Suzuka Eight Hours Preview
The 2024 FIM Endurance World Championship revs up in Japan this weekend, July 19-21, when the 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race hosts round three of this unmissable EWC season.
After two events, one point splits the leading Yoshimura SERT Motul squad and Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team, the 2023 champion, such has been the intensity of the competition.
And there will be no shortage of intensity at Suzuka where high ambient temperatures and humidity combine with the challenging track layout to create arguably the EWC’s toughest test.
But it’s not just the Formula EWC category aces taking on Suzuka’s legendary 5.821-kilometre-layout. The event also counts for the FIM Endurance World Cup for the first time, thereby giving European Superstock teams the chance to contest one of international motorcycle racing’s most iconic events. They’re benefiting from a tyre support package offered jointly by FIM Endurance World Championship promoter Warner Bros. Discovery Sports and Dunlop, the official tyre supplier to the Superstock category. Through the arrangement, 10 sets of tyres are being provided free of charge to each European Superstock team contesting the third event of the EWC season. National Motos Honda FMA and Wójcik Racing Team are the notable beneficiaries of this incentive.
Tati Team Beringer Racing (below), the leading independent outfit so far in 2024 and currently third in the overall standings, is also Suzuka-bound along with six other permanent EWC entrants, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, F.C.C. TSR Honda France, Kawasaki Webike Trickstar, KM 99, Motobox Kremer Racing and Japanese Superstock squad Team Étoile.
As with all EWC events, two qualifying sessions for all rider groups are run in addition to testing, free practice and night practice. However, the Suzuka 8 Hours also features the Top 10 Trial shootout to decide the first 10 places on the starting grid for next Sunday’s race.
Following Second Qualifying on Friday afternoon, the leading 10 teams go forward into the Top 10 Trial on Saturday afternoon following a final practice session. Two riders per team take part with each rider getting one flying lap to set their time following a warm-up lap. The team that was 10th quickest after Second Qualifying goes first with the fastest team from qualifying the last to run in the Top 10 Trial. The lap times of each team’s two riders are then combined to complete the final starting grid for Sunday’s 8 Hours. The 5-4-3-2-1 qualifying points are awarded after the Top 10 trial rather than after the completion of Second Qualifying, which is the case at other EWC events.
NEW SUZUKI CN CHALLENGE FOCUSSES ON THE ENVIRONMENT IN EWC
Competing in the Experimental class under the Team Suzuki CN Challenge banner, the factory-supported Suzuki GSX-R1000R CN SPEC will utilise 40 per cent bio-sourced sustainable ELF Moto R40 FIM fuel, along with other eco-friendly products including engine oil, tyres, bodywork and brakes. Launched by Suzuki Motor Corporation at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show in March, the Team Suzuki CN Challenge project has set out two clear purposes, according to the firm: To advance environmental technologies by accelerating the adaptation of carbon neutral items and the development of environmental technologies, and to obtain technical feedback for future products.
REA TO ‘SETTLE THE SCORE’ WITH SUZUKA EWC RETURN
Gino Rea has been handed an opportunity to ‘settle the score’ when he returns to Suzuka. Rea was seriously injured in crash practicing for the 43rd Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race in August 2022 but battled back from head and neck injuries to make his competitive return in the 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans in April. Thanks to his Wójcik Racing Team, the 34-year-old Briton will now get the chance to ride at Suzuka again when he will team up with Spaniard Isaac Viñales, who rode for Wójcik in 2023, plus one additional rider to be announced.
CAN MOTOGP WINNER ZARCO MAKE THE GRADE AT SUZUKA?
Johann Zarco has been tipped to make the grade in the 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours – by some of the riders who will rival him for FIM Endurance World Championship glory in Japan. The MotoGP race winner has joined Team HRC with Japan Post for his first Suzuka start as the Honda-powered outfit bids for a hat-trick of victories in the legendary event, a result that would also mark Honda’s 30th triumph in the Suzuka 8 Hours. Sylvain Guintoli, part of the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team line-up, said: “Johann Zarco coming to race is great. It’s great for the championship and for the race, the overall profile. It’s also going to be awesome to share the track with Johann and I am really looking forward to see what he can do on an endurance bike.”
ADVICE FROM EWC RIDERS AIDS SUZUKA ROOKIE GAMARINO
Christian Gamarino has revealed how advice from his fellow FIM Endurance World Championship rivals has helped him to prepare for the upcoming 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race. Gamarino has never raced at the iconic Japanese venue before but starts round three of the EWC season having taken onboard some useful tips, including from his Kawasaki Webike Trickstar team-mate Grégory Leblanc. Gamarino said: “They say to me it’s a difficult race for the temperature and because of the Japanese riders who are very fast. I am very curious to be there. It’s a legendary race.” Gamarino, from Italy, was part of the Team 33 Louit April Moto line-up that won the FIM Endurance World Cup in 2023. The 30-year-old has graduated from Superstock to Formula EWC level for 2024.
