Takumi Takahashi and Johann Zarco have won the 46th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race for Honda HRC, the Japanese manufacturer’s 31st victory in the FIM Endurance World Championship event, Takahashi’s record-extending seventh and MotoGP star Zarco’s second.
Starting from pole position, Honda HRC beat Yamaha Racing Team to EWC glory with Yoshimura SERT Motul edging out SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda for third after an intense battle that raged for much of the race.
“It’s always a good race when you can control a gap,” Zarco said. “But doing it with two [riders] is really difficult, plus it’s too hot, you sweat a lot and the recovery time is too short. It’s tough sometimes when you go back on the bike but in the end the pace was quite good. We got two safety car [periods] and that always change a bit the game but we could keep an advantage. Thanks to Takumi because he’s always doing the job every stint and that’s so impressive. I try to do the same and I hope next year we’ll be three because we’ll be better. It’s a race I enjoy and having one of the best bikes is a pleasure to ride. It’s a nice week to do, you need to control your energy but it’s my special holiday to come in Suzuka.”
By finishing fifth overall, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team heads to the season-deciding Bol d’Or next month just one point behind Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team, which retired after a succession of falls and an engine issue.
BMW-powered Team Étoile converted the Superstock category pole into its first win in the Dunlop-supplied FIM Endurance World Cup. TONE Team 4413 EVA 02 BMW, which headed Team Étoile home in 2024, finished second with Aprilia-powered Revo-M2 finishing third. Team Étoile will start the Bol d’Or equal on points with National Motos Honda FMA, which crashed out.
Full press release to follow…
FIM Endurance World Championship - Race - Final results after 8 hours - Provisional Ranking - Amended
More from a press release issued by Honda Racing:
Honda HRC claimed perfect victory at Suzuka 8 Hours, marking Honda’s 31st win in the race.
Takumi Takahashi, the first rider to take to the handlebars of the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP #30, made a strong start, taking the lead, but lost it during the first lap. However, just on lap 14, Takahashi regained the race lead.
Back in the pits of his stint, he handed over the Honda #30 to his teammate Johann Zarco who rejoined the track in first place with around 13 seconds gap. The Frenchman controlled the advantage before handling the bike back to Takahashi.
The rest of the stints were perfectly managed and at half of the race, the Honda HRC continued to control the lead with a gap of 40 seconds.
Shortly after Takahashi began his seventh stint, still leading the race, the safety car appearance made the Japanese rider to build an advantage of over one minute.
After a lightning‑fast tyre change and refueling, Zarco had to wait for the safety car to complete its lap before rejoining the track, reducing the gap but the distance was enough for Zarco to cross the chequered flag in first place, winning his second Suzuka 8 Hours victory and seventh for Takahashi.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France was forced to retire from the 46th edition of the Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours due to a technical problem, and is now counting on the Bol d’Or to finish the season on a high.
Starting from 14th on the grid, French rider Alan Techer rode a cautious first stint on the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, without losing any positions. The oppressive heat did not prevent the rider from setting his pace, allowing the Honda#5 team to move into the top 10 on lap 19.
At the end of the first pit stop, Taiga Hada took over. A suspicious noise accompanied by a power loss forced the Japanese rider to return to the pits a few laps later.
After a meticulous examination by the technical team, F.C.C. TSR Honda France was forced to withdraw from the race only 1 hour and 10 minutes of racing.
F.C.C TSR Honda France is now in 6th place in the Championship and the team hopes remain high and looking ahead to victory in the Bol d’Or.
Tati Team AVA6 Racing started from 23rd on the grid and after three-hour race, the Honda#4 climbed up to 16th place. However, recurring electrical issues forced multiple pit stops, and the end Honda #4 was forced to withdraw at half of the race.
In the Superstock category, Kaedear-Dafy-Rac41-Honda, aboard the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP #41, was the best-qualifying Honda on the grid, with a second place in its category.
With Takeshi Ishizuka, Chris Leesch and Kevin Manfredi delivering a solid performance, the Honda #41 ran a competitive race, consistently posting strong lap times and holding a comfortable podium position for the first half of the event.
Unfortunately, a crash required Ishizuka to bring the bike into the pits for repairs. Thanks to the quick work of the technical crew, the team rejoined the race in eighth place in the SST category. Showing resilience and determination, the team staged a remarkable comeback to finish fifth in class, earning precious points for the championship.
The Wójcik Racing Team #777 started the race from seventh on the grid in the SST class and with an excellent pace and team work, the Honda #777 finished in a well-deserved 4th place in the SST class.
Honda No Limits team, riding the Fireblade #44 with Kaito Toba, Gabriele Giannini and Akito Haga, showed strong pace throughout the weekend. After qualifying third in the SST category, they took the class lead three hours into the race. However, a mechanical issue forced Giannini to push the bike back to the pits. A prolonged stop dropped them to 13th place, but the team fought back to eventually finish in 12th place.
National Motos Honda FMA, leaders of the SST World Championship, saw their race cut short after a crash with just two hours to go, forcing the team to retire from the Suzuka 8 Hours. The team still holds the first place in the standings together with Team Etoile and are now fully focused on scoring maximum points at the Bol d’Or to reclaim the SST World Title.
The 2025 FIM EWC championship final will take place on September 20 at the Bol d’Or, on the Paul Ricard circuit (France).