It was a sentence about Suzuka dropped by Pecco Bagnaia in Bologna during Ducati's celebration of its MotoGP and WSBK titles that perhaps set in motion a new ambition within the Borgo Panigale factory. It's about participating in the Suzuka 8 Hours, which also means winning them and, when you think about it, such a success would have an impact at least equal to that of the trophies won in the aforementioned speed categories. Because this endurance classic on Japanese soil has always been won by a Japanese brand…
While dreaming out loud of the Suzuka 8 Hours, Pecco Bagnaia perhaps laid the foundations for a great adventure Ducati. The MotoGP World Champion declared, during the celebration in Bologna of the major titles won by the brand in 2022: “ I would love to participate in the Suzuka 8 Hours with Ducati “, the Italian told Sky Sports Italia. “ I know it's a lot to ask, but if I ask Ducati for something, they always grant me my wish. It would be great to start there, maybe with Alvaro Bautista. Suzuka is a fascinating track and we could have a lot of fun there. I've wanted to run there for years. Sooner or later we will get there ».
Wishful thinking? To listen to the one who decides everything at Ducati Corse, either Gigi Dall'Igna, not really. It seems in fact that the World Champion had planted a seed in the mind of Gigi who responded as follows: “ the Suzuka 8 Hours is a beautiful and interesting dream…It won't be easy because there are some technical issues that need to be resolved to do something like this well, but I would like to build a dream team for Suzuka. I don't think we'll talk about it for 2023. 2024? These are things that take time to manage well, it makes no sense to participate in a race like this if there is no possibility of doing well ».
Suzuki? “ when I rode the track for the first time, I said to myself at almost every turn: you shouldn't fall here!«
So the door was ajar. But the hardest part remains to be done. Because going to Suzuka, it's not just surveying a hostile land. It is also unknown and fraught with pitfalls. In the world before, Grand Prix drivers challenged this track which can be considered one of the most dangerous in the world. We will remember that since Daijiro Kato lost his life there in 2003, this circuit is no longer that of the Japanese Grand Prix.
Pol Espargaro is the last in the line of elite drivers to have competed on this circuit. It was 2016, and the one who had been added to a list composed of Valentino Rossi, Wayne Rainey, Wayne Gardner, Eddie Lawson or Mick Doohan, among others, had commented: “ when I first ran the track, I said to myself at almost every turn: 'you shouldn't fall here! ". The tone is set... And then, to go there, we will have to agree the date of the classic with the WSBK calendars and above all MotoGP which is increasingly crowded. For example, the next edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours will take place on August 6, 2023. On this day, MotoGP will hold its British Grand Prix at Silverstone. It will therefore not be easy to Pecco Bagnaia to carve out a niche and Ducati to find him two teammates.
Technically, it will also be necessary to prepare the Panigale V4R at this deadline and especially since it will be eagerly awaited. Indeed, the race, which has taken place every year since 1978 with the exception of the years 2020 and 2021 marked by the health crisis, has until now only been won by Japanese manufacturers. Honda holds the record with 27 victories, followed by Yamaha with eight, Suzuki with five and Kawasaki with two. If the coat of arms Ducati launches into the fray, it will certainly not be to be dominated by the brands that he has brought to heel in MotoGP. So much so that a victory in 8 Hours of Suzuka would have a huge impact. And that's the kind of challenge that Ducati likes to lift. To be continued…
