Honda HRC claims Suzuka 8 Hours pole position

F.C.C. TSR Honda France secures sixth on the grid after Top 10 Trial cancellation

Honda HRC will start from pole position for Sunday’s 47th edition of the FIM Endurance World Championship “Coca-Cola” Suzuka 8 Hours after Saturday’s Top 10 Trial was cancelled due to persistent rain at Suzuka Circuit.

Based on Friday’s combined qualifying results, Honda HRC secured pole position with an average lap time of 2:04.738. Following the cancellation of the Top 10 Trial, Takumi Takahashi, Jonathan Rea and Somkiat Chantra will line up first aboard the Honda CBR1000RR-R FIREBLADE SP #30 for Sunday’s race.

Free practice session 2 got underway at 13:00 under cooler conditions than Friday before rain arrived towards the end of the session. Takahashi was first on track, setting the team’s fastest lap of 2:06.267 on his sixth lap. Rea followed with a personal best lap time of 2:07.354, before handing the bike over to Chantra for the final seven minutes. Chantra’s best lap time was 2:06.325, leaving Takahashi’s lap as Honda HRC’s fastest lap time and placing the team second overall in the session.

For F.C.C. TSR Honda France, free practice session 2 was dedicated to race preparation rather than setting fast lap times. The team focused on confirming the race setup across both Honda CBR1000RR-R FIREBLADE SP #5 machines, comparing engine and electronic settings while gathering valuable data ahead of Sunday’s eight-hour race.

With rain forecast, the riders also prioritised preserving the wet tyres for the race and planned to use Sunday’s warm-up to further refine the bike’s setup in wet conditions. Despite not chasing a fast lap, the team completed the second free practice confident in the package developed for Sunday’s race.

With the Top 10 Trial cancelled, Friday’s combined qualifying results determined the starting grid, with F.C.C. TSR Honda France securing sixth place on the grid with a qualifying time of 2:05.321.

The result represents a significant improvement on last year’s 11th-place grid position and puts the Honda #5 squad in a strong position for Sunday’s race, with all three riders encouraged by the progress made throughout the week and confident in the race package developed across both machines.

Among the other permanent Honda teams, Tati Team AVA6 Racing will start 28th on the grid after recording a qualifying time of 2:08.094 with Hugo Clère, Mike Di Meglio and Isaac Viñales aboard the Honda #4.

In the Superstock category, Dafy-Kaedear-RAC41-Honda will line up fifth in class with a qualifying time of 2:07.772, with Takeshi Ishizuka, Diego Poncet and Kevin Manfredi, while Wójcik Racing Team #77 SST will start seventh in the category with a 2:08.356, with Oscar Gutiérrez Iglesias, Jordi Torres Fernández and Gabriele Giannini.

The 47th edition of the ‘Coca-Cola’ Suzuka 8 Hours will start on Sunday, 5 July, at 11:30 am local time.

F.C.C. TSR Honda France’s Alan Techer said, “Free practice session 2 went quite well. The most important thing is that both bikes are working well and are now on the same race setup in terms of the engine, electronics and everything else, so we’re in a good position. Tomorrow we’ll probably have wet conditions, so we’ll use the warm-up to try a few things and improve our feeling in the wet ahead of the race. Sixth place is a good result and we’re happy with it. Last year we started from 11th on the grid, so it’s definitely a step forward. I’m just a little disappointed that both of my teammates missed out on the Top 10 Trial because it’s the first time here for John and Corentin. I’ve experienced it before, and it’s something really special with all the fans watching as you go out for that one flying lap. Hopefully they’ll get the chance to experience it next year.”

F.C.C. TSR Honda France’s Corentin Perolari said: “Today I only did one run before coming back in, mainly to save the wet tyres for the race. We still haven’t decided who will take the start, that will be decided this afternoon or tomorrow morning. Depending on the conditions, it could be John, Alan or me. With rain expected tomorrow, we’re feeling confident, so we’ll see how everything unfolds.”

F.C.C. TSR Honda France’s John McPhee said, “Today we didn’t do many laps. The only running we completed was to check the base map for the race engine and compare the settings between the two bikes. Although we didn’t complete a fast lap, everything we did was focused on preparing for the race. It’s a real shame that we won’t be able to put on a show for the fans in the Top 10 Trial, but we’re feeling good and looking forward to Sunday’s race.”

More, from a press release issued by the Yoshimura SERT Motul team:

YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL DETERMINED TO STRENGTHEN ITS POSITION AT THE SUZUKA 8 HOURS

The legendary Suzuka Circuit hosts the third and penultimate round of the 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship, the 47th edition of the iconic Suzuka 8 Hours, this Sunday the 5th of July.

Currently second in the championship standings, Yoshimura SERT Motul heads into one of the season’s most prestigious events determined to strengthen its title challenge. After an intense week of preparation marked by highly changeable weather conditions, the Franco-Japanese squad will line up eighth on the starting grid. A position that does little to dampen the team’s ambitions, having secured a podium finish at the legendary Japanese circuit in 2025.

