- 15 permanent FIM Endurance World Championship teams among 55-strong entry
- Stars from MotoGP and World Superbike preparing to go up against EWC aces
- Expected high temperatures and humidity add to the intense Suzuka challenge
- Six season-long Superstock squads assemble for Japan’s iconic EWC event
- Team Suzuki CN Challenge to use 100 per cent sustainable fuel for first time
The heat and humidity will be on when the FIM Endurance World Championship title chase stops off in Japan next week for one of international motorcycle racing’s most prestigious, iconic and demanding fixtures.
From 1-3 August, top EWC riders will take on aces from MotoGP, World Superbike, the All Japan Road Race Championship and more during the 46th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race.
Taking place on the legendary 5.821-kilometre Suzuka Circuit, complete with its figure-of-eight layout, the event might last for eight hours rather than 24 (the duration of the EWC season-opening and closing events), but with ambient temperatures expected to top 30 degrees centigrade and humidity due to exceed 90 per cent, a hugely tough challenge is in store.
Despite the race’s punishing and unrelenting reputation, 55 teams have signed up for action compared to 46 in 2024. Of those, 15 are teams contesting the entire EWC season, which represents an increase of four compared to 2024 and is the highest number since 2019 when 13 permanent outfits entered the famous Japanese event.
After three permanent EWC Superstock teams took part last season when the Suzuka 8 Hours formed part of the FIM Endurance World Cup schedule for the first time, six will bid for glory in the Dunlop-equipped category.
While National Motos Honda FMA (below), Team Étoile and Wójcik Racing Team return after competing in 2024 – the first year that Japan’s EWC counter formed part of the FIM Endurance World Cup schedule – Dafy-RAC 41-Honda, Honda No Limits and Revo-M2 are Suzuka Superstock rookies.
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, ELF Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99, ERC Endurance, F.C.C. TSR Honda France, Kawasaki Webike Trickstar, Motobox Kremer Racing powered by 123, Tati Team AVA6 Racing, Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team and Yoshimura SERT Motul are the nine permanent Formula EWC category teams contesting Japan’s EWC round.
The high turnout for the 46th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race continues a trend of increasing entry numbers for EWC events in 2025. April’s 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans attracted 53 registrations compared to 48 in 2024, while 44 teams entered the 8 Hours of Spa Motos last month after 37 did so the previous year. The 46th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race does not form part of the new-for-2025 FIM Endurance World Trophy for production motorcycles.
Aside from the EWC regulars and All Japan Road Race frontrunners, star riders assembling for the 46th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race are Albert Arenas, Loris Baz, Jonas Folger, Leon Haslam, Iker Lecuona, Andrea Locatelli, Jack Miller, Marcel Schrötter, Michael van der Mark and Johann Zarco, last year’s winner alongside Teppei Nagoe and Takumi Takahashi, who will also be competing.
TOP 10 TRIAL TO DECIDE LEADING GRID POSITIONS
As with all EWC events, private testing, free practice and night practice are scheduled along with two qualifying sessions for all rider colour groups with the qualifying result based on the average time recorded by a team’s fastest two riders. However, the Suzuka 8 Hours also features the spectacular Top 10 Trial shootout to decide the first 10 places on the starting grid for the race on Sunday 3 August.
Following Second Qualifying on the afternoon of Friday 1 August, the leading 10 teams go forward into the Top 10 Trial on Saturday afternoon (2 August), once the final practice session has taken place.
Two nominated riders per team compete separately against the clock with teams taking to the track in descending order of their qualifying positions in two groups. Each rider gets a warm-up lap, a flying lap and a cool-down lap during which they return to the pitlane prior to a team’s second rider getting their Top 10 Trial bid under way, but only once all first riders from the first group have taken part.
The teams finishing qualifying in positions 10th to sixth go first with the slowest rider from each team first to run. Once the riders from the first group have completed their flying laps it’s the turn of the teams in positions fifth to first following qualifying. The Top 10 Trial results are based on the fastest lap per team, rather than a combined time, by taking into account the performances of the two riders.
The 5-4-3-2-1 qualifying points are awarded after the Top 10 trial rather than after the completion of Second Qualifying, which is the case at other EWC events.
GROUNDBREAKING SUZUKI ALL SET FOR EWC SUZUKA 8 HOURS WITH 100% SUSTAINABLE FUEL
Suzuki Motor Corporation’s groundbreaking Team Suzuki CN Challenge initiative is back for Japan’s round of the 2025 FIM Endurance World Championship – but with a notable difference. After contesting the 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race with a Suzuki GSX-R1000R motorcycle using 40 per cent bio-sourced fuel, Team Suzuki CN Challenge, which is operated by Suzuki employees, will enter the 46th edition of the legendary event utilising 100 per cent sustainable fuel. The move is in line with Suzuki’s aim to “achieve both environmental load reduction and performance at a higher level to accelerate the development of environmental performance technologies through actual riding under severe conditions in endurance races. By verifying valuable data obtained through race activities, Suzuki will promote technical feedback for future products”. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.
