Honda HRC Takes Suzuka 8 Hours Victory
H
onda HRC claimed victory in
the 47th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8
Hours on Sunday, July 5, over
-
coming mixed weather condi-
tions to win Japan's premier
endurance race for the fifth
consecutive year. The race was
brought to an early conclusion
under safety-car conditions
after heavy rain made the circuit
unsafe, with the factory Honda
team declared the winner after
completing 188 laps.
The number 30 Honda
CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP
piloted by Jonathan Rea and
Takumi Takahashi (with Somkiat
Chantra as the reserve rider) led
much of the race after inheriting
pole position when Saturday's
Top 10 Trial was canceled due to
wet weather. Friday's qualifying
times therefore determined the
starting order.
Although conditions remained
dry for the opening stages,
intermittent showers throughout
the afternoon forced teams to
continually adapt their tire and
pit strategies. As rain intensified
during the closing stages, race
control deployed the safety car
before eventually ending the
race early.
Yamaha Factory Racing Team
(Andrea Locatelli, Jack Miller
and Katsuyuki Nakasuga) fin
-
ished second after remaining in
contention throughout the nearly
eight-hour contest. The Yamaha
squad kept pressure on the lead-
ers during the middle portion of
the race but was ultimately un-
able to close the gap before the
weather intervention.
BMW Motorrad World Endur
-
ance Team (Markus Reiterberg-
er, Steven Odendaal and Sylvain
Guintoli) completed the podium
in third, earning the German
manufacturer its first Suzuka 8
Hours podium finish after a con
-
sistent and trouble-free ride.
For Takahashi, the victory
was his record-extending eighth
overall Suzuka 8 Hours win,
further cementing his status
as the event's most successful
rider. Rea added another Suzuka
triumph to his resume, while
Chantra celebrated victory in his
first appearance with Honda's
factory endurance squad after
joining the lineup in place of the
injured Johann Zarco.
With victory on home soil,
Honda extended both its recent
dominance of the event and its
all-time record to 32 Suzuka 8
Hours wins.
CN
WIND
IN THE
P66
Jonathan Rea and Takumi
Takahashi (center left and
center right) took a wet
and treacherous Suzuka
8 Hours win with Chantra
(right) as the reserve rider.
