Team HRC with Japan Post Aims for Third Consecutive Suzuka 8 Hours Victory

Looking back at Honda’s history of winning the Suzuka 8 Hours, Tony Hutton/Mike Cole on a CB900 became the first Honda riders to win the Suzuka 8 Hours in 1979, and that year Honda riders dominated the top 8 spots. 1981 was the first appearance of Wayne Gardner, who would later become one of Honda’s most famous riders. In 1985, he won the Suzuka 8 Hours on an RVF750. Gardner would later pair up with fellow World Grand Prix rider Mick Doohan to win the event. In 1997, Shinichi Ito and Tohru Ukawa became the first Japanese duo to win the annual event riding an RVF/RC45, opening a new possibilities for them. The pair claimed a back-to-back win in 1998.

In 2000, Tohru Ukawa and Daijiro Kato won with their new VTR1000SPW. Valentino Rossi, Colin Edwards, and Gaku Kamada won the following year. In 2002, Daijiro Kato/Colin Edwards on their VTR1000SPW achieved an unprecedented 6-stop race, one less than the norm, to set a distance record of 219 laps on their way to victory. In 2004, Tohru Ukawa/Hitoyasu Izutsu won on their CBR1000RRW, giving Honda its tenth consecutive win (1997 to 2006).

Toru Ukawa, Honda’s leading rider, won the Suzuka 8 Hours five times, while Wayne Gardner, Shinichi Ito, Ryuichi Kiyonari, and Michael van der Mark have won four. Last year, Takumi Takahashi took his fifth win, tying him with Ukawa as the all-time leader. This year, all eyes are on Takakashi in his quest to become the outright Suzuka 8 Hours champion with six wins.

Despite his lack of interest in competing in the Suzuka 8 Hours solely to extend his record, Takahashi now says “I think this is a rare opportunity, so I hope to break the record. Above all, my desire to win is greater than anything else, so I will take on the challenge to win.”

Last year, Honda’s factory team, Team HRC with Japan Post (Takumi Takahashi/Tetsuta Nagashima/Xavi Vierge) rode their CBR1000RR-R FIREBLADE SP to their second consecutive Suzuka 8 Hours victory.

In 2024, Team HRC with Japan Post will be represented by Takumi Takahashi, Teppei Nagoe, Johann Zarco, and Kohta Arakawa. Takahashi, Nagoe and Arakawa participated in the first test held in early June. As the team’s lead rider, Takahashi led Nagoe and Arakawa in their first test session as factory riders, completing the test items.

Due to the postponement of the MotoGP Kazakhstan Grand Prix, MotoGP rider Zarco was able to join the team. Arakawa will act as reserve rider, and the race riders have been officially confirmed.

Zarco commented, “I have always someday wanted to compete in endurance races, such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans or the Suzuka 8 Hours. However, I thought that I could only race after I finished racing in MotoGP, because my schedule would be difficult. But then the schedule changed and I had more time, so I was able to compete.”

For the Frenchman, 24-hour endurance races such as Le Mans and Bol d'Or are very familiar. The Suzuka 8 Hours was a race he gained interest in “when top riders Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner competed in it.”

Zarco joined the team from the second test, and was led by Takahashi and Nagoe on his first long run at the Suzuka Circuit. As many HRC staff have MotoGP experience, Zarco was relieved that he knew fomr of the mechanics. He said, “I have no problem communicating with the staff, and I was able to learn from Takahashi, who has a lot of Suzuka 8 Hours experience.”

Takahashi said, “This was my first meeting with Zarco. I thought he would be a bit aggressive, and a part of me wondered if it would go well, but in person, he was very friendly. Seeing him walking around the track on the day he arrived in Suzuka, I felt that he was sincere in his approach. Since I was able to ride well in the first test, I wanted Zarco to get used to the track and the bike more than anything else, so I didn’t do much riding myself, and let Zarco use the time for his runs. Nagoe also did well on the long runs, so I think we had a good second test.”

Nagoe commented, “This will be my first Suzuka 8 Hours with a factory team, which I have always wanted to be a part of. I have been nervous ever since I knew I would be racing, but I will do my best to fulfill my role. In the end, I want to make sure that everyone is happy that I am a part of this team.”

