The famous Japanese classic will celebrate its fortieth anniversary this year. It will be July 30, and here is the event presented by the organizer of the World Endurance Championship.
There is already excitement at Suzuka. The first private tests begin in Japan while the formations announced by the biggest teams suggest a spectacular event. Riders from MotoGP, Moto 2, the FIM Superbike World Championship and British Superbike will be on the grid with all the big players from the FIM EWC to win the final round of the world championship, 40th anniversary of Suzuka 8 Hours.
Honor to the winners of the two previous editions. The Yamaha Factory Racing Team which sets out in search of a third victory with Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Japanese Superbike champion and Alex Lowes, host of the Superbike world championship. Victorious in 2016, they will be associated with Michael van der Mark, teammate of Alex Lowes in World Superbike and winner of the Suzuka 8 Hours 2013 and 2014 with the Musashi RT Harc-Pro. Associated with the manufacturer Bridgestone, the Yamaha Factory #21 once again has major assets for victory. Yamaha will also be able to count on the GMT94 Yamaha (David Checa, Niccolò Canepa and Mike Di Meglio) and on the YART Yamaha Official EWC Team (Broc Parkes, Marvin Fritz and Kohta Nozane) to lead the race but above all to fight for the 2016-2017 FIM WEC title which will be awarded after this grand final in Japan.
Honda in force with Jack Miller and Randy de Puniet
Honda is launching an armada to reconquer the Suzuka 8 Hours, victory of which has eluded it for two seasons. The Musashi RT Harc-Pro, victorious at Suzuka in 2010, 2013 and 2014, is on the front line. Honda #624 is entrusted to Takumi Takahashi, architect of the three Musashi victories, to Takaaki Nakagami, from Moto2 and to Jack Miller, MotoGP rider. The FCC TSR Honda is also well placed to battle for the lead. The #5 Honda, entered for the entire FIM EWC season, has put together a combat crew with a newcomer to the Suzuka 8 Hours, the German Stefan Bradl, and a Suzuka 8 Hours specialist, the Swiss Dominique Aegerter. Stefan Bradl is an official Honda rider in the 2017 FIM Superbike World Championship after five seasons in MotoGP and a Moto2 championship title in 2011. Dominique Aegerter, Moto2 rider, has already reached the podium at Suzuka in 2014 and 2015. FCC TSR Honda has also just formalized the commitment of Randy de Puniet, also seen on the podium of the 8 Suzuka 2014 Hours.
Honda also counts on Team SuP Dream Honda #79 with Shinichi Ito, four-time winner of the Suzuka 8 Hours, Gregg Black, usually riding the FCC TSR Honda and the Australian Josh Hook, 2nd in the 8 Suzuka 2015 Hours with FCC TSR Honda. Other Honda teams to watch, Moriwaki Motul Racing with Yuki Takahashi, Ryuichi Kiyonari, looking for a fifth victory at Suzuka and Dan Linfoot, host of British Superbike, Teluru Kohara RT with Kousuke Akiyoshi, winner in 2011 and 2012, Hikari Okubo, World Supersport rider, and Tetsuta Nagashima, from Moto2, the Honda Dream RT Sakurai with Ryo Mizuno, Jason O'Halloran and Jamie Stauffer and the Honda Team Asia with three presenters from the Asia Road Racing Championship. Honda Endurance Racing will have to make its voice heard alongside its Japanese teams with Julien da Costa, Sébastien Gimbert and Freddy Foray.
Suzuki plays the challengers
Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing, winner of the 2007 and 2009 editions and third last year, returns in search of victory like last year with Takuya Tsuda, always in the top 5 at the Suzuka 8 Hours since 2012, and Josh Brookes, driver of British Superbikes. Another BSB rider, Sylvain Guintoli, 2014 FIM Superbike World Champion, completes this top line-up aboard the 2017 GSX-R. Sixth at the finish last year, Team Kagayama also enters a 2017 Suzuki with Yukio Kagayama , winner in 2007 with Yoshimura, and two Moto2 riders, Naomichi Uramoto and Hafizh Syahrin. The Suzuki Endurance Racing Team will defend its chances for a 16th world title with the 1000 GSX-R2016 entrusted to Vincent Philippe and Etienne Masson. Suzuki reserves the announcement of its 3rd driver. MotoMap Supply, with Yoshihiro Konno, Josh Waters and Nobuatsu Aoki, is also committed to the 2016 model.
Kawasaki on the attack
Second in the wake of the Yamaha Factory last year, Kawasaki Team Green is back in force with Leon Haslam, winner in 2013 and 2014 with the Musashi RT Harc-Pro, Kazuma Watanabe, former FCC TSR Honda rider and Azlan Shah Bin Kamaruzaman, leading the Asia Road Racing Championship. Eva RT Webike Trick Star, a team entered throughout the FIM EWC, fields a crew capable of playing at the forefront with Erwan Nigon, Hitoyasu Izutsu and Gregory Leblanc. Also to follow is the ZX-10R #83 of Team JP DFR & RS Itoh with Masahiro Shinjo, Mark Aitchson and Kasuki Watanabe, from Mondial Supersport and that of Bolliger Team Switzerland regularly in the top15 at Suzuka with Horst Saiger, Roman Stamm and Michael Savary.
Other riders to follow at Suzuka, Rafaele de Rosa (FIM Superbike world championship) and Christian Iddon (British Superbike) associated with experienced rider Daisaku Sakai on the BMW Motorrad 39.