Preparation began with two productive private testing days, during which the team finished sixth and seventh respectively. Tuesday’s running took place entirely in dry conditions, allowing the riders to set a best lap of 2:05.896. Wednesday also started on a dry track before rain arrived around midday, forcing the final sessions to be held on a soaking wet circuit. Despite the changing conditions, the team’s fastest lap improved to 2:05.856.

Yoshimura SERT Motul immediately showed strong pace in the opening official Free Practice session, with the #12 Suzuki topping the timesheets thanks to a lap time of 2:05.323. In qualifying, Gregg Black finished sixth in his session with a 2:05.248, while Cocoro Atsumi claimed fourth with a 2:05.470. Dan Linfoot posted the eighth fastest time in his session with a 2:05.792 but was unable to improve after crashing early in Q2. With an average qualifying time of 2:05.359, Yoshimura SERT Motul secured eighth place and qualified for the Top 10 Trial. However, the shootout, which was set to determine the first 10 places on the grid was cancelled, due to heavy rain, leaving the #12 Suzuki locked into eighth on the starting grid.

With incredibly small margins separating the leading contenders and unpredictable weather forecast for race day, all the ingredients are in place for a wide-open contest. Having demonstrated competitive pace in both dry and wet conditions throughout the week, the team remains fully focused on delivering a result that matches its ambitions.

Sunday’s program begins with the Warm-Up session from 08:30 to 09:15 local time before the start of the Suzuka 8 Hours at 11.30, 04.30 CEST. Live coverage of the race will be available across Europe on Eurosport, while Japanese fans will be provided live action on Jsports.

Yohei Kato – Team Director

“Unfortunately, Dan’s crash during yesterday’s qualifying session meant our results did not fully reflect the team’s true potential. We are also very disappointed that today’s Top 10 Trial session was cancelled.

“Despite these setbacks, we are fully focused on the race. While the weather forecast remains uncertain, we will stay composed and approach the race with confidence, regardless of the conditions. We aim to achieve a strong result with the new GSX-R1000R here in Japan – Yoshimura’s home turf – and we appreciate your continued support.”

Damien Saulnier – Team Manager

“We eventually finished eighth overall in qualifying. Naturally, there’s a slight sense of disappointment because we were counting on the Top 10 Trial to improve our grid position. As soon as the first raindrops started falling while we were taking the team photo in front of the garage, we quickly realised the session was in serious doubt before Race Direction eventually called it off. We’ll therefore start from eighth, which is a little further back than we had hoped. Dan’s crash also disrupted our qualifying and cost us the opportunity to achieve a stronger result. That said, an eight-hour race isn’t won in qualifying. What really matters now is being fast and consistent on track, avoiding mistakes and, above all, delivering flawless pit stops. Every second in the pits will count because we simply can’t afford to lose time. It’s clear that eight to 10 bikes have the pace to fight at the front, so we’re expecting a very close race. The weather could also play a major role, with conditions likely to be similar to Spa; rain, a drying track and strategic tire choices. Everything points towards a particularly demanding race.”

Gregg Black – Rider

“We made a positive start to the week despite track conditions being quite different from pre-season testing, with slightly less grip following the heavy rain. We adapted the bike well and felt comfortable in both wet and dry conditions. On Wednesday we were competitive in the rain, and on Friday morning we topped the opening official Free Practice session. Qualifying proved more challenging because of the higher track temperatures. You had to find clear track, put together a clean lap and make the most of the new tyre. The gaps were incredibly close. I set a new personal best at Suzuka with a 2:05.248 during my second qualifying session and finished just 0.160 seconds from the fastest rider in my group. Although we’re eighth on the grid, we’re still very close to the front on outright pace. My teammates also showed strong speed throughout the week. Cocoro had a few harmless crashes early on, while Dan suffered a heavy crash during his second qualifying session while trying to pick up a slipstream, which caused significant damage to the bike and disrupted our program. We were looking forward to the Top 10 Trial to maximize our chances and score additional points, but the rain denied us that opportunity. It’s frustrating, but we have to adapt. The forecast suggests mixed conditions for the race, and that’s something we feel quite comfortable with.”

Dan Linfoot – Rider

“My qualifying was something of a mixed bag. In Q1 I had a fresh tire for the final two laps, but traffic prevented me from putting together a perfect lap. Then in Q2 I crashed on my out lap while trying to slot in behind another rider for a tow. The bike was heavily damaged, and I wasn’t able to complete a flying lap, which was obviously very disappointing. Fortunately, Cocoro and Gregg produced strong enough lap times to keep the team inside the Top 10 before the Top 10 Trial was cancelled. Rain is expected for the race, and I’m actually quite happy with that. Being from the UK, I’m used to riding in those conditions and I feel very comfortable in the wet. I’m looking forward to the start and hopefully we can fight for the best result possible.”

Cocoro Atsumi – Rider

“Overall, qualifying went quite well, even if the final result wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for. I wasn’t able to make the most of the tires with which I believed I could have set a 2.04 lap, so there was probably still some potential left.

“The most important thing is our race pace, which has been strong in both dry and wet conditions. Everyone in the team is working in the right direction, and we head into the race feeling confident. Now it’s up to us to give everything and make the most of every opportunity that comes our way.”