Aussies Impress at Suzuka 8-Hour Pre-event Test

Miller happy with pace despite ‘completely foreign’ R1, O’Halloran sets fastest time for YART

Yamaha’s factory squads—the Yamaha Racing Team (YRT) and Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team (YART)—delivered an impressive showing at the official 2025 Suzuka 8 Hours pre-event test on July 30, finishing second and third respectively in the combined standings across five intense sessions at the legendary Suzuka Circuit.

While the “Coca-Cola” Suzuka 8 Hours always brings excitement, the 46th edition carries extra significance: YRT and YART are competing under matching Yamaha 70th Anniversary liveries, honoring the brand’s rich racing history and celebrating seven decades of global motorsport achievement.

As YRT returned to full-factory competition at Suzuka for the first time since 2019, and YART pursued its first-ever victory at the Japanese classic, the pre-race test provided crucial setup progress, race simulations, and confidence-building performances—all under the sweltering summer heat.

Jack Miller – Adapting Fast on His Suzuka Debut

MotoGP rider Jack Miller gelled quickly with his YZF-R1, teaming up with Andrea Locatelli and Katsuyuki Nakasuga to bring YRT to second overall with a best lap of 2’05.981 in Session 4.

“It was nice to get back in the swing of things on the R1. You know, you think that you have become comfortable with it, but then you ride the M1 for a few weeks, and you come back to the R1, and it feels completely foreign again. But it was a positive day for us – all the boys are going very well, and I think that in general our pace is really good. The track was in decent condition. We are now getting used to riding with a lot of traffic on the track, but this is a part of Suzuka 8 Hours. Like I said, we’re just getting used to everything again.”

Andrea Locatelli – “We Try to Keep Going This Way”

Locatelli enjoyed his first full day back on Japanese soil, producing consistent lap times and finishing all sessions strongly.

“First day back in Japan, and I was quite happy riding the bike again – we did a good job today. Unlike the test, we now also need to deal with the traffic on track, but this was a good learning experience and a good opportunity to prepare for the race. We also set a good lap time, so I’m quite happy with everything, and let’s see. For the race weekend, I think we can be faster and fight for the win – we need to trust in this. We will see, but at the moment it looks like everything is working really well. We are quite happy, and all three of us are doing well. So, we try to keep going this way and enjoy this special summer in Suzuka.”

Katsuyuki Nakasuga – Regaining Rhythm, Leading with Experience

Yamaha veteran and Suzuka legend Katsuyuki Nakasuga used the test productively to regain rhythm after a previous test crash kept him from track time.

“We’ve finally entered race week. Today’s riding session ran from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., making for a long day at the track. In the hot conditions, we were able to ride consistently and gain valuable insight into how the bike performs in high temperatures. Just like the previous test, it turned out to be a very productive day. Personally, I had a crash during the previous test, which limited my time on the bike. That’s why today, I focused on checking my physical condition and regaining a consistent riding rhythm throughout the day. Being able to confirm both was a significant step forward for me. The other two riders on the team were also riding very well, which gives me a strong sense of confidence. I’m committed to improving my base lap time even further and, together with the team, I want to give everything we’ve got to fight through race week. Ultimately, our goal is to achieve a strong result in the race and aim for the top as a united team. We’ll continue preparing together to make that happen.”

Jason O’Halloran – Best Time for YART

Australian rider Jason O’Halloran delivered YART’s fastest lap of the day—2’06.489 in Session 5—securing third overall for the EWC points leaders.

“Today was a good day. We improved the feeling on the bike and the lap time from the test. I had a really good last run. My fastest lap here is a 2’06.4s, which is quite good, and I really enjoyed it. We have a ‘day off’ tomorrow, and then we come back and start the race week preparations. I think we’re in a good place – all three of us are quite fast. I’m looking forward to the next few days.”

Karel Hanika – “We Definitely Made a Step Forward”

Hanika was pleased with the team’s setup direction and used the session to evaluate updates implemented since their June test.

“I think it was a good day overall. We did quite a few laps, and we compared some things to what we did during the test we did here in June. We definitely made a step forward because the feeling was better, so I’m pretty happy about that. The team did a very good job, and I’m happy I did one long run, at least, because today that was quite tricky with all the red flags. The race pace was also quite decent, so very happy about that. For sure, there are still a few things to work on for Friday, Saturday, and mainly the race on Sunday, but I think we are not far from where we want to be with our pace and with our performance. So, I’m very happy. Good job by my team and teammates, and I’m looking forward to the race weekend.”

Marvin Fritz – Joy in Consistency

Session 1 saw Marvin Fritz lead the timing sheets with a 2’06.630, and by day’s end he remained upbeat with consistent race pace.

“It was a good day. Honestly, we were a bit confused after the test we had here in June, but today every step we made was in the right direction, which was very positive, and at the end, the race pace was quite strong. I did a 2’06.8 for the race pace, and I think it was a second faster than I ever did for the race pace, and the rest of the laps were all low 2’07s. Of course, we were unlucky with the red flag this afternoon. But, overall, we didn’t go for a time attack like the other teams, so we just focused fully on the race pace. Of course, the main target is to beat our main competitors. We are feeling quite confident and happy after today, and I think it’s important to start like this also during the race weekend on Friday.”

Wataru Yoshikawa – Team Manager, Yamaha Racing Team

“We had riding sessions from morning until evening today, under conditions as intense as we can expect from the race day. Fortunately, there were no issues, and all three riders were able to complete their session smoothly. This was our second test with all three riders together. Based on the issues from the previous test and Jack’s feedback, we implemented several improvements and successfully aligned the bike settings. Although there were multiple red flags – and to be honest, we would have liked more time to get further accustomed to the bike – we still feel that we achieved meaningful progress. Looking ahead to the race, we were able to confirm certain scenarios we had anticipated. That said, we do feel that more time is needed. Nevertheless, we are making the most of the time available, and preparations are progressing well. As we move into qualifying and the final race, we’ll need to further improve our lap times. In particular, we’ll continue working hard to ensure we can deliver strong lap times in qualifying. Each rider possesses a high level of skill, and we have full confidence in them.”

Mandy Kainz – Team Manager, YART

“It was a quite positive day. I think we found finally the right direction for our bike, and made a better tyre choice, and we had no problems all day. We just concentrated on the race pace, and I think we found a very good way. I think we are ready for the race event. We had many, many red flags today. But finally, we could make our full programme, and every rider completed a long run. It was a positive day. I think also the riders are now very happy and motivated. They’re ready to fight.”

With the test concluded and Yamaha’s squads performing at the sharp end, expectations are high for a strong showing at the 2025 Suzuka 8 Hours. Backed by a rider lineup rich in Grand Prix, World Superbike, and domestic endurance experience, and now boasting technical cohesion and pace, both YRT and YART will enter race week confident in their pursuit of Suzuka glory.

SUZUKA 8-HOUR PRE-EVENT TEST TIMES