Iwata (Japan), June 16, 2018. Yamaha Motor Co, Ltd. has announced the composition of its team for the 41st edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours of Endurance which will take place from July 26 to 29 at the legendary Suzuka Circuit, in Mie Prefecture, Japan.
The Yamaha Factory Racing Team will aim for a record fourth consecutive victory at Suzuka. He will compete alongside World Endurance Championship (EEC) regulars YART Yamaha Official EWC Team and reigning EWC champions GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team.
After a sensational appearance in 1998, this year marks the 20th anniversary of production of the YZF-R1 superbike, and to mark the occasion, the racing motorcycles of all three teams will sport a special red-white livery. These colors feature the iconic “YZF” and “R1” logos from the first generation R1, as well as a special commemorative 20th anniversary logo. As Yamaha looks to achieve an unprecedented four consecutive victories as well as a second consecutive EWC title, the slogan for this year's Suzuka 8 Hours is “R1 evolution”: “R” evolution sparking a revolution.”
The Yamaha Factory Racing Team that won Yamaha's first ever treble at the Suzuka 8 Hours will once again feature Japanese legend Katsuyuki Nakasuga and World Superbike stars Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark. The team will once again be managed by Wataru Yoshikawa, the manager of the Yamaha factory team in the Japan Road Racing Championship.
Riding for the GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team, seeking a second consecutive title, will include endurance racing specialist David Checa, former Moto2 and MotoGP rider Mike Di Meglio and 2017 EWC rider champion Niccolò Canepa. The French team is currently second in the standings, just 10 points behind thanks to a fantastic victory at the Bol d'Or, second place at the 8 Hours of SlovakiaRing and third place at the 8 Hours of Oschersleben.
The official YART Yamaha team for pre-race testing and the grueling eight-hour race will feature long-time veteran Broc Parkes, 2016 German IDM Superbike champion Marvin Fritz, former Superbike rider Max Neukirchner and young Japanese pilot Takuya Fujita. Despite some unlucky retirements, their victory at the 8 Hours of SlovakiaRing places them 13th in the standings heading into the Suzuka race.
