A total of 46 teams lined up on the starting grid for the third round of the World Championship FIM EWC 2024, ready to compete on one of the most emblematic circuits in motorsport for the Suzuka 8 Hours. Among them, nineteen teams were powered by Honda, including five which finished in the top ten, including the HRC with Japan Post team (Takahashi-zarco-Nagoe) who won his third consecutive victory in the famous event, marking Honda's 30th victory at the Suzuka 8 Hours.
Team HRC with Japan Post won the 45th edition of the Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours EWC with Takumi Takahashi, Teppei Nagoe and the French MotoGP rider Johann zarco. Going back…
Friday, the best Honda team was the HRC with Japan Post team, which qualified in third place with an average time of 02'06.032. During free practice in the morning, the Honda team achieved the fastest lap time of the session, Johann zarco recording the best lap in 2'06.238.
During the first qualifying session, Takumi Takahashi led the charge with the fourth best time in his group in 02'06.381. Johann zarco took second place with a lap time of 02'06.084, and Teppei Nagoe obtained the third best time in 02'05.980. In the second qualifying session, none of the Team HRC with Japan Post drivers improved their lap times.
“I'm getting more and more used to the Suzuka circuit and I feel like I'm doing regular race times. In qualifying, the number of tires was limited, so I had to share them with my teammates, which limited the timing of my fast laps. It's a shame that by the time I went out with new tires the red flag came out and I couldn't get the timing right. As for the team, I'm glad we were able to make the top 10. The team decides who will compete in the Top 10, so I'm not sure if I'll be selected, but I'm willing to take a chance. As an athlete, if I can challenge myself, then of course I want to run. »
Zarco Suzuka
Open on Saturday, following yesterday's combined qualifying sessions, five Honda-powered teams secured places in the Top 10 Trial, which determines the starting grid for Sunday's 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race .
Before the Top 10 Trial, the free practice session took place on Saturday 20 from 12:15 p.m. to 15 p.m., where Team HRC with Japan Post achieved the third fastest time in 2'07.181. Alone
Takumi Takahashi et Johann zarco took part in the free practice session for the Top 10 Trial since they were the two drivers selected. Takumi Takahashi et
Johann zarco finished with respective best times of 2'07.753 and 2'07.348.
In the Top 10 Trial, Takumi Takahashi, driver who holds the Japanese track record at Suzuka in 2'03.592, thrilled the entire crowd. He set an impressive time of 2'05.621, but his teammate, the MotoGP rider Johann zarco, achieved an even faster time of 2'05.531, thus securing third place on the starting grid for tomorrow.
“I have never participated in a Top 10 Trial before, but it was a very new experience for me. I did my best, even if I didn't reach the 2.04 mark, but all three of us are consistent and we will aim for victory in the race. If I can win, it will be a great experience. »
Zarco Suzuka
Sunday, during the warm-up session which took place in the morning, Team HRC with Japan Post came in first with a time of 2'06.336.
The start of the race was given at 11:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. in France) in particularly hot and very humid conditions, with a temperature of 37ºC. Team HRC with Japan Post started in 3rd position on the starting grid with Takumi Takahashi. The experienced Japanese driver got off to an excellent start, and after a close battle at the front, Takahashi, who was in third place, moved into second position on lap 10 and managed to take the lead at turn 130R with a best time of 2'07.378.
Returning to the pits at the end of his stint, Takumi Takahashi handed over the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP to the French MotoGP rider, Johann zarco, who joined the track still in first position. Zarco improved his time to 2'07 and, with a comfortable riding position, opened a gap of 20.808 seconds. Thanks to the Frenchman's sustained pace, when Tappei Nagoe took over, Team HRC with Japan Post still led by one lap after two hours of racing.
At mid-race, Team HRC with Japan Post continued to control the race with a gap of 1'21.322 over the second team, YART-Yamaha. At the start of the last quarter of the 45th edition of the Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours, Team HRC with Japan Post remained in the lead, and thanks to very consistent times and the fastest pit stops, the #30 Honda maintained a lead of 36.813.
Although a 40-second penalty was applied to the HRC with Japan Post team due to a pit stop infraction, the Japanese team had enough margin to take the checkered flag in first position and take the victory, 7,8 seconds ahead of the YART-Yamaha.
Johann zarco, after having intrigued the Japanese with his somersault, declared: “ “I feel good because when you set a goal and you get a victory, it's a big relief. I am happy and proud, it gives me great satisfaction. I was very impressed with Takumi's pace and his control of the race. I'm very happy with Teppei's progress between testing and the race. All three riders were needed for this win, because with the heat we all needed to control the energy. When we saw the penalty, we said to ourselves “Ouch, Ouch, Ouch!” » but 40 seconds, with the advantage we had, we said to ourselves that it was going to pass. It was really intense because in an 8 hour race you have to keep everything under control and not make too many mistakes like we did in the pit lane. I'm happy with this victory which was the objective, and it's really good to have it, but I want to congratulate my two teammates because the pace of the three drivers was very high. ”
For the record, the victory hung by a thread, since Takumi Takahashi, who made the last relay, declared: “ In my last stint I was perhaps a little too relaxed, I had difficulty concentrating towards the end in the dark and I had cramps. On the last lap, at turn 130R, I ran over a yellow armband, which a rider must have dropped, I almost slipped and it was a bit scary. »
In Endurance, as long as the line has not been crossed…
Zarco Suzuka 
Zarco Suzuka