ARENAS LAST-MINUTE YOSHIMURA SERT SUZUKA CALL
Moto2 World Championship rider Albert Arenas is a late addition to the entry for the 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race following his call up by Yoshimura SERT Motul. The 27-year-old from Spain takes Gregg Black’s place in the Suzuki-powered team after Black was injured testing last month. Arenas, the Moto3 champion in 2020, will link up with Cocoro Atsumi and Dan Linfoot for the third event of the EWC season and for what will mark his EWC debut.
RIDERS VIEW THE 8 HOURS
Cocoro Atsumi (Japan), Yoshimura SERT Motul: “The Suzuka 8 Hours is a special race and this will be my sixth Suzuka 8 Hours. I know very well the track, I went there with my parents to see the race when I was a baby and I rode at Suzuka from when I was young because I was a student of Suzuka Racing School. Of course, I have pressure as a Japanese rider riding for a very good team, but I think it’s good for me. I am in a good team and my team-mates are like brothers to me because they teach me how to ride, how to live in the paddock during the race. For the heat and humidity, I just try to focus on the bike and sometimes not push too much, wait a bit how the other riders go. Especially in the night the atmosphere is incredible with all the colourful lights waving. The home straight is amazing.”
Sylvain Guintoli (France), BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “There’s only a few tracks that are so special to ride and Suzuka is one of them. It’s a very technical track, very demanding, which adds to the spice. It’s like being in a very, very hot sauna without drinking much and sweating a lot for an hour while you’re exercising. Suzuka is a track that’s not very thirsty for the bikes, it’s low on fuel consumption and that means the stints are longer because we’re limited by the capacity of the tank, which is 24 litres, so you do more laps and spend more time on the bike and more time sweating. A standard stint is about an hour and the last 20 minutes are really tough. You do get very dehydrated and can lose up to two kilos, your body temperature goes up and you start to feel ill. It’s very challenging because of that.”
Karel Hanika (Czech Republic), Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team: “It’s the biggest race of the season for us, none of us from the team has been on the podium in Suzuka so we would like to achieve this goal and gain a few points over the opposition. We showed at the test the speed is really good so hopefully we can push and fight for the win. We never know what’s going to happen but this would be a dream because it’s simply legendary this race. We actually say it’s sometimes more difficult than a 24-hour race because the temperatures are so high and you have to adapt. The track itself is so physical and you have no time to rest for about one and a half minutes so it’s pretty tough. But it’s the same for everybody although we’ll try to be as much ready as possible.”
Josh Hook (Australia), F.C.C. TSR Honda France: “There’s not one easy part of the track. Suzuka is the most physical track and demanding track you will ever go to. It’s just lefts and rights and you don’t really get a break around that place and that makes it so hard on top of the heat factor. It’s just a tough weekend for everyone. We all know how hot and humid that place gets, riding in it is not fun. But the Suzuka 8 Hours is the race I most look forward to every year. Last year I was unfortunate as I couldn’t compete due to injury so I’m very happy to be back. The Suzuka 8 Hours is the home race for the team and Honda, and we have a great bike so I believe we can do a good job.”
Kevin Manfredi (Italy), Team Frontier: “I’m very excited because it’s my first race in Suzuka and it’s a dream. For every rider it’s a dream to go to Suzuka and for me it’s the same. It’s amazing because I ride for the team of Nobby Ueda, the famous rider from the 125cc World Championship, so it’s really incredible to have this opportunity. Maybe it’s the most important race for the fans, it’s the same as the Olympics. It’s not easy for the riders but for the fans it’s an amazing experience. The Japanese fans are very passionate about all teams and all riders, this is very important for us. The circuit is very different to the European layouts. And I know the weather conditions will also be different because it’s more hot and more humid. But during the test I had the possibility to try the circuit and its limits.”
Gino Rea (Great Britain), Wójcik Racing Team: “Returning to Suzuka, where I had my terrible accident two years ago, is like a dream come true. It has been my goal, but I wasn’t sure if it would be possible, so I am very grateful to the entire Wójcik Racing Team for this opportunity. I have a score to settle with Suzuka, and I feel like a huge weight will be lifted off my shoulders. Competing in Japan will help me piece my life back together; a complicated puzzle that I’ve had to work on since that day.”
