Bcomp has collaborated with Japanese composite specialist Tras to develop racing bodywork for the Suzuki Motor Corporation’s factory race team, Team Suzuki Carbon Neutral (CN) Challenge. The 2025 Team Suzuki CN Challenge GSX-R1000R will have feature fenders, winglets and fairings made from Bcomp’s natural-fiber composites, ampliTex and powerRibs.
Originally, Tras used Bcomp technologies to develop prototype bodywork for the Suzuki ECSTAR MotoGP team, increasing awareness of modern natural-fiber composites. This technical demonstration prompted the latest collaboration to produce race-ready components for Team Suzuki CN Challenge as it enters the experimental class of the 2024 and 2025 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) Suzuka 8 Hours.
Bcomp’s ampliTex is a technical fabric designed for composite layups and can be strengthened by powerRibs, a reinforcement structure. Both composites harness the natural characteristics of flax fibers to produce parts with excellent stiffness and damping properties, while also being lightweight. Critically, they offer up to 85% CO2 emission reduction from cradle to gate, and viable end-of-life solutions compared with carbon fiber.
At the 2025 Suzuka 8 Hours, the team raced with 100% sustainable fuel, racing tires with recycled material, bio-sourced engine oil and an eco-friendly titanium muffler.
Shinichi Sahara, head of Suzuki Motorsports, said, “The 2025 Team Suzuki CN Challenge GSX-R1000R is an incredible machine that sets ambitious goals to simultaneously minimize environmental impact and drive greater performance. Embracing the natural color of ampliTex in our bodywork and winglets has great visual impact – you can see a sustainable material in action. We hope to expand our use of Bcomp and increase awareness of these technologies across the motorsport and motorcycle industries. We look forward to our future work with Tras and Bcomp, working together to achieve new goals in sustainable motorsport.”
Masanao Nitta, representative director at Tras, commented, “These innovative natural-fiber parts were made possible thanks to Bcomp’s material technologies. The new ampliTex prepreg even withstood the hot and humid manufacturing environments typical of Southeast Asia. With this improvement, we were able to further enhance the performance and aesthetic of the ampliTex parts. This year, there are both more parts and larger parts on the Suzuki CN Challenge GSX-R1000R that have been made from ampliTex and powerRibs – a major step forward that opens wider possibilities. We look forward to seeing these parts raced at Suzuka, proving their capability at the highest level.”
Ken Kruck, sales representative motorsport at Bcomp, added, “Competing at Suzuka 8 Hours with natural-fiber composite bodywork is the ultimate proof point. It’s a conclusive demonstration that the performance demands of top-tier motorsport can be met by modern sustainable material technologies – performance and sustainability are no longer mutually exclusive. We look forward to our continued work with Tras and Team Suzuki CN Challenge.”
In related news, Bcomp, Porsche Motorsport and Four Motors have unveiled new Bcomp gray-toned components on the Porsche GT3 Cup car, representing what the companies say is “the next evolution of natural-fiber composites in motorsport”
