Veteran racers and TV stars James Whitham and Steve Parrish will line-up in the Team Classic Suzuki squad at the May Endurance Legends event.

The pair, plus road tester Michael Neeves, will take part in the four-hour Donington Park event over the weekend of May 6.

“I’m really looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to getting back on a big four-stroke. It’s what I did most of my racing on with Suzuki; big GSX-R1100s and 750s, and its a bit more me. I’m going into the race to enjoy it,” said Whitham.

“It’s going to be great working with the team and with Neevesy and Stavros, but I’m really looking forward to getting on that bike. I watched it take shape at Motorcycle Live and it’s a work of art. I restore bikes myself but that design is so iconic. Nothing before or since has looked like the Katana. You look at a Katana and right away you know what it is. And it’s going to be great to get on it and race it and hopefully get a result with it.”

Parrish added: “I’m making a comeback! I think this will be my first proper race since about 1986. I’ve done some bits at Goodwood before but not to this level. I’m looking forward to it. I know James well from our work doing the TT coverage and I know Michael, so we should all work together well and hopefully have fun, have a good race, and get a result.”

Built at last year’s Motorcycle Live and supported by Suzuki’s growing Vintage Parts programme, the Katana endurance racer utilises the same basic frame as the original icon, with adjustments made to the headstock and the swingarm pivot lowered.

Suspension comes courtesy of K-Tech, wheels from Dymag, and the swingarm is a custom unit from Sweet Fabrications, while the GSX1100SD engine has been bored out to 1170cc, and gets higher lift cams and stainless steel valves. Everything else in the engine has been replaced with genuine Suzuki components from Suzuki’s Vintage Parts programme, including conrods, main bearings and big end bearings on the rebuilt crank.