-8R is on sale now through Suzuki GB dealers.

Source: www.suzukipress.co.uk