The Suzuka 8 Hours remains one of the major and most feared events on the international motorcycle endurance calendar. This Japanese event fascinates as much as it worries, and each rider prepares for it like a true marathon, both physically and mentally. To grasp the full nature of the challenge, there's nothing like giving a voice to those who experience the event intensely from the pits and the track.
At Suzuka, the difficulty begins well before the start: "Suzuka is one of the toughest circuits in the world, not just in EWC. The heat is very difficult to bear, as is the humidity.", analyzes Randy de Puniet, in a video shared by the discipline's Instagram accountThe former MotoGP rider, now an endurance expert, emphasizes physical management: “It's very important to try to have a good bike that's easy to ride, because you spend almost an hour in difficult conditions.”
Sylvain Guintoli, another French reference in the discipline, insists on the very technical nature of the route: “The track is very sharp and a bit complicated, a bit old, but it’s one of the best circuits. The humidity… It’s very hot, which leads to severe dehydration.”. According to him, at Suzuka, the effort is prolonged over the long term because "as it is a low-consumption circuit, the humidity is very long, which aggravates dehydration." He continues: "It's a challenge in that sense. You have to make sure you're well trained, well hydrated. It's usually a brutal race, because there are a lot of fast teams."A collection of extreme sports, the field includes numerous factory teams and drivers with impressive track records, so much so that "It's a fast race" concludes Guintoli.
© EWC 8H Suzuka
The 8 Hours of Suzuka, a demanding test for everyone
For Illya Mykhalchyk, the Suzuka experience is unlike any other in the world of motorcycling: "I think Suzuka is a completely different race, it's a different game, especially with the weather."The Ukrainian details the harshness of the initial sector, both physically and technically: “The first sector is the most difficult part of the circuit”, he judges. On a machine already heavily loaded with fuel and responsibilities, "The directions change, and sometimes the bike is heavy, especially in the race. There's always a feeling of heaviness because it's hot. The first sector lasts, I don't know, 40 seconds, but it always feels like 5 minutes in the first sector."
Everyone emphasizes the uniqueness of a track that prohibits the slightest error: a succession of fast turns, tricky braking, constant changes of support, and this over 5,8 km.
To succeed at Suzuka, everyone insists on specific preparation. In concrete terms, the relays follow one another at a frenetic pace, with a margin for error reduced to zero against a tough opposition where every lap counts. Physical and mental fatigue therefore appear as a second adversary, especially since the weather often requires vigilance. To follow the 8 Hours of Suzuka 2025, meet this Sunday, August 3, at a very early hour (4:30 a.m. in Central Europe).
