Katsuyuki Nakasuga announces his retirement in 2026. Yamaha will participate in All-Japan Road JSB1000 & Suzuka 8 Hours

　On March 27, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. made an announcement titled "YAMAHA MOTORSPORTS MEDIA CONFERENCE 2026" at the 53rd Tokyo Motorcycle Show 2026 being held at Tokyo Big Sight. The announcement included the announcement that YAMAHA would participate in the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race and the JSB1000 class of the All Japan Road Race Championship. The company also announced that Katsuyuki Nakasuga, a 13-time JSB1000 champion, will retire from racing in 2026.

Katsuyuki Nakasuga, who raced in the PRE TEST "Round ZERO" held until the previous day

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Road racing activities in Japan in 2026

In 2025, Yamaha revived its factory structure and competed in the Suzuka 8 Hours for the first time in six years since 2019. The eight-hour race was contested by Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Jack Miller, and Andrea Locatelli, who finished on the podium in second place by a margin of 34.243 seconds. In 2026, he announced his intention to participate in the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race to be held from July 3 to 5, and expressed his enthusiasm, "I will do my best to stand in the center of the podium and share the excitement with everyone. The team name is YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TEAM. The Yamaha YZF-R1 will be colored racing blue in conjunction with the All Japan Road JSB1000. The rider lineup will be announced at a later date. The team, which began competing in 1984, has won the championship four times in 1987, 1988, 1990, and 1996, and is aiming for its fifth victory.

Factory rider of the YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TEAM

It was also announced that Nakasuga will be the only rider in the All Japan Road JSB1000 class. Four factory riders who compete in road racing, motocross, and trials took the stage on this day. Nakasuga commented, "Last year, we recaptured the championship and were able to win the championship for the 13th time. This year, we are aiming for our 14th championship. All the manufacturers are becoming more and more capable, and I think we will see a heated battle that is typical of the top category, so I will prepare well again this year and do my best to promote the YZF-R1 as much as possible. After a round of applause, Nakasuga revealed that he would retire as an active racing rider at the end of 2026, and expressed his feelings with tears in his eyes.

Comment from Katsuyuki Nakasuga

Nakasuga said, "And on a personal note, I would like to retire from racing after the 2026 All Japan Road Race Championship. Although the season has not started yet, the reason for announcing it at this time is due to various reasons, but since it will be my last this year, there may be people who say, 'I would have gone to the circuit to cheer for you,' so by saying this first, I hope that those who have been away from the circuit will return, I would have preferred to announce my retirement at the end of the season and disappear quietly, but I thought it would be a good way to express my gratitude. I would have preferred to announce my retirement at the end of the season and quietly disappear, but I thought it would be a way to express my gratitude, so I made the announcement at this time. Since it is before the season starts, I still can't really feel it yet, but I was brought up in this industry, so I will do my best to return the favor, even if just a little, so please support me. Please support me."

YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TEAM factory rider

In addition, Yamaha's press release spelled out the following comments. In addition, a Yamaha press release reads as follows: "Finally, the time has come for me to tell you all that I will be retiring. I thought that there would come a time when I would not be able to beat my rivals, and that would be the time for me to retire. But as long as I am a rider, there will never be a time when I think I can't win. However, it is also true that I have been competing in All-Japan for more than 25 years and have accumulated various burdens, so I decided to make my 45th birthday on August 9 this year as a turning point. I don't feel like I'm retiring at all. As always, I will do my best to deliver victories and the best races to my father, who guided me into the world of motorsports, my family, who are always there to support me, the fans who come to circuits all over the country to cheer me on, my sponsors, and Yamaha Motor. Nakasuga started competing in the GP250 class of the All Japan Road Race Championship in 2000, moved up to the JSB1000 class in 2005, and has been a Yamaha contract rider since 2006. By the end of 2025, he had won 13 championships and will continue to compete in the JSB1000 class in 2026 before retiring at the end of this season.

The Yamaha YZR-M1, a V4-powered MotoGP machine displayed at the event

Katsuyuki Nakasuga announces his retirement in 2026. Yamaha will participate in All-Japan Road JSB1000 & Suzuka 8 Hours

2026.3.28

　On March 27, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. made an announcement titled "YAMAHA MOTORSPORTS MEDIA CONFERENCE 2026" at the 53rd Tokyo Motorcycle Show 2026 bei...