On Sunday, August 3, 2025, a field of 54 teams lined up alongside the Honda HRC of the crew Johann zarco - Takumi Takahashi on the starting grid for the third round of the 2025 FIM Endurance World Championship, ready to take on the favorites in the iconic 46th Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race at the legendary 8 km Suzuka Circuit.
The race started at 11:30 (local time) in extremely hot conditions, with temperatures reaching up to 37ºC, while the #30 Honda had only two riders, Xavi Verge ultimately unable to replace Iker Lecuona injured for undisclosed reasons.
The Honda HRC started from pole position with Takumi Takahashi, thanks to Johann Zarco's 2'04.290 lap time in the Top 10 Trial. The Japanese rider made a great start, taking the lead, but lost it on the first lap, overtaken by Yuki Kunii (SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda) #73. Takumi followed closely behind his Honda compatriot, maintaining a gap of between two and six tenths of a second. On lap 14, Takahashi overtook Kunii and reclaimed the lead.
Returning to the pits at the end of his stint on lap 27, Takahashi handed the Honda CBR1000RR-R SP to teammate Johann Zarco, who rejoined the track in first place with an advantage of around 13 seconds over the #21 Andrea Locatelli (YAMAHA RACING TEAM) in second, and around 18 seconds over the #73 Keito Abe in third.
Johann Zarco controlled the lead before handing the bike back to Takahashi on lap 55, after one hour and 59 minutes of racing. Takahashi also continued his winning ways, maintaining a strong pace and a gap of around 12 seconds over second place. The Honda HRC team's third pit stop, perfectly executed on lap 83, saw Takumi enter last among the frontrunners, a strategy that proved decisive. Zarco then took over at the start of the fourth hour, 29 seconds ahead of the #21 Katsuyuki Nakasuga.
Johann Zarco gradually increased his lead, so that when he swapped places with his teammate again on lap 111, halfway through the race and almost exactly in the fourth hour, the Honda HRC team continued to control the lead with a gap of more than 40 seconds over its closest rival, still the No. 21 team.
Managing the physical strain of long track time and short breaks, Takahashi and Zarco completed their fifth and sixth stints respectively, with an advantage of between 20 and 30 seconds. But more thrills awaited the Honda HRC team…
After a race almost entirely without a safety car, the seventh stint was marked by two interruptions. The first came shortly after Takahashi returned to the track on lap 139, still leading Nakasuga. However, this had no impact on the running order. Then, just before Takumi joined the pit lane for the team's seventh and final stop, another safety car was deployed. After a lightning-fast tire change and refueling—the Honda HRC team having once again distinguished itself, making the fastest stops of this edition—Zarco had to wait for the safety car to complete its lap before resuming the track, placing himself behind Locatelli with a lead of around 15 seconds. With around half an hour remaining in the race, however, Zarco reclaimed the lead after Locatelli came through for his team's final change.
At the end of lap 217, Johann Zarco took his second victory at the Suzuka 8 Hours, the seventh for Takumi Takahashi, the most successful driver in the history of the event, and the 31st for Honda HRC.
In extreme conditions, without a third rider, and managing to make one fewer refueling stop than most of their rivals, Honda HRC, Johann Zarco and Takumi Takahashi showed that they were truly at the top of their game!
The team director, Teruaki Matsubara, commented : " It's truly fantastic, we're delighted. First of all, I'd like to thank our two drivers, who worked incredibly hard and did a remarkable job in extreme conditions. I'm also very grateful to the entire team, who took great care of the drivers; it was a true demonstration of teamwork. Once again, our pit stops were the fastest, which made all the difference. All our preparation clearly paid off today. It wasn't easy, but in the end, everything went well. It was a truly enjoyable and enriching experience.”
After the race, Johann zarco answered some questions…
How did your second Suzuka 8 Hours and your second consecutive victory go?
“The Suzuka 8 Hours is a race I really enjoy, and riding the best bike, a bike that feels great, is absolutely brilliant. At the same time, it was an extremely tough day, in incredibly difficult conditions. I managed to keep control on track, as I expected, but recovering between stints was much harder than expected. Then, in the last hour, a safety car came out and extended Takumi's last stint by a few laps, which gave me a little more time to recover. As we were going out, another safety car came out and allowed me to gradually get back into the rhythm, so in the end everything went very well. A big thank you to Takumi, who was incredibly strong: in every stint, no matter how hot it was, he showed no weakness. That's a huge advantage for the team. Our plan was also very good, and making only seven stops made the difference.”
In the end, how did this last night stint go, with the packed stands and the characteristic lights of Suzuka all around?
“It was really beautiful. Last year, Takumi did the last stint, but this time we kept to the original plan, which was for me to do it. It was great, and once the temperature dropped a bit, it became more manageable on the bike. And of course, when you have a gap to manage – I had about 2 seconds in the last half hour – it gives a bit of security. I even started to appreciate all the colors, and the grandstand along the straight was really beautiful. In other sections, the track was very dark, and even if I wanted to go faster than 09'XNUMX, it really wasn't possible. But it wasn't necessary anyway, so I just enjoyed riding to the finish line.”
Takumi Takahashi added :
Takumi, how would you describe this incredible accomplishment today?
“Racing with just two riders in such extreme weather conditions – which I don't think I'd ever experienced before – I knew it would be very difficult, and it really was. In the last stint, our fitness was clearly at its peak, but we both dug deep to give it our all until the checkered flag.
In my last stint I managed to set some solid laps, also in 2'06, but as I knew that a very fast comeback was coming up behind us, I preferred to concentrate on the pace and on bringing the bike back safely.
Johann gave his all in the final part of the race, and for that, for his total commitment, I am deeply grateful."
You are now the most successful driver at Suzuka. How does that feel?
"I already achieved this record last year, and I am of course happy to be able to add another victory to my list of achievements.
But honestly, more than the result, it's the way we won this race that makes me proud.
Johann and I are exhausted, but we crossed the finish line without any problems, and that's what matters most.
I know the end of the race was very hard for him, but I saw in him the true fighting spirit of a MotoGP rider, and it was impressive to see.
Finally, I would like to thank the entire team for their incredible work, as well as all the fans for their continued support.
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