The legendary Suzuki Hayabusa is a mainstay at the drag strip, and there’s a good reason for it. The liter-plus GSX1300R made its debut in 1999 with resounding success, gaining the title of the world’s fastest production motorbike by hitting top speeds of 194 miles per hour.
The Hayabusa, whose name literally translates to “peregrine falcon” in English, lived up to its moniker, although Suzuki has toned down the whole package during the course of the model’s 23-year lifespan.
The most recent iteration of the ‘Busa was released in February of 2022, and Suzuki paid particular emphasis to the braking system, weight reduction, acceleration, and electronics of the platform it was built on.
Some Suzuki fanboys and brand critics laughed at the apparent lack of significant improvements to the new Hayabusa, despite the fact that the first Hayabusa changed the way superbikes were seen.
In spite of all the commotion, the Suzuki EWC racer and Suzuki MotoGP test rider Sylvain Guintoli was keen to get his hands on a 2022 Hayabusa because it marked the beginning of a new era for the model.
The House of Hamamatsu was eager to get one of these bikes into his hands. After becoming the 2021 EWC World Champion, the French rider undoubtedly merited a token of appreciation from the sponsor in the form of a gift of some kind.
Those who are familiar with Guintoli’s background should be aware that he first participated in MotoGP with the Tech 3 Yamaha squad in 2007, and then moved on to the Alice Ducati team in 2008 after making the transfer from Yamaha.
Guintoli was able to transition into the Superbike World Championship (WSBK) by the year 2009, and he went on to win the WSBK title with Aprilia in 2014.
The Frenchman rode as a test rider for the resurrected Suzuki MotoGP project, which led to him being offered a position on the Yoshimura Suzuki (SERT) Endurance World Championship (EWC) race team later on.
He had previously competed in MotoGP as a test rider. The factory-backed racing team won the 2021 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as the Bol d’Or before going on to win the 2021 European Championship.
In 2022, with his assistance, the team was able to successfully defend their title at the 24 Hours of Le Mans while also maintaining their lead in the overall EWC standings.
Due to the unfortunate fact that Suzuki has decided to withdraw from endurance racing, the team will be disbanded in 2023; hence, the SERT livery that is currently on Guintoli’s Hayabusa carries an increased amount of sentimental value. Naturally, the experienced racer takes the big-bore sportbike to its breaking point at Donnington Park, demonstrating that both he and the Busa still have what it takes to win.