Honda HRC Triumph at Home – Winners of the 46th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours
Honda HRC has once again conquered the iconic Suzuka 8 Hours, securing a spectacular victory at the 46th edition of the endurance classic. The win was delivered by the formidable two-rider team of Takumi Takahashi and Johann Zarco, who withstood immense pressure and extreme heat to take the chequered flag in dominant fashion.
This result marks Honda’s 31st Suzuka 8 Hours victory, further cementing their legacy at their home round of the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC). For Takahashi, it was a record-breaking seventh win, while Zarco celebrated his second Suzuka triumph—an impressive feat considering the duo completed the gruelling race without a third rider.
Starting from pole position, the Honda team fended off a strong challenge from the Yamaha Factory Racing Team, who pushed them throughout the race. Meanwhile, Yoshimura SERT Motul secured third place in a nail-biting finish, narrowly edging out SDG Team HARC-PRO Honda.
“It’s always a good race when you can manage the gap,” said Zarco. “But doing it with just two riders was extremely tough. The heat was intense, recovery time was short, and every stint drained us. There were moments when getting back on the bike felt brutal—but in the end, we maintained a strong pace. The safety car came out twice and shook things up, but we managed to hold the advantage. I’m really thankful to Takumi—he was solid every stint. It motivated me to match his level.”
Zarco added with a smile,
“Spending a week in Suzuka feels like a special kind of holiday—you just have to manage your energy wisely.”
Title Fight Heats Up Heading Into Bol d’Or
Further down the order, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team finished fifth overall and now heads into next month’s season-ending Bol d’Or 24-Hour just one point behind the championship leaders, YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, who suffered a heartbreaking DNF after a crash followed by engine issues.
Sheridan Morais page Battles Illness and Brutal Conditions to Help Motobox Kremer Racing to P22 at Suzuka 8 Hours
Although born in South Africa, Sheridan Morais now races under the Portuguese flag, and at this year’s Suzuka 8 Hours, he faced one of the toughest tests of his endurance racing career.
Flying into Japan late—only on Wednesday—Morais arrived battling a stomach bug that saw him miss Thursday’s crucial Free Practice sessions. His teammates for Motobox Kremer Racing, a tight-knit privateer outfit, handled most of the bike development in his absence. Things didn’t improve much on Friday: Morais was still unwell and missed Q1, only taking part in Q2, and both teammates crashed, including a huge off for Twan Smits. A technical fault capped off what Morais called “a day to forget.”
Saturday gave the riders a breather, with no track time but plenty of fan interactions and pit walks. Morais took the opportunity to rest and begin recovering, just in time for race day.
On Sunday, in true Suzuka fashion, the temperatures were sky-high and the humidity brutal. Smits started the race, avoided drama, and climbed from their qualifying slot up to 28th. Morais’s first stint began well but after 15 laps, the effects of illness and heat took their toll. He collapsed after his stop but returned later for two more stints, much stronger after rehydrating and refueling.
Despite the odds, the team pushed to the end, finishing P22 overall and 16th in the EWC class—a highly respectable result in a 58-bike grid, especially given the uphill battle.
The Motobox Kremer Racing squad may be small, but they performed admirably against some of the biggest and best factory teams in the world. While the top teams had access to one-off, factory-spec Bridgestone tyres, Morais and his teammates raced on customer-spec Dunlops typically used in regional championships.
“It was really difficult to compete with the guys on the factory Bridgestones,” said Morais. “We were on customer Dunlops and doing our best, but those Bridgestones are in another league. Suzuka is a spectacular event to witness but a tough one to race if you’re not on the right tyres. It’s a love-hate thing—but I’m super proud of my teammates and our crew. They worked their hands to the bone, and we gave it everything.”
A gritty performance by a privateer team in one of the most prestigious endurance races on the calendar.
Dunlop Makes History in Superstock
In the Superstock class, Team Étoile stormed to victory from pole, marking Dunlop’s first-ever FIM Endurance World Cup win as a sole tyre supplier. They were followed home by the TONE 4413 EVA 02 BMW squad in second and Revo-M2 Aprilia in third. The Superstock title race remains wide open, as Team Étoile now head into the Bol d’Or tied on points with National Motos Honda FMA, who were forced to retire after a crash.
Honda’s dominant performance at Suzuka proves yet again why the 8 Hours remains one of the most prestigious and emotionally charged races in global endurance racing. With just one round remaining, all eyes now turn to the legendary Bol d’Or as the title battles reach a boiling point.
📸 Photo credits: FIM EWC / Suzuka 8 Hours / Honda Racing / BMW Motorsport