Suzuka 8 Hours

History

The race began in 1978 as a race for prototype Tourist Trophy Formula One (TT-F1) motorcycles which meant the big four Japanese companies (Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha), who had unlimited engineering resources, could use them on the track.

Throughout the years, the race had gone through several rule changes in accordance to the FIM, including the restriction to 750cc for F1 bikes.

One major change for the race came in 1993. Due to the high popularity of Superbike racing, which had been a support class in previous 8 Hours races, the race now centered on superbikes. The Formula One class, which at the time was the pinnacle of the race, would be removed altogether. Another category included in the race is the Naked class (for motorcycles without fairings - similar to the streetfighter bikes).

At the event's peak during the 1980s, the race attracted in excess of 130,000 spectators while presently it attracts a crowd around 85,000. The record attendance figure is 160,000 in 1990. The race is part of the FIM Endurance World Championship for motorcycles and with the exception of 2005, due to the high importance the big four Japanese manufacturers place on the race, the governing bodies set a race date that avoids conflict with any of the other major championship races.

Star riders

A main attraction of the Suzuka 8 Hours race is that it usually features international star riders from MotoGP and SBK alike. It is not uncommon for participating riders to have the 8 Hours race written into their contracts upon acquiring a factory ride in MotoGP or Superbike. Also based on their performance history in their respective class during the season, the riders will usually negotiate to have the requirement of racing future 8 Hours races removed from their contract. Most high-level riders often skip the Suzuka 8 Hours because it breaks up their mid-season momentum and is physically draining. Michael Doohan is an example of one such rider who raced the 8 Hours early in his career but had his contractual obligations to the race there removed following his significant success in the 500cc Grand Prix motorcycle class, later known as MotoGP.

On the other hand, high-level Japanese riders return for the Suzuka 8 Hours annually as it is regarded by the Japanese as one of the biggest motorsport events on the calendar in Japan. As the Suzuka 8 Hours is part of the FIM World Endurance Racing Championship, its priority on the international calendar, along with the off-weeks in the FIM calendar, makes this race one of the most crucial on the schedule.

From 2003 to 2013, during which MotoGP had a Laguna Seca round, race winners had almost been exclusively Japanese, with only an occasional international-level star in the race, primarily since the Laguna Seca round either conflicted with the 8 Hours or was days after the event. From 2002-2014, only World Superbike stars participated in the event, and four European riders have won, with the 2013 three-rider team consisting mostly of European riders.

With the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca discontinued as of 2014, MotoGP stars have once again participated in the race, with Yamaha emerging as the 2015 winners with SBK rider Bradley Smith and MotoGP riders Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Pol Espargaró, the latter of whom was the 2013 Moto2 champion. Double MotoGP champion Casey Stoner also came out of retirement that year to race for Honda, alongside Michael van der Mark and Takumi Takahashi. His team was leading the race until Stoner crashed out when his throttle stuck open, resulting in a fractured tibia and shoulder for the Australian. Espargaró and Nakasuga (now a Yamaha test rider in addition to domestic racing in Japan) repeated the feat in 2016 with Alex Lowes as their third rider. Nakasuga won the race third time in a row in 2017 with Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark, making him the second rider to win three consecutive 8 Hours races, repeating the feat previously achieved by Aaron Slight in the 1990s.

Winners

By manufacturer

References

References

1. West, Phil. "10 reasons to watch the Suzuka 8-hour this weekend". Bennetts UK.
2. "Suzuka Circuit: Race Information". SuzukaCircuit.com.
3. "Official race results".
4. "Official race results".
5. "The Suzuka 8 Hours: An Intense History".