2023 Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race Preview
Suzuka Circuit
The Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race (Suzuka 8 Hours), a midsummer festival, will be held again this year. Last year’s Suzuka 8 Hours was hugely successful, as it was the first time in three years the event was held due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 - 21. Without last year’s spectator restrictions, this year’s event promises to be even more exciting, back to pre-pandemic levels.
Honda has won the Suzuka 8 Hours 28 times, including 10 consecutive wins from 1997 to 2006. In 1997 Shinichi Itoh / Tohru Ukawa riding the RVF/RC45 became the first Japanese pair to win since the event became a regular fixture. In 2002, Daijiro Kato and Colin Edwards, riding a VTR1000SPW, succeeded in reducing the number of pit stops from the usual seven to six, setting a new record of 219 laps, the most laps completed, which has never since been broken. Last year, Honda’s factory team, Team HRC (Takumi Takahashi, Tetsuta Nagashima, and Iker Lecuona) was formed, and gave Honda its first victory since 2014 in a dominating manner, lapping all other bikes.
Tetsuta Nagashima Back from Injury
Two joint tests were held in June and early July, in preparation for the race in August. Team HRC brought the CBR1000RR-R FIREBLADE SP to these tests. Riders for the team were announced before the July tests: Takumi Takahashi, competing in the All Japan Road Race Championship ST1000 class, and Superbike World Championship (WSBK) riders Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona. These three, plus HRC test rider Tetsuta Nagashima, made up the four riders for the test.
Nagashima was injured during a test at Suzuka in April, and was expected to be race-fit in 6 months; there was little hope for him to race in the Suzuka 8 Hours in August, but he was able to participate in the joint test at his request. All eyes were on Nagashima to see if he would be able to perform at Suzuka 8 Hours level. Nagashima had not ridden in two months, but as soon as he entered the track, he set an impressive lap time of 2 min 6.077s, the fastest overall for the two-day test. Nagashima also completed a complete stint test, demonstrating his full readiness as a Suzuka 8 Hours rider.
At this time, HRC was planning to replace Alex Rins with Lecuona in the MotoGP British GP, which was to be held on the same weekend as the Suzuka 8 Hours, and was about to make a decision depending on Nagashima's performance.
Tetsuhiro Kuwata, General Manager of HRC's race management, commented, "It was very difficult to select the riders for this year's Suzuka 8 Hours. No matter which rider we selected, I believe they are riders who will deliver solid results. At the time of entry, there were concerns about Tetsuta Nagashima's recovery from his injury, but judging from his performance in the official test and his physical condition afterwards, we judged that he would be fine for the race. Therefore, we were able to send Lecuona to the MotoGP British GP in place of Rins."
On July 25, Japan Post Co., Ltd. was announced as a new team partner, complete with team name change to Team HRC with Japan Post. The team riders for the Suzuka 8 Hours was officially decided as Takahashi, Nagashima, and Vierge, and these three riders will aim to defend the team’s Suzuka 8 Hours crown.
Takahashi Aims to Equal Record of Five Wins, Vierge Prepares for his First Suzuka 8 Hours
The record for the most wins by a rider in the Suzuka 8 Hours is five, currently held by Honda factory rider Tohru Ukawa. If Takahashi wins this year, he will tie the record. "There is no point in putting pressure on myself to win, so I just want to think about winning, like I always do," said Takahashi. All eyes will be on him to see if he can equal the record.
Nagashima said, "I thought the Suzuka 8 Hours was the only race I could enter this year, so I am happy to be able to participate. I will give it everything I have, and aim to win again. I also want to help Takahashi break his own record.”
Vierge, who was a reserve rider at last year’s Suzuka 8 Hours staring up at his teammates on the top of the podium, said, "I am looking forward to racing this year.”
A Crucial Round for the EWC Title
The Suzuka 8 Hours is being held as the third round of the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC), contested over four rounds this season. Unlike the Suzuka 8 Hours, Le Mans, Spa-Francorchamps, and Bol d'Or are all 24-hour endurance races. The Suzuka 8 Hours, of course, is also an important round for teams aiming for the series title.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France, the 2022 EWC series champion, will be represented by its usual riders Josh Hook, Mike Di Meglio, and Alan Techer. The team was on the podium in both rounds so far, winning the opening round, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and finishing second in Round 2, the 24 Hours of Spa. They enter the Suzuka 8 Hours in second place in the championship standings, one point behind the points leader.
All-Japan & Asian Championships Teams Vying for Top Positions
SDG Honda Racing, its parent company being HARC-PRO., a successful team at the Suzuka 8 Hours, will be represented once again by Teppei Nagoe (All-Japan JSB1000 class) and Naomichi Uramoto (Spanish Superbike Championship), but Yuki Kunii, who moved up to the All-Japan ST1000 class was injured during training and will miss the race. In his place, Haruki Noguchi (Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) ASB1000 class) joined the team at last minute, to compete in the Suzuka 8 Hours for the first time. The three promising future stars in motorcycle racing will be aiming for the top positions.
Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA, currently competing in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship Asia Superbike 1000 (ASB1000) class, will be represented by Md Zaqhwan Bin Zaidi, Andi Farid Izdihar, and ARRC Supersports 600 (ASS600) class rider Nakarin Atiratphuvapat. Zaidi was last year’s ASB1000 champion, and both Izdihar and Atiratphuvapat are well versed in racing overseas. ARRC is on the rise, and the top Asian riders want to prove themselves at the Suzuka 8 Hours.
Astemo Honda Dream SI Racing, led by the legendary four-time Suzuka 8 Hours winner Shinichi Itoh, will be represented by All-Japan JSB1000 class riders Kosuke Sakumoto and Ryo Mizuno, and ST1000 class V2 champion Kazuma Watanabe. TOHO Racing’s lineup includes All-Japan JSB1000 rider Ryuichi Kiyonari, and ST1000 riders Takuma Kunimine and Ikuhiro Enokido. Kiyonari has won four Suzuka 8 Hours and will tie the record for most wins if he wins this event. Team ATJ will be represented by Satoru Iwata (JSB1000), Yuki Takahashi (ST1000), and Tomoyoshi Koyama (ST600). Takahashi and Koyama have experience in the World Road Race Championship and are constantly in contention for the All-Japan title. Honda DREAM RT Sakurai Honda will have Kazuki Itoh, who joined the team this season and started competing in All-Japan JSB1000 class, Daijiro Hiura, a Suzuka specialist, and Kota Arakawa, the 2022 All-Japan ST600 champion who moved up to ST1000 this season, aiming for higher positions. TTS Racing MurayamaUnso Honda Dream will be represented by Kosuke Akiyoshi, who has won the Suzuka 8 Hours three times, Yoshihiro Konno, and Sho Hasegawa.
Nagashima is my teammate from last year, and he developed the bike for us, so he knows this bike better than anyone else, which is an advantage. Our two WSBK riders are fast, and there is a lot I can learn from them. So, I knew that everything would be fine no matter who I would be teaming up with. Now that we have finalized our riders, the three of us will work together to build a strong relationship of trust and take on the challenge. There is a lot of pressure as everyone takes us winning for granted, but I want to turn that into my strength. I don't care about the record, I just want to focus on winning.
I still can't forget the excitement of last year's victory. It was a race that I had longed to win since I was a child, and I couldn't believe that I was right there on the middle podium. I want to experience that emotion again this year, and I hope that the children of today will feel the longing I felt as a child from our race. I am grateful to be able to participate in this race. I will do my best so that the team will be glad that they made the right decision. I respect Takumi [Takahashi], and I have known Vierge since he was racing in the Spanish Championship. The three of us will work together to win the race again.
It is a great honor for me to race in the Suzuka 8 Hours as a Honda factory rider. Takahashi is an experienced rider who has won the Suzuka 8 Hours four times, and I have known Nagashima for a long time, so I am happy to be able to race with them. Last year, I was the reserve rider and just watched everyone else's race, which was a bit disappointing. But this year I will be able to ride with them, so I hope to make a solid contribution.
I'm really looking forward to coming back to Suzuka. It's one of my favorite tracks and the home track for TSR and Honda, so it's a circuit I really like and the bikes work well here. The team and crew have all done a great job so far this season. So I am looking forward to the race at Suzuka even more. I am really looking forward to meeting the Japanese fans and racing at Suzuka again.
Our 2023 season is off to a great start with a win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team has worked very hard this winter to make us more competitive. The bike’s performance has improved and the crew is working faster. Suzuka is always a special place and it is a dream to be on the podium. It is a special race for the team and for Honda, so we will do our best to go as fast as possible.
I am very happy to be able to race in this year's Suzuka 8 Hours, especially with the F.C.C. TSR Honda France team. This season has started well with a win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and a second place at the 24 Hours of Spa. The team is working very well and my teammates are very fast. After this legendary race, we will do everything in our power to start the final round as the points leader.
I am very happy to be able to participate in the Suzuka 8 Hours again this year with SDG Honda Racing. Last year, I was not able to race in perfect condition due to my injury, and I was also involved in a crash with another bike early in the race, which was frustrating. This year, I will do my best to win the race together with SDG Showa Denki Group, Honda with its long history in the 8 Hours, and HARC-PRO.
First of all, I am happy to be able to race in the Suzuka 8 Hours again this year, and I would like to thank everyone involved with SDG Honda Racing, including the SDG Showa Denki Group and HARC-PRO. Last year we had a very disappointing result, but we had the speed to aim for top positions, so this year we will focus and do our best as a team so that we can translate that into results.
I’m a last-minute entrant in the Suzuka 8 Hours. I will join the team from race week, but I will do my best to contribute to the team. I wish Yuki Kunii a speedy recovery.
To me, the Suzuka 8 Hours is a very special race. It is a tough race, but I want to fight hard to show what I can do and aim for the top positions. During the race week, the three of us will work together to further improve the bike’s settings and aim for a top-five finish, which is the team's goal.
I am happy to be able to try the Suzuka 8 Hours. I started riding ASB1000 this year, so it was a great experience for me to be able to ride the Suzuka Circuit well in the tests. There are still things I want to check and try, so I will spend the race week wisely and try to make it into the top 5.
The bike is different to ARRC, so I had a lot to learn during the tests, but it was a good experience to ride in both dry and wet conditions. During the race week, I hope to evolve so that I can complete in the Suzuka 8 Hours with a good pace.