BMW Motorrad edges Yamaha in Suzuka 8-Hour testing

BMW World Endurance Team set the pace across a weather-hit two-day Suzuka 8-Hour test, narrowly topping Jack Miller’s Yamaha Racing Team after dry running gave way to rain on Wednesday

Suzuka’s latest pre-race test unfolded in two very different chapters, with a full day of dry running on Tuesday followed by a wet and largely disrupted Wednesday. When the times were combined, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team emerged on top.

Tuesday delivered ideal conditions from start to finish, and the pace sharpened steadily through all five sessions. By day’s end it was Yamaha Factory Racing Team leading the way with a 2:04.920, set on the final outing. BMW was right there, just 0.178s behind, while Honda HRC ended the day third, 0.577s off the benchmark.

YART Yamaha Official EWC Team and Elf Marc VDS Racing Team completed the top five, while Yoshimura SERT Motul and Astemo Pro Honda SI Racing were also within a second of the fastest time. In all, 10 teams broke into the 2:06 bracket or better, underlining how closely matched the EWC field looked in dry conditions.

Wednesday morning started much the same way, with dry track time allowing another burst of quick laps before the weather turned. This time BMW hit the front, posting a 2:04.680 in the opening session, the quickest lap of the entire two-day test.

F.C.C. TSR Honda France was next, 0.450s in arrears, with YART Yamaha Official EWC Team another fraction back at 0.533s. Honda HRC, SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda and Yamaha Factory Racing Team were all tightly grouped just behind.

But around midday, the rain arrived and changed the picture completely. From the third session onward, lap times blew out from the low 2:05s and 2:06s to beyond 2:18, with some teams slipping into the 2:30s. The final three sessions were run in wet conditions, and with no realistic chance of improving, the pecking order stayed exactly as it had been set during the dry morning.

In the end, BMW’s early Wednesday flyer stood as the best time of the test, with the weather ensuring the decisive laps had all been done before the clouds rolled over Suzuka.

2026 SUZUKA 8-HOUR COMBINED TEST TIMES