HRC Secure 4th Straight Suzuka 8-hour Trophy after Hard-Fought Battle

Zarco and Takahashi ride flawlessly in searing heat as Miller and Locatelli impress alongside Nakasuga

In one of the most physically demanding editions of the Suzuka 8 Hours in recent memory, the factory Honda HRC team battled scorching heat, grueling stints, and immense pressure to defend their trophy and rewrite the record books in the process, with Zarco and Takahashi becoming the first two-rider team to conquer the event in almost two decades. Their effort secured a fourth straight victory for HRC, brought Zarco his second Suzuka win, and cemented Takahashi’s status as the event’s most decorated rider.

With the temperature soaring to over 37ºC and heavy trackside humidity at the storied 5.821 km Suzuka Circuit, 55 teams lined up in front of a packed crowd for the 46th running of the Suzuka 8 Hours – Round Three of the 2025 FIM Endurance World Championship. At 11:30 am, the Japanese national flag waved to signal the race start and riders dashed to their bikes in time-honoured 8-Hour tradition.

Honda HRC’s Takumi Takahashi took advantage of pole position to launch the factory CBR1000RR-R SP into the lead, but was almost immediately challenged and passed by #73 Yuki Kunii of SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda. Takahashi latched on behind Kunii and shadowed every move, never letting the gap extend beyond much more than a second, before reclaiming the lead on lap 14.

Behind them, Yamaha Racing Team’s Katsuyuki Nakasuga made a slightly sluggish getaway aboard the squad’s 70th anniversary-liveried R1, taking more time to battle his way into the podium places, while Takahashi took advantage of the clear track in front to pound in fast lap times and pull away from the pack.

By lap 27, Takahashi completed his opening stint and handed off the Honda to Zarco, who joined the race with a 13-second advantage over Yamaha’s Andrea Locatelli. Zarco, composed and immediately on the pace, extended the gap to 15 seconds in just a few laps. The Frenchman’s consistency and outright speed allowed HRC to dictate race conditions from the front, before returning to the pits to hand the bike back to Takahashi on lap 55.

Meanwhile, several early contenders faded from view. O’Halloran was involved in a crash that resulted in a terminal engine issue, ending YART Yamaha’s race early. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Dan Linfoot crashed but was able to remount, and BMW Motorrad’s Michael van der Mark was thrown off after a bizarre crash at pit entry, caused by a loose rearset obstructing the rear wheel.

Just before the halfway mark, at the top of hour four, Zarco swapped back to Takahashi, with a lead of over 40 seconds. As the sun began to dip and the race entered its physically demanding second half, the question arose: would running as a two-man team take its toll? HRC was the only top squad not employing a third rider, exposing Takahashi and Zarco to higher physical stress, shorter recovery time, and more time on track.

Locatelli and Miller sought to press home their extra rider advantage in the middle stints, hammering in 2:07 and even 2:06 laps to start clawing back time on the factory HRC squad, reducing the gap to around 20 seconds. Having refreshed in the team’s refrigerated bath, Miller was on a charge, dispatching backmarkers ruthlessly while dragging his elbows through turns.

The first major curveball came just after lap 139, after a crash at the hairpin triggered a safety car intervention, compressing the field and putting Yamaha back in touch. But upon the restart, Takahashi once again knifed through the S Curves with surgical ruthlessness, while Nakasuga struggled to clear backmarkers with the same efficiency.

A second safety car approaching the seven-hour mark bunched up the field again and gave Yamaha renewed hope, with Takahashi rolling into pit lane for the final time. The HRC crew produced their fastest stop of the race, but Zarco had to wait behind the safety car before rejoining, slotting in behind Locatelli, who had set a new race lap record of 2:06.604 to lead the race by around 15 seconds. For the first time all day, HRC surrendered the physical lead on track.

Yamaha still had to complete their final stop for fuel and a rider change though, and by the time Miller came back out for the final Yamaha Racing Team stint, Zarco had reassumed the race lead again with a commanding advantage in the fading light.

From there, Zarco managed the closing hour like an endurance champion despite hours of physically punishing laps. As he crossed the line at the end of lap 217, Zarco secured his second Suzuka 8 Hours victory 34 seconds ahead of Miller on the factory Yamaha Racing R1. For Takahashi, it was a record-extending seventh career Suzuka victory, and for Honda HRC, a 31st overall win at their home endurance classic — and their fourth in a row.

Returning to Suzuka for the first time since 2019, the Yamaha Racing Team impressed with a strong runner-up finish. In their first-ever Suzuka 8 Hours appearance, Andrea Locatelli and Jack Miller — joined by veteran Katsuyuki Nakasuga — impressed in the brutally hot conditions, with Locatelli set the fastest lap of the race and Miller adapting quickly to the demands of endurance racing. Though ultimately unable to close the gap to Honda, the potential is obvious, with both riders expressing a strong desire to return to the event for another crack at 8-Hour glory.

Yoshimura SERT Motul Suzuki also showed true resilience in securing the final step on the podium. The squad overcame Dan Linfoot’s early crash that could have derailed their entire race strategy. Thanks to rapid recovery work by the team and strong stints from Gregg Black, the #12 Suzuki rebounded into contention with gritty endurance racing spirit. Gregg Black dedicated the team’s third place to Luca Guintoli, the son of his former team-mate Sylvain Guintoli, who passed away during the week.

The BMW teams had a strong showing, with the factory BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team finishing fifth after a dramatic comeback. Markus Reiterberger, Steven Odendaal, and Michael van der Mark recovered from the early crash caused by a loose footpeg to claim vital points — enough to lift them to second in the EWC standings, just one point off the lead heading into the season finale at Le Castellet. The Japan-based AutoRace Ube Racing Team, featuring Naomichi Uramoto, Loris Baz, and Davey Todd, also delivered a solid performance, finishing sixth.

BMW’s success extended to the Superstock class, where Team Étoile claimed victory ahead of the TONE Team 4413 EVA 02 BMW, repeating last year’s one-two finish. Team Étoile now shares the lead in the Superstock World Cup standings.

Of the other Aussies in the race, Max Stauffer took an impressive 13th place finish for Team Kodama, six laps down on the leaders, while Josh Brookes endured a tough race with the Honda Dream RT Sakurai Honda team, ultimately coming home in 34th after falling 32 laps behind the front runners.