With an air temperature of 22°C and a wind speed of 16 km/h, the weather conditions for the Top 10 Trial at the Suzuka 8 Hours were a far cry from the usually stifling conditions of the Japanese event, the third round of the FIM EWC Endurance World Championship, but when the rain, admittedly light at first, made its appearance 3 minutes before the start of the final qualifying session, it spelled the end of the exercise.
Not that endurance drivers are cats afraid of water, far from it, but holding a qualifying session on a flying lap in the wet, when all the official tests took place in the dry, could have been dangerous, in addition to being potentially unfair in the event of a variation in the intensity of the downpour.
In short, the Top 10 Trial was cancelled moments before its scheduled start, making the hierarchy established after the qualifying rounds final:
Jonathan Rhea was the first to react into the official microphone: "Yes, you know, I have mixed feelings, because deep down I really wanted to aim for a 2'03 lap. But honestly, in these conditions, you have to be realistic: it was completely crazy.
For the last thirty minutes, my fear level was off the charts, I was so nervous about going out again to try a lap in these drizzly conditions. But there you have it, it's pole position for tomorrow.
My teammates are also doing an excellent job. So yes, I wouldn't say I'm eagerly awaiting the race, because the weather forecast is very uncertain throughout the day, but we are ready and we will give it our all.
Markus Reteirberger is generally satisfied with my position in the BMW #37: “Yes, overall we’re really happy with second place on the grid. We’ve never been as competitive as we have this year, but I made a mistake yesterday in qualifying. I think we might have had a chance to take pole position. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t on our side for Superpole, which is a real shame.”
But despite everything, the bike is working well. My teammates and I have a good feeling. The team is in a really strong position this year and we are capable of fighting for the win.
I think that's the most important thing.
As for the crew of the Yamaha #99, they are taking a realistic approach…
Alessandro Delbianco : “Yes, for me, it’s a dream to be here and, in my mind, to participate in the
Top Trial It was already a huge dream. Today, I finally had that opportunity, but I'm really disappointed that the rain came. But it's okay.
We will start from third position tomorrow. That's already a good result.
I had a good flying lap, but my team has prepared an excellent bike for me. We're a very good team and we're ready for the race.
Randy De Puniet : “Yes, it’s incredible. From day one, we’ve had a really good pace. The three drivers and the whole team have done an excellent job all week, without making a single mistake. The drivers too: my teammate did an incredible job. All three of us finished in the top 3 after qualifying.”
Unfortunately, the Top 10 Trial has been cancelled, but we will start from third position for the 8 Hours with a private team, just behind the official teams and ahead of the official Yamaha team.
For us, it's not a dream, but it's a really solid performance.
The most important thing will be to have a consistent race, without technical problems or mistakes from the drivers. If we can finish between fifth and seventh place, that will already be a very good result.
If we can do better, we will.
But we must remain focused and realistic: our pace places us more between fifth and sixth place than on the podium.
In any case, we are pleased with this good qualification and we will see what can be done tomorrow.
Florian Marino : “Yes, honestly, from my first lap here, the feeling was really good. The team did an excellent job.”
You know, obviously, the motorcycle and tires work really well on this track.
To be honest, I didn't really have any expectations for qualifying. I always manage to put myself in a good position to set a good time. So I was surprised, and very happy, with my time.
Qualifying for the Top 10 Trial was fantastic. Unfortunately, it was cancelled. But starting third, what more could I ask for?
That's a really good way to start.
"For tomorrow's race, it's a great opportunity. Obviously, we'll have to be smart. It's a long race. The weather remains very uncertain, so we'll have to be discerning, use our experience, and see how things develop."
Suzuka 8 Hours 2026 Top 10 Trial
