Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Mel Harris, Vice President of American Suzuki’s Motorcycle Division, said that 18-year-old Texan Ben Spies, formerly of Attack Suzuki, would join Mat Mladin and Aaron Yates on Team Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki in 2003. Harris made the announcement on stage Monday night at Bally’s Hotel & Casino Event Center in Las Vegas, Nevada during the welcome dinner and new model introduction portion of the Suzuki Dealer Show titled “Fast Forward 2003.”

Harris made the statement, “We’ll have a new team member, Ben Spies, next year,” to 2002 AMA Supersport Champion Yates. Yates had ridden the 2003-model GSX-R1000 onto the stage.

Also during the impressive opening ceremony, Rick Suzuki, President of American Suzuki, told the gathering of over 2000 Suzuki dealers and select industry media that American Suzuki had outpaced the growth of the motorcycle industry. American Suzuki’s motorcycle sales for 2002 increased 16% (117,943 units in 2001 versus 137,367 units in 2002) resulting in the company’s 11th straight year of growth.

Suzuki also said that the Suzuki Automobile division is the fastest growing automotive brand in America.

Later, Harris returned to say that American Suzuki’s ATV sales went up 167% in 2002 and the company’s market share increased from 5.7% to 9%. Harris also said Suzuki had a 32.2% share of the American sportbike market and a 33.9% share of the dual-sport market.

In a presentation on American Suzuki’s new marketing campaign, American Suzuki executive Kerry Graeber talked about increased exposure on major networks like ESPN and announced that American Suzuki had made a multi-year deal to be the title sponsor for the 2003 Heisman Trophy Award, an annual award presented to the top college footbal player. Suzuki will also advertise during ESPN’s Sunday night NFL football games, on ESPN’s national radio network and with print ads in ESPN magazine. Graeber also said that American Suzuki would continue with its win ad strategy in motorcycle print magazines.

Suzuki also introduced new-for-2003 models to the assembly, including the LT-Z250 (a 250cc, four-stroke, single-cylinder, entry-level sport ATV); the updated SV650 and SV650S (650cc V-Twin unfaired/half-faired sportbikes); the “most requested model,” the new SV1000 and SV1000S (996cc, V-Twin, unfaired/half-faired sportbikes); the heavily-revised GSX-R1000; and two new scooters – the Burgman 400 and Burgman 650, which feature automatic and semi-automatic transmissions. (Burgman roughly translates to Cityman in German, according to Harris.)

The Burgman, presumably meant to be a show stopper, was ridden on stage by Matt LeBlanc, star of the television show “Friends.” Harris asked LeBlanc what he thought of the Burgman. “This is great!” exclaimed LeBlanc, a self-professed Suzuki guy. “What the hell is it?”

Coming straight from the Emmy’s television awards show held in Los Angeles Sunday night, LeBlanc was a big part of American Suzuki’s opening ceremony, riding several of the new models onto the stage and exchanging scripted banter with Harris.

Harris really got into the Las Vegas spirit during the program, starring in one video production where he is eating and drinking sponsors’ products, like SoBe soft drinks, while watching a string of actual Suzuki television commercials. In the video, Harris went into a sort of dream squence where he fondly remembered the 1970s, particularly the disco era. Seconds later, Harris danced out on stage wearing a white, “Saturday Night Fever” suit while the Bee Gee’s “Stayin’ Alive” played over the speakers and Las Vegas show girls danced around him. Harris was then joined by a little person wearing a similar disco suit. Spoofing on the Austin Powers series of movies, Harris refered to the little person as “Mini-Mel.”

The opening ceremony closed with a Ricky Martin impersonator and show girls from the Las Vegas production American Superstars, performing a song and dance to “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”

The American Suzuki dealer show continues through Wednesday, September 25 with business seminars and demo rides on the Burgman scooters for Suzuki dealers and their employees. Tuesday night’s Dealer Award show will be hosted by comedian Jay Leno.