EWC RIDERS SAID WHAT
Quotes from a selection of EWC riders follow:
Gregg Black (Yoshimura SERT Motul): “The level in Suzuka is really high, there are lot of factory teams, all the strong permanent teams and also some local private teams are at a really high level. The Japanese teams absolutely give 200 per cent to get a result and it really closes up the competition so we’re really not far off 10 bikes that can be on the podium. Three years ago we managed to get a podium [with just me and Kazuki Watanabe], two years ago we missed the podium but, last year, we finished third and a podium is the aim again. It’s going to be a tough race. You’ve always got to imagine that anything can happen during the race and you don’t know where it’s going to go so the dream, of course, is to win.”
Mike Di Meglio (Kawasaki Webike Trickstar): “The last round at Spa was not an easy race, but we managed to bring back as many points as we could for the championship and we are still in second position. Suzuka is a special race. It’s very hot, the S Curves are amazing but when you get out of the S Curves you are nearly finished.”
Andrea Locatelli (Yamaha Racing Team, below left): “It is a pleasure to be invited to ride the Suzuka 8 Hours for Yamaha. For my whole WorldSBK career, I have been a Yamaha rider and this is an honour. It means a lot to me for Yamaha to give me this opportunity; it has been something I have always wanted to do, but to do it with the Yamaha Racing Team is really special. Suzuka is an amazing track, and this is a new opportunity and experience for me, so I am very much looking forward to it. I can’t wait to go for the race as we look to achieve the best result for Yamaha in this important race.”
Étienne Masson (Team Suzuki CN Challenge): “Last year was a year to learn and discover, this year all the goals have been revised upwards. Last year, for our first time out, we finished eighth. This year, with an improved performance and more capable team-mates, we’re obviously aiming higher. I think a top five finish would be a very good result. It would give credibility to the project and, who knows, it might inspire others.”
Hikaru Okubo (Team Étoile): “We have been able to develop the set-up in a positive direction through discussions among the three of us. With all three riders achieving high-level average times, this will serve as an excellent weapon for the race. While we haven’t yet extracted maximum performance in qualifying simulation, if we can put together a complete lap, I believe we can secure a good position in qualifying. This was an extremely positive test but the pace around us has increased compared to last year, and I expect it will be a high-level race, so I want to focus on riding stably and calmly.”
Alan Techer (F.C.C. TSR Honda France): “The Suzuka 8 Hours is a very important race, especially this year as we are right in the middle of EWC title hunt with an epic win in the 8 Hours of Spa Motos. Suzuka is also very special place for me, and it’s a home track for my team. Plus, I’ve had many good times and some challenging times there over many past seasons. Our bike, riders and team are working very well now, so we can show our speed and aim to take maximum championship points home.”
Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, above): “You have to push but you cannot be as fast as you want for the full hour [of your stint]. Then you have to focus because you pass a lot of people. To do the focus and the consistency together is quite difficult but it’s the only way during these stints. The main thing is consistency, we know we have a good speed, a good pace but it’s eight hours and so many things can happen. Everyone knows their pace, we know what we can do, we’re all ready to do our stints but no one knows what’s going to happen. This is the nice thing about endurance, it’s eight long hours but we have to push for eight hours, we have to be smart, ride on our toes to do everything as perfectly as we can.”
Johann Zarco (Honda HRC): “I am very pleased to be back as a member of Honda HRC in this traditional and prestigious race. I will bring my good momentum from MotoGP to Suzuka and, clearly with this trio, we’re in contention to win. Whether we’ll have enough margin to win is something I don’t know, and we’ll still have to do everything right. But Iker had some very good tests after me. My tests were good. We were still able to work well and get a good feel. It was also very instructive on a drying track, especially on a track lasting over two minutes per lap. This allowed us to gather information for tyre management. Then, on the second day, we were able to do quite a few laps in the dry and test many settings.”
