The 47th edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race produced a thrilling Sunday as mixed conditions put riders and their teams to the ultimate test. The iconic 5.821 km Suzuka Circuit played host to several WorldSBK stars who competed in the event, such as Somkiat Chantra (Honda HRC) and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha), as well as familiar faces such as six-time WorldSBK Champion and Honda HRC Test Team rider Jonathan Rea, 2014 WorldSBK Champion Sylvain Guintoli, and former WorldSBK race winner Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Test Team).
Rea hit the ground running on Friday, setting a 2’04.422s time, and when his teammate Takumi Takahashi’s 2’05.055s time was factored in, the team’s 2’04.738s Friday qualifying time earned Honda HRC pole position on Sunday morning after Saturday’s top 10 trial event was cancelled on account of rain. Honda HRC’s combined effort outpaced van der Mark and the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team by 0.075s, and Rea’s lap remained the fastest lap recorded across all qualifying sessions.
The racing action on Sunday began on a track still wet from morning rain, with sporadic showers throughout the early afternoon and several lengthy safety car interventions. Honda HRC leaned heavily on the mixed-conditions experience of Rea and Takahashi. Rea started the team’s second stint after Takahashi’s opening 33 laps held them in first place. Rea rode 33 laps of his own, consolidating the lead and handing the bike back to Takahashi on Lap 66. The Ulsterman then retook the helm on Lap 92 with a gap of around 22 seconds, holding off an ascendant Jack Miller, riding for the Yamaha Factory Racing Team, before passing the torch back to Takahashi at the beginning of the sixth hour with a gap just under 30 seconds. While heavy rain returned with just over a half hour remaining, a subsequent safety car deployment on Lap 179 effectively ended the contest, with the 188th lap bringing out the chequered flag.
With Chantra’s lack of experience on the bike in such conditions, the Thai rider did not complete a race stint, yet he played an important role for the team nonetheless, as the team secured their fifth-consecutive Suzuka 8 Hours win, ahead of the Yamaha Factory Racing Team in second, and the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team in third, who made history of their own as they landed the first ever podium for a European manufacturer at the Suzuka 8 Hours.
Hot off his success at Suzuka, Jonathan Rea (Honda HRC Test Team) will return home for a wildcard appearance at his beloved Donington Park Circuit, where he will look to keep the ball rolling atop his Honda CBR1000RR-R SP in his first wildcard appearance in the paddock since Round 3 at Assen.
Catch the action to come at Donington Park kicking off on Friday, July 10th with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 50% off!