Katsuyuki Nakasuga

is a Japanese motorcycle racer. He races a factory Yamaha YZF-R1 in the JSB1000 class of the All Japan Road Race Championship. He has won the Suzuka 8 Hours four times (2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018) and the JSB1000 championship title thirteen times (2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2025).

Career A former average competitor in the MFJ All Japan Road Race GP250 Championship between 1999 and 2004 (25th in 1999, 11th in 2000, 20th in 2001, fifth in 2002, eighth in 2003, fifth in 2004), Nakasuga moved into the All Japan Superbike Championship with the SP Tadao Racing Team in 2005, still with average results initially (12th in 2005, ninth in 2006), before joining the YSP Yamaha factory team in 2007 and finishing fourth. He then revealed himself as one of the most successful Japanese riders of all time, winning an amazing 12 JSB1000 titles between 2008 and 2023 for Yamaha (2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023) losing the title only to Honda's Kousuke Akiyoshi in 2010 and 2011 (Nakasuga fourth and fifth), to Honda's Takumi Takahashi in 2017 (Nakasuga 6th), and to fellow Yamaha rider Kohta Nozane in 2020 (Nakasuga injured finishing only seventh.

Nakasuga had his premier class Grand Prix start at the Valencia circuit at the final race of the 2011 season as a replacement for the injured Jorge Lorenzo, finishing a creditable sixth place. In 2012, he made a wild-card appearance for Yamaha at his home race at Motegi, finishing ninth, before making another appearance for the factory team at Valencia, this time in place of the injured Ben Spies. Taking advantage of a wet circuit and numerous retirements ahead of him, Nakasuga was able to finish a distant second behind race winner Dani Pedrosa, becoming the only Japanese rider to score a podium finish in any class during 2012.

Nakasuga won the Suzuka 8 Hours a record setting four times in a row, in 2015 with Pol Espargaró and Bradley Smith, in 2016 with Espargaró and Alex Lowes and in 2017 and 2018 with Lowes and Michael van der Mark.

On 27 March 2026, Nakasuga announced he would retire from the All Japan Road Race Championship after the 2026 season.

Career statistics Grand Prix motorcycle racing By season SeasonClassMotorcycleTeamRaceWinPodiumPoleFLapPtsPlcd 250cc Yamaha Technospeed Nakasuga 1 0 0 0 0 4 31st 250cc Yamaha SP Tadao Racing Team 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC 250cc Yamaha SP Tadao Racing Team 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC MotoGP Yamaha Yamaha Factory Racing 1 0 0 0 0 10 18th MotoGP Yamaha Yamaha YSP Racing TeamYamaha Factory Racing 2 0 1 0 0 27 18th MotoGP Yamaha Yamaha YSP Racing Team 1 0 0 0 0 5 22nd MotoGP Yamaha Yamalube Racing Team with YSP 1 0 0 0 0 4 26th MotoGP Yamaha Yamaha Factory Racing Team 1 0 0 0 0 8 23rd MotoGP Yamaha Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing 1 0 0 0 0 5 23rd MotoGP Yamaha Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing 1 0 0 0 0 4 26th MotoGP Yamaha Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing 1 0 0 0 0 2 26th Total 12 0 1 0 0 69

Races by year (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Class Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Pos Pts 2002 250cc Yamaha JPN RSA SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GBR GER CZE POR BRA PAC MAL AUS VAL 31st 4 2003 250cc Yamaha JPN RSA SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GBR GER CZE POR BRA PAC MAL AUS VAL NC 0 2004 250cc Yamaha RSA SPA FRA ITA CAT NED BRA GER GBR CZE POR JPN QAT MAL AUS VAL NC 0 2011 MotoGP Yamaha QAT SPA POR FRA CAT GBR NED ITA GER USA CZE INP RSM ARA JPN AUS MAL VAL 18th 10 MotoGP Yamaha QAT SPA POR FRA CAT GBR NED GER ITA USA INP CZE RSM ARA JPN MAL AUS VAL 18th 27 MotoGP Yamaha QAT AME SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GER USA INP CZE GBR RSM ARA MAL AUS JPN VAL 22nd 5 MotoGP Yamaha QAT AME ARG SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GER INP CZE GBR RSM ARA JPN AUS MAL VAL 26th 4 MotoGP Yamaha QAT AME ARG SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GER INP CZE GBR RSM ARA JPN AUS MAL VAL 23rd 8 MotoGP Yamaha QAT ARG AME SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GER AUT CZE GBR RSM ARA JPN AUS MAL VAL 23rd 5 MotoGP Yamaha QAT ARG AME SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GER CZE AUT GBR RSM ARA JPN AUS MAL VAL 26th 4 MotoGP Yamaha QAT ARG AME SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GER CZE AUT GBR RSM ARA THA JPN AUS MAL VAL 26th 2

FIM Endurance World Championship By team Year Team Bike Rider 2011 Yamaha Austria Racing Team Yamaha YZF-R1 Steve Martin Igor Jerman Gwen Giabbani Katsuyuki Nakasuga Loris Baz 5th 2012 Yamaha Austria Racing Team Yamaha YZF-R1 Steve Martin Igor Jerman Gwen Giabbani Noriyuki Haga Katsuyuki Nakasuga Tommy Hill 6th 2013 Yamaha Austria Racing Team Yamaha YZF-R1 Broc Parkes Igor Jerman Sheridan Morais Josh Waters Katsuyuki Nakasuga Josh Hayes 5th

Suzuka 8 Hours results Year Team Co-riders Bike Pos 2011 Monster Energy Yamaha – YART Gwen Giabbani Igor Jerman Yamaha YZF-R1 Ret 2012 Monster Energy Yamaha – YART Noriyuki Haga Tommy Hill Yamaha YZF-R1 Ret 2013 Monster Energy Yamaha – YART Broc Parkes Josh Waters Yamaha YZF-R1 8th 2014 Monster Energy Yamaha – YART Broc Parkes Josh Brookes Yamaha YZF-R1 4th 2015 Yamaha Factory Racing Team Pol Espargaró Bradley Smith Yamaha YZF-R1 1st 2016 Yamaha Factory Racing Team Pol Espargaró Alex Lowes Yamaha YZF-R1 1st 2017 Yamaha Factory Racing Team Alex Lowes Michael van der Mark Yamaha YZF-R1 1st 2018 Yamaha Factory Racing Team Alex Lowes Michael van der Mark Yamaha YZF-R1 1st 2019 Yamaha Factory Racing Team Alex Lowes Michael van der Mark Yamaha YZF-R1 2nd 2025 Yamaha Racing Team Jack Miller Andrea Locatelli Yamaha YZF-R1 2nd 2026 Yamaha Racing Team Jack Miller Andrea Locatelli Yamaha YZF-R1 2nd Sources:

All Japan Road Race Championship

Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Class Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos Pts 2025 JSB1000 Yamaha MOT SUG1 SUG2 MOT1 MOT2 AUT1 AUT2 OKA SUZ1 SUZ2 1st 185 2026 JSB1000 Yamaha MOT SUG1 SUG2 AUT1 AUT2 MOT1 MOT2 OKA SUZ1 SUZ2 3rd* 109* Season still in progress.