The 46th edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours has been in full swing since 4:30 this morning. At the halfway point, Johann Zarco and the Honda HRC are still in the lead. However, the fifth hour of the race held its share of surprises for the 5 teams entered in Japan. It's an opportunity to take stock of the situation.
Halfway through the fifth hour, the pit stops began to take place, punctuating the race. The Harc-Pro Honda team was among the first to refuel. At this stage of the race, the factory Honda still held the lead, thanks to Takumi Takahashi. The Japanese driver maintained a solid lead but saw his margin slowly shrink.
Andrea Locatelli, the official Yamaha rider, sets a steady and consistent pace, gradually chipping away at the seconds separating his team from the leader. The gap increases to 44 seconds at the very beginning of the second half of the race. A sign that Yamaha is not letting up the pressure. After each team's fifth pit stop, the gap between the two leading machines is 38 seconds. The battle for victory remains intense.
However, the race remained unforgiving: Karel Hanika, the YART-Yamaha rider who led the championship standings before this round, crashed again in the chicane, at the same spot as his teammate Jason O'Halloran earlier in the race. With the help of the stewards, Hanika restarted his bike to get back on track, but this mishap seriously complicated YART's chances of a good result.
This fifth hour confirms Honda's tenuous dominance, under threat from an increasingly sharp Yamaha, while difficulties mount for YART, one of the championship favorites. The race continues to offer its share of suspense and twists, promising a thrilling finale on the legendary Japanese track. See you in an hour for an update on the situation at 75% of the distance to go.
8H Suzuka 2025 – The ranking after 5 hours of racing:
Ranking : FIM EWC