Zarco said, “I’m coming back to Suzuka after completing my MotoGP races." This year, the bike number is 30, signifying Honda’s goal of winning the event for the 30th time.

The Suzuka 8 Hours is the third of four rounds in the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC). Following Round 1, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Round 2, the 8 Hours of Spa Motos, the penultimate Suzuka 8 Hours precedes the final round, the Bol d’Or 24 hours race. F.C.C. TSR Honda France is a top team that has won the EWC title twice. This season the team is once again represented by Josh Hook, Mike Di Meglio and Alain Techer.

In the opening round, low track temperatures caused a series of crashes, and although F.C.C. TSR Honda France recovered 10th position, with 1 hour and 15 minutes remaining, trouble struck and the team was out of the race. In the second round, a crash while fighting for the lead sent them down the order, but were able to recover and finish in 5th place. F.C.C. TSR Honda France is currently ranked 10th in the overall standings. In the 2023 Suzuka 8 Hours, F.C.C. TSR Honda France was the top EWC team with their 3rd place finish. Regarding this year, team manager Masakazu Fujii pledges, “We hope to turn the tide at Suzuka and keep our hopes up for the final round.”

SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda will be represented by All Japan Road Race Championship (JRR) JSB1000 class HRC rider Teppei Nagoe, joined by JRR ST1000 class and Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) ASB1000 class rider Yuki Kunii, Spanish Superbike Championship (ESBK) rider Naomichi Uramoto, and Moto2 rider Mario Aji.

Kunii has won two consecutive JRR races, and in the ARRC, took a dominating victory in Round 3, Race 2 in Japan. Last year, he was unable to participate in the Suzuka 8 Hours due to injury, but this year he will be the team’s lead rider.

Uramoto began participating in ESBK in 2018, and last year he was recognized as a top rider, finishing 4th in the ranking. He is now a regular race contender. Last year, he was an integral part of the team's second place in the rankings.

For Moto2 rider Aji, this year will be his first Suzuka 8 Hours. Trained by team manager Shigeki Honda, three-time Suzuka 8 Hours winner well known for his rider training, will determine how Aji will compete in the race.

Honda Asia-Dream Racing with Astemo, competing in the ARRC, will be represented by Md Zaqhwan Bin Zaidi, Andi Farid Izdihar, and Nakarin Atiratphuvapat. Although the riders remain unchanged from last year, Nakarin, who had been competing in the SS600 class, has moved up to the ASB1000 class, so the team is represented by three ASB1000 riders.

After the third round of ARRC, Andi is in 3rd in the overall standings, Nakarin is 4th, and Zaqhwan is 6th. Director Makoto Tamada commented, “The Suzuka 8 Hours has been a place for riders, mechanics, and the team to improve their skills, but this year we are looking for results. I think we can aim for the podium.”

Astemo Honda Dream SI Racing, the legendary Shinichi Ito, four-time Suzuka 8 Hours winner and seven-time pole sitter, will be joined by JRR JSB1000 class rider Kohta Nozane, Moto2 European Championship rider Taiga Hada, and JRR ST1000 class rider Kosuke Sakumoto. Honda Dream RT Sakurai Honda will be represented by JRR JSB1000 class rider Kazuki Ito and Suzuka specialist Daijiro Hiura. TOHO Racing will be represented by Ryuichi Kiyonari, Kazuki Watanabe, who has experience on the Suzuka 8 Hours podium with Kawasaki factory and Yoshimura teams, and Ikuhiro Enokido, who announced his retirement last year. Last year, the team (Kiyonari, Takuma Kunimine, and Enokido) finished in second place, but were penalized for an error in tank capacity, and were disqualified because it was impossible to prove that it was not intentional. This year, TOHO Racing aims to demonstrate its ability to finish near the top. Team ATJ with docomo business will be represented by JRR JSB1000 class rider Satoru Iwata, and ST600 class riders Kouki Suzuki and Yuta Okaya. In the pre-tests, Team ATJ recorded times close to the fastest teams, and expectations are high for a breakthrough.