HONDA WINS 2022 SUZUKA 8 HOURS

Team HRC #33 (Tetsuta Nagashima, Takumi Takahashi and Iker Lecuona) crossed the finish line more than a lap ahead of their nearest competitor to win the 2022 Suzuka 8 Hours in round 3 of the FIM Endurance World Championship.

The Factory Honda Team easily made it through to Saturday’s Top 10 Trial by topping the time sheets in Friday’s qualifying sessions. Tetsuta Nagashima secured pole position by setting a new lap record with a fastest laptime of 2m4.934s.

Takumi Takahashi started the race for Team HRC and lost the lead at the start before regaining P1 on Lap 10. Tetsuta Nagashima and Iker Lecuona then continued to maintain the gap to their nearest rival. After 214 laps, Team HRC crossed the finish line to win from pole position over a lap in front of the #10 Kawasaki Racing Team Suzuka 8H ZX-10R of Jonathan Rea, Alex Lowes and Leon Haslam. The #1 Yoshimura SERT Motul Suzuki with Gregg Black and Kazuki Watanabe took third position to retain the championship lead.

This victory marks Takumi Takahashi’s fourth Suzuka 8 Hours win, and a first for Tetsuta Nagashima and Iker Lecuona.

Honda has not won the Suzuka 8 Hours since 2014, this win bringing its total to 28 victories at the Suzuka 8 Hours.

Here’s what the riders had to say after the race:

Tetsuta Nagashima – HRC

“I’m simply happy! I’m glad to have had the opportunity to be involved in developing the CBR1000RR-RSP in 2021 and 2022, realise its potential, and show the world. Honda’s engineers have tested the bike over and over, and were rewarded by our Suzuka 8 Hours victory. I am grateful to be a part of the development, and grew with each test we did. I believe we demonstrated a strong Honda at the first Suzuka 8 Hours in three years.”

Takumi Takahashi – HRC

“I’ve always been unhappy with the 2019 Suzuka 8 Hours, so I’m glad we won today. I’m relieved that I managed to play my part, as Nagashima developed the bike, and I had to become accustomed to it and bring out its potential, otherwise I would hold him back. This was the first Suzuka 8 Hours for Iker [Lecuona], and he did a great job. The HRC team gave us solid support including pit work. I am grateful to everyone involved. This is my fourth Suzuka 8 Hours victory, and if I get another chance, I will aim for the record of five victories held by Toru Ukawa.”

Iker Lecuona – HRC

“I am really, really, really happy to win my first Suzuka 8 Hours. It felt amazing when Nagashima was met by the checkered flag. Everything has gone well since the Suzuka tests, the bike developed by Honda and Nagashima was superb, and I think I managed to bring out the performance of the bike. I was worried when the safety car entered the track that I would lose the gap our other two riders had built up, but we got through fine. I am grateful to the best team and my team-mates. If I have the opportunity next year, I’d like to be back at Suzuka.”

Jonathan Rea – KRT

“It has been a really enjoyable week here in Suzuka with my team.” Rea continues “It is not easy to have two goals in a single season – the WorldSBK championship and also the Suzuka 8 Hours. We had huge competition here, and did our best. I feel we just came up short but we can be proud, and really proud of my team-mates and everyone else for their hard work. It is a little bit bitter sweet coming second best but I think we can fly home knowing we gave it our best shot. “

Alex Lowes – KRT

“It was a tough race but it has been a tough ten days for me, coming from the Most WorldSBK round, where I did not feel at my best. In the race I did the best I could. I am a little bit disappointed because I feel I probably could have done a little bit better but we were not fast enough today. Second was about the best we could do.”