Suzuka 8 Hours (7h): Honda and Yamaha battle it out, BMW on course for the podium!

After five hours of racing, Honda HRC remained in control of proceedings. Takumi Takahashi led the field after Jonathan Rea had previously completed another flawless stint on the number 30 Fireblade.

In second place was the Yamaha works team. Andrea Locatelli had taken over the No. 21 R1 and benefited from his team-mate Jack Miller’s strong comeback. Naomichi Uramoto held on to third place on the AutoRace Ube Racing Team’s BMW M1000RR and had good reason to hope for a podium finish.

Behind them, a thrilling duel broke out between the BMW works team and defending champions YART. In the battle for the World Endurance Championship, every position was of great importance, as BMW needed to reduce the gap to the championship leader at Suzuka to keep their title hopes alive ahead of the season finale.

As the race progressed, the Suzuka Circuit dried out increasingly. In many places, a dry racing line had already formed, meaning conditions changed lap by lap.

Jack Miller was hot on the heels of Jonathan Rea!

Around two hours before the end of the race, Jack Miller took over the factory Yamaha from Andrea Locatelli. After his stint, the Italian reported that the conditions had become increasingly difficult to gauge. As the ideal racing line dried out more and more, it had become increasingly difficult to establish a consistent feel for the bike.

After the pit stop, the factory Yamaha rejoined the race in third place. At the front, Honda HRC continued to hold the lead ahead of the AutoRace Ube Racing Team.

With 1 hour 56 minutes remaining, the leading Honda, number 30, pulled into the pits. Takumi Takahashi handed the works Fireblade over to Jonathan Rea. The second-placed AutoRace Ube Racing Team followed suit on the same lap. Naomichi Uramoto finished his stint before Sylvain Guintoli took over the BMW M1000RR with start number 76.

A good hour and a half before the end of the race, Jonathan Rea was comfortably leading the field on the works Honda. His lead over Jack Miller, who was closing the gap rapidly, was initially a good 26 seconds. A further 45 seconds behind, Sylvain Guintoli held on to third place on the AutoRace Ube Racing Team’s BMW, ahead of Leandro Mercado on the YART Yamaha. The BMW works team also still had hopes of a podium finish: Michael van der Mark was within striking distance in fifth place.

Jack Miller brachte das Yamaha-Werksteam auf die zweite Position

Foto: FIM EWC

A few laps later, however, Honda HRC’s lead began to dwindle. Miller was the faster rider in a head-to-head battle and reduced the gap to Jonathan Rea to just 18 seconds with around 90 minutes remaining in the race.

BMW duel for third place: AutoRace Ube vs. BMW Endurance

The AutoRace Ube Racing Team, on the other hand, could no longer keep up with the pace of the two Japanese works teams, lost touch with the leaders and became embroiled in a three-way battle with YART and BMW. The battle for third place was just as thrilling as the fight for victory.

In the pit lane, some teams were already preparing dry-weather tyres. However, occasional showers prevented the switch to slicks. Jonathan Rea responded to Jack Miller’s strong lap times and maintained a lead of a good 17 seconds.

Just over an hour before the end of the race, Michael van der Mark was within striking distance of his team-mate Sylvain Guintoli. The two BMW teams were battling for the final place on the podium. The outcome would be decided in the final hour of the Suzuka 8 Hours.