500 GP podiums for Suzuki
Suzuki are celebrating in style today after Alex Rins clinched the factory’s 500th podium across classes with his second place at the Circuit of the Americas.
This impressive milestone comes on the same day that the MotoGP series celebrates its 500th Grand Prix in the ‘Racing Together’ era (the partnership between the FIM, Dorna, the MSMA, and IRTA).
In 2020 Suzuki Motor Corporation marked its 100th anniversary and 60 years in racing, the same year that Joan Mir dominated the top class and took the MotoGP crown. And now, two years later, another important moment is marked in Suzuki’s history books.
The story started on June 4th 1962 when Ernst Degner took the brand’s first podium, riding the RM62 in the 50cc class at the Isle of Man (which in those times was a World Championship round).
Just three years later the Hamamatsu factory hit 100 podiums in Finland with Hugh Anderson and, fittingly, the 200th podium was taken by a Finn; Teuvo ‘Tepi’ Lansivuori in 1975.
In the next decade Italy’s Marco Lucchinelli made it 300, and in 1993 it was Kevin Schwantz who secured Suzuki’s 400th podium.
Suzuki Wins & Podiums
| Total Wins | 160 |
| 50 cc | 30 |
| 125 cc | 35 |
| 500/MotoGP | 95 |
| Total Podiums | 500 |
| 50 cc | 84 |
| 125 cc | 93 |
| 250 cc | 7 |
| 500/MotoGP | 315 |
In between these major milestones, a number of very talented riders and champions have added to the tally; the likes of Barry Sheene, Randy Mamola, Kenny Roberts Jnr along with our own Daryl Beattie and Chris Vermeulen.
Suzuki’s most successful class in terms of podiums is 500cc/ MotoGP, 316 in total, and the rider with the most podiums for the brand is Kevin Schwantz – a brilliant 51 rostrums for the American on the RGV500.
Schwantz was present in Austin to witness Alex Rins taking the 500th podium, and he was joined by other former Suzuki podium-sitters; Randy Mamola, Maverick Viñales, Franco Uncini and John Hopkins as they all toasted the success together with Team Suzuki Ecstar.
In recent years, Joan Mir and Alex Rins have been star performers for Suzuki on their GSX-RR machines, taking a total of 28 podiums between them.
Suzuki riders with most wins
| Rider | 500/MotoGP | 125 | 50 |
| Kevin Schwantz | 25 | ||
| Hugh Anderson | 17 | 8 | |
| Barry Sheene | 18 | 3 | |
| Ernst Degner | 3 | 7 | |
| Kenny Roberts | 8 | ||
| Alex Rins | 3 | ||
| Daryl Beattie | 2 | ||
| Chris Vermeulen | 1 | ||
| Joan Mir | 1 |
Suzuki riders with most podiums
| Rider | 500/MotoGP | 125 | 50 | Total |
| Kevin Schwantz | 51 | 51 | ||
| Hugh Anderson | 25 | 22 | 47 | |
| Barry Sheene | 31 | 10 | 41 | |
| Ernst Degner | 8 | 15 | 23 | |
| Randy Mamola | 21 | 21 | ||
| Kenny Roberts | 20 | 20 | ||
| Hans-Georg Anscheidt | 4 | 14 | 18 | |
| Marco Lucchinelli | 17 | 17 | ||
| Alex Rins | 15 | 15 | ||
| Joan Mir | 13 | 13 | ||
| Daryl Beattie | 9 | 9 | ||
| Chris Vermeulen | 7 | 7 |
Suzuki podium milestones
| Pod. Number | Rider | Cat. | Location | Date |
| 1 | Ernst Degner | 50 cc | IoM | June 4, 1962 |
| 100 | Hugh Anderson | 125 cc | Finland | Aug 22, 1965 |
| 200 | Teuvo Lansivuori | 500 cc | W Germany | May 11, 1975 |
| 300 | Marci Lucchinelli | 500 cc | Spain | May 18, 1980 |
| 400 | Kevin Schwantz | 500 cc | Spain | May 2, 1993 |
| 500 | Alex Rins | MotoGP | America | April 10, 2022 |