PROVISIONAL KEY EWC TIMINGS (LOCAL CET +7)
Friday 1 August
08h30-10h30: Free Practice
12h00-12h20: First Qualifying (Blue Riders)
12h35-12h55: First Qualifying (Yellow Riders)
13h10-13h30: First Qualifying (Red Riders)
15h30-15h50: Second Qualifying (Blue Riders)
16h05-16h25: Second Qualifying (Yellow Riders)
16h40-17h00: Second Qualifying (Red Riders)
18h30-19h50: Night Free Practice
Saturday 2 August
14h15-15h00: Free Practice
15h30-17h00: Top 10 Trial
Sunday 3 August
08h30-09h15: Warm-up
11h30: Start of 46th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race
19h30: Finish of 46th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race
All timings are CET +7 and subject to change
46TH COCA-COLA SUZUKA 8 HOURS ENDURANCE RACE ESSENTIALS:
Where: Suzuka Circuit
Location: 7992 Ino-Cho, Suzuka-shi, Mie-ken 510-0295, Japan
When: 1-3 August 2025
Track length: 5.821 kilometres
Race distance: 8 hours
BEST LAPS:
Qualifying: Team HRC (Tetsuta Nagashima, 2m04.934s, 2022)
Race: Kawasaki Racing Team (Jonathan Rea, 2m06.805s, 2019)
IN 100 WORDS:
Suzuka Circuit continues to play an integral role in the ongoing success of the EWC with the Japanese venue’s iconic eight-hour event taking place from 1-3 August. Featuring a mid-morning start and early evening finish, the Suzuka 8 Hours isn’t the longest race on the EWC calendar, but it’s always one of the toughest. This is due to the highly-demanding figure-of-eight track layout and the expected hot and humid conditions that require the EWC stars to be at the peak of their physical powers. The event is a round of the Superstock-based FIM Endurance World Cup for the second time.
FAST FACTS:
*The Suzuka 8 Hours retuned to the EWC calendar in 2022 having not taken place since 2019 due to the global health crisis.
*Americans Mike Baldwin and Wes Cooley won the inaugural Suzuka 8 Hours on 30 July 1978 on a Yoshimura Racing Suzuki.
*Japanese fans had to wait until 1982 for the first home rider victory when Shigeo Iijima and Shinji Hagiwara won for Honda.
*Although it was billed as an eight-hour race, the onset of a typhoon meant there were only six hours of racing.
*Other winners of the Suzuka 8 Hours include Wayne Rainey (1988), Eddie Lawson (1990) Mick Doohan (1991), Valentino Rossi (2001) and Johann Zarco (2024).
RECENT WINNERS:
2024: Team HRC with Japan Post
(Teppei Nagoe, Takumi Takahashi, Johann Zarco, above)) 220 laps
2023: Team HRC with Japan Post
(Tetsuta Nagashima, Takumi Takahashi, Xavi Vierge) 216 laps
2022: Team HRC
(Tetsuta Nagashima, Takumi Takahashi, Iker Lecuona) 214 laps
2019: Kawasaki Racing Team Suzuka 8H
(Jonathan Rea, Leon Haslam, Toprak Razgatlioğlu) 216 laps
2018: Yamaha Factory Racing Team
(Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes, Michael van der Mark) 199 laps
2017: Yamaha Factory Racing Team
(Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes, Michael van der Mark) 216 laps
2016: Yamaha Factory Racing Team
(Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes, Pol Espargaró) 218 laps
2015: Yamaha Factory Racing Team
(Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Bradley Smith, Pol Espargaró) 204 laps
2014: MuSASHi [ja] RT HARC-PRO.
(Takumi Takahashi, Michael van der Mark, Leon Haslam) 172 laps
2013: MuSASHi [ja] RT HARC-PRO.
(Takumi Takahashi, Michael van der Mark, Leon Haslam) 214 laps
ENTRY LIST: Click HERE to view the provisional entry list for the 46th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race and click HERE for the full story.
RESULTS AND LIVE TIMING: https://www.its-results.com
LATEST STANDINGS: https://www.fimewc.com/en/standings
HOW TO WATCH: Click HERE soon to find out more.
EWC SPORTITY APP MEDIA CHANNEL REMINDER
The EWC’s dedicated Sportity app media channel for the 2025 season is available using the password 2025EWCMEDIA. The Sportity app is a digital information resource widely used in sports events and championships around the world. It’s attractive to users because it keeps all relevant information in one place and is accessible through smartphones or computers. Users are made aware of new information becoming available through push notifications and the app can be downloaded for free via the App Store or Google Play.
WHATSAPP NEWS CHANNEL
The EWC WhtasApp news channel launched on 1 January 2025 and can be followed here:
https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaj9aVW89inlcLzVRK1L
FIM ENDURANCE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CALENDAR REFRESHER
24 Heures Motos (Le Mans, France): 17-20 April
8 Hours of Spa Motos (Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium): 6-7 June
46th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race (Suzuka, Japan): 1-3 August
Bol d’Or (Circuit Paul Ricard, France): 18-21 September
WATCH THE 2024 SUZUKA 8 HOURS ALL-ACCESS HERE: