Suzuka 8 Hours – Honda officially enters the 2018 Suzuka 8 Hours – Used HONDA

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Honda officially commits to the 2018 Suzuka 8 Hours

Suzuka 8 Hours - Honda officially enters the 2018 Suzuka 8 Hours - Used HONDA

Beaten three years in a row at the Suzuka 8 Hours by Yamaha, its factory R1 and its MotoGP and WorldSBK riders, Honda decided to react in 2018. After ten years of absence, the HRC racing department will officially field a CBR1000RR SP2 Fireblade !

Created in 1978, the Suzuka 8 Hours motorcycle endurance event has long been the preserve of Honda, owner of the legendary Japanese eight-shaped track – with the aim of balancing the number of left and right turns. ! – created in 1962 under the leadership of the venerable Soichiro Honda.

  • MNC of July 25, 2015:
  • MNC of August 1, 2016:
  • MNC of July 31, 2017:

Of the 40 editions contested to date, the world number one – in terms of sales of motorized two-wheelers but also in MotoGP this year with Marc Marquez! – amassed 27 wins, against just one for Kawasaki, five for Suzuki and seven for Yamaha, in great form in recent years…

Suzuka 8 Hours - Honda officially enters the 2018 Suzuka 8 Hours - Used HONDA

The Blues have indeed proved unbeatable since the release in 2015 of their last YZF-R1. Determined to defeat the Tokyo giant and its sharp Fireblade (nine successes in eleven years) on their own ground, the Iwata firm did not skimp on the means.

On a factory bike as beautiful as a Grand Prix M1 and almost as powerful, Yamaha did not hesitate to field factory riders of international rank: Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith (Tech3 team) as well as Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark (Yamaha Pata WSBK team).

Suzuka 8 Hours - Honda officially enters the 2018 Suzuka 8 Hours - Used HONDA

Faced with them, the illustrious Honda teams could not do anything: it must be recognized that Musashi RT Harc-Pro and FCC TSR, who nevertheless benefit from the support of the HRC and recruit excellent drivers such as Casey Stoner, Nicky Hayden, Jack Miller, Leon Haslam or Randy de Puniet, were sometimes unlucky, betrayed by mechanics / electronics…

Luck only smiles at the daring, or at least at those who know how to provoke it, Honda has therefore decided to reinvest of-fi-the-ly the Japanese event with their CBR1000RR SP2 lacking success in Motorcycle Endurance like in World Superbike elsewhere…

Suzuka 8 Hours - Honda officially enters the 2018 Suzuka 8 Hours - Used HONDA

By way of training, the Tokyo plant will perform its – big? – return to his national Superbike championship (All Japan Road Race Championship) with his, crowned Japanese champion in 2017 after five years of uninterrupted reign of Katsuyuki Nakasuga on Yamaha R1 !

Note that despite its brilliant domination at the 8H Suzuka, the Yamaha factory failed to match the record for distance covered on the event: as a reminder in 2002, the prestigious duo Colin Edwards and Daijiro Kato had managed to complete 219 towers at the controls of their VTR1000SPW…

Suzuka 8 Hours - Honda officially enters the 2018 Suzuka 8 Hours - Used HONDA

This leads us to a final question: who will pilot the official Fireblade at Suzuka on July 29? Fans of the brand naturally dream of seeing Marc Marquez ride … Unfortunately, the holding of the Czech Republic Grand Prix in Brno the following weekend (3-5 August) reduces to nothing the chances of seeing the MotoGP champion ride..

The riders of the Honda Red Bull Honda team, on the other hand, will be on – very – long vacation … The Englishman Leon Camier, the American Jack Gagne and the Japanese Takumi Takahashi would form an international and interesting crew for the HRC. A dream crew for the "Power of Dreams" brand? Case to follow on MNC: stay connected !

Statements from the big bosses

Katsuhide Moriyama, Honda Communication Director:
“By taking on this prestigious challenge as a factory team, Honda seeks to showcase its riders and staff. Honda will strive to meet the expectations of all motorsport enthusiasts and look forward to supporting the team. of the HRC ".

Yoshishige Nomura, President of Honda Racing Corporation:
"For the first time in ten years, Honda will enter as a factory team in the JRR JSB1000 category (Superbike category of the Japanese championship, Editor’s note), the pinnacle of road racing in Japan, during a 2018 season more intense with 13 races in 9 events, as well as at the 8 Hours of Suzuka, an extremely difficult race. The HRC team, "challenger" (Vs the triple winner Yamaha, Editor’s note), will work in a united manner and will aim for the victory. We look forward to the support of our fans. ".

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