Dominik Vincon (Germany), Motobox Kremer Racing: “It will be absolutely the first time in Suzuka so it will be absolutely amazing. I’m super-excited to be there. I am racing almost 10 years in the Endurance World Championship, but I have raced in Asia before because in 2019 we had a race in Malaysia and that was also insane to ride there. It was a track I loved from being a small child with the PlayStation. I also practiced a lot at Suzuka on the PlayStation. We know it’s impossible for us to be in the top 10 but we want to enjoy the race and have some fun. It’s possible to catch some points because last year the team was also there and they collected some points. This is the goal for us and we need to collect as much points as possible and we will see where we are.”
Johann Zarco (France), Team HRC with Japan Post: “I’m excited to be racing in the Suzuka 8 Hours. It’s the biggest motorcycle race and also it is an important race for Honda. Just like many MotoGP legends have won the Suzuka 8 Hours before, I also would like to win as a Team HRC with Japan Post rider. I was able to learn the track by riding a lot during the two days [of testing]. I was nervous on day one because it was all new to me, but gradually I became more relaxed and could ride better. I think I will be able to ride better in the race. MotoGP races last about 40 minutes, but a Suzuka 8 Hours stint lasts an hour. I have never raced for such a long time before. But I knew the Suzuka 8 Hours is a race I would do one day, even the 24 Heures Motos and Bol d’Or are races I have said I would do. I was thinking maybe this year is possible because [the date works]. When Honda asked me, I said I would love to do it because it’s an opportunity to get some freedom and to do other things and have fun.”
SUZUKA 8 HOURS DETAILS
Schedule:
Friday 19 July
08h30-10h30: Free Practice
12h05-12h25: First Qualifying (Blue Riders)
12h40-13h00: First Qualifying (Yellow Riders)
13h15-13h35: First Qualifying (Red Riders)
13h45-14h35: Pit Walk
15h30-15h50: Second Qualifying (Blue Riders)
16h05-16h25: Second Qualifying (Yellow Riders)
16h40-17h00: Second Qualifying (Red Riders)
18h30-19h30: Night Free Practice
Saturday 20 July
12h10-13h10: Pit Walk
14h15-15h00: Free Practice
15h30-17h00: Top 10 Trial
Sunday 21 July
08h30-09h15: Warm-up
09h30-10h20: Pit Walk
11h30: Start of 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race
19h30: Finish of 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race
Circuit details:
Where: Suzuka Circuit
Location: 7992 Ino-Cho, Suzuka-shi, Mie-ken 510-0295, Japan
When: 19-21 July
Track length: 5.821 kilometres
Race distance: 8 hours
Lap Records:
Qualifying: Team HRC (Tetsuta Nagashima, 2m04.934s, 2022)
Race: Kawasaki Racing Team (Jonathan Rea, 2m06.805s, 2019)
In 100 words:
Suzuka Circuit continues to play an integral role in the ongoing success of the EWC with the Japanese venue’s iconic eight-hour event taking place from 19-21 July. Featuring a mid-morning start and early evening finish, the Suzuka 8 Hours isn’t the longest race on the EWC calendar, but it’s always one of the toughest. This is due to the highly-demanding figure-of-eight track layout and the expected hot and humid conditions that require the EWC stars to be at the peak of their physical powers. The event is a round of the Superstock-based FIM Endurance World Cup for the first time.
Fast facts:
*The Suzuka 8 Hours retuned to the EWC calendar in 2022 having not taken place since 2019 due to the global health crisis.
*Americans Mike Baldwin and Wes Cooley won the inaugural Suzuka 8 Hours on 30 July 1978 on a Yoshimura Racing Suzuki.
*Japanese fans had to wait until 1982 for the first home victory when Shigeo Iijima and Shinji Hagiwara won for Honda.
*Although it was billed as an eight-hour race, the onset of a typhoon meant there were only six hours of racing.
*Other winners of the Suzuka 8 Hours include Wayne Rainey (1988), Eddie Lawson (1990) Mick Doohan (1991) and Valentino Rossi (2001).
Recent winners:
2023: Team HRC with Japan Post (Tetsuta Nagashima, Takumi Takahashi, Xavi Vierge) 216 laps
2022: Team HRC (Tetsuta Nagashima, Takumi Takahashi, Iker Lecuona) 214 laps
2019: Kawasaki Racing Team Suzuka 8H (Jonathan Rea, Leon Haslam, Toprak Razgatlio?lu) 216 laps
2018: Yamaha Factory Racing Team (Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes, Michael van der Mark) 199 laps
2017: Yamaha Factory Racing Team (Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes, Michael van der Mark) 216 laps
Information:
Results & live timing: https://www.its-results.com
How to watch: https://www.fimewc.com/en/watch-the-races
Words and images courtesy FIM EWC