The 8 Hours of Suzuka, home to the iconic Japanese manufacturers Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki, have always held a special place in their eyes, and none of them are sparing their efforts to seek victory on August 3, as part of the FIM Endurance World Championship...
In this clash where honor is not the least of the factors, Honda fired the first shot by unveiling a shock crew to try to repeat the victories of the last three years: Johann zarco, Takumi Takahashi et Luca marini, even if the latter's participation is widely questioned after his accident during a test on the Japanese circuit.
Opposite, Yamaha lines up Jack Miller, stainless steel Katsuyuki Nakasuga, and has just made the Superbike rider official Andrea Locatelli alongside them in order to aim for Yamaha's first victory in the 8 Hours since 2018, or its ninth in total.
Tetsu Ono, Managing Director, Motorsport Strategy Division, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.. : “First of all, I am very happy to welcome Andrea to the team. His arrival completes the third piece of our puzzle, with each of the three riders bringing something unique to the team. Nakasuga has extensive experience in the R1, the 8 Hours, and the Suzuka Circuit. Miller brings the passion and fighting spirit that motivates the team, and Locatelli has his characteristic consistency, as well as a challenging spirit and a special motivation to tackle his first 8 Hours. I am sure that team manager Wataru Yoshikawa will combine the strengths of the three riders and add the potential of the YZF-R1, honed in the All Japan competitions, to bring it all together to achieve the best possible package for this year’s race. For the race on August 3, I believe it will be exactly as Nakasuga announced at the team presentation in March, when he spoke of our return to take our revenge for 2019 with a new factory team.” We want to celebrate Yamaha's 70th anniversary with a victory at the 8 Hours, and do it with our fans around the world. We count on your encouragement and support!
Andrea Locatelli : “It’s a pleasure for me to be invited to participate in the Suzuka 8 Hours for Yamaha. I’ve always been a Yamaha rider in WorldSBK and it’s an honor, especially since I’ve just signed a new contract to extend my collaboration with Yamaha. It means a lot to me that Yamaha is giving me this opportunity; it’s something I’ve always dreamed of doing, but doing it with the Yamaha Factory Racing Team is really special. Suzuka is an incredible circuit, and it’s a new opportunity and experience for me, so I’m really looking forward to it. Thanks to Yamaha and everyone working on this project. I’m looking forward to testing and then the race, because we want to achieve the best result for Yamaha in this important race.”
Today there is a test at Suzuka, and we will report the main facts...
