Honda takes Suzuka pole, rain chaos looms: will the balance of power shift?

Honda HRC goes into the 47th edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours as the favourite. As Saturday’s Top 10 Trial was called off due to rain, the starting grid was determined based on Friday’s combined qualifying session. This saw the works team, with Jonathan Rea, Takumi Takahashi and Somkiat Chantra, secure pole position ahead of the BMW works team.

Before the decision was made, the teams had completed a 45-minute free practice session on Saturday morning. Takumi Takahashi set the team’s fastest time of 2:06.267 minutes, putting the works team in second place behind BMW. Rain then threw a spanner in the works for the organisers, resulting in the Top 10 Trial being cancelled.

Takahashi’s top priority: avoiding mistakes

Record winner Takahashi is nevertheless looking forward to the race with confidence. “It rained today and the weather forecast for tomorrow remains uncertain. If I had a choice, I’d prefer 35 degrees,” said the Japanese rider with a smile.

In any case, it’s not the weather that matters, but a flawless performance over eight hours. “I have complete faith in my team and my team-mates. They’re both incredible riders. We simply have to give it our all, avoid even the smallest mistakes and see the chequered flag after eight hours. That’s the decisive factor.”

The seven-time winner of the Suzuka 8 Hours is expecting one of the closest battles in recent years. “Many teams are fast – and not just the works teams.” At the same time, Takahashi is relying on his wealth of experience. “I don’t think anyone has raced at Suzuka more often than I have. That’s why I trust my experience and hope I’ve been able to pass it on to the team.”

Cancelling the time trial was the right decision, says Jonathan Rea

Jonathan Rea would also have liked to have tested himself against the competition once more in the Top 10 Trial. The Northern Irishman was the fastest rider of the entire weekend in qualifying with a lap time of 2:04.422 minutes.

“I was really very pleased with my lap yesterday. It wasn’t easy to set that time because of the traffic,” explained the six-time Superbike World Champion. “Of course, it’s a shame that the Top 10 Trial couldn’t go ahead, because I really like this format with a flying lap.” Nevertheless, Rea believes the race organisers made the right decision. “Under these conditions, it was the right decision because it had to be fair for everyone. To be honest, I was a bit nervous about going out in these conditions anyway.”

Rea expects a closely fought battle in the race. “Our rivals are very strong and we have great respect for them, because they have so much experience of a wide variety of situations in endurance racing.” Particularly in changeable conditions, the permanent EWC teams have significantly more experience than the Japanese works teams, who compete exclusively at Suzuka. Most recently, the EWC teams had to cope with very challenging conditions at Spa.

Auch im Nassen fühlt sich Jonathan Rea konkurrenzfähig

Foto: FIM EWC

This year’s Honda works team has never raced in this line-up before. With a twinkle in his eye, Rea described the division of roles within the Honda works team. “If we were characters from the ‘Mr Men’ books, then Takumi would be ‘Mr Talent’, Somkiat ‘Mr Calm’ and I ‘Mr Old’. When we combine all these qualities, we have a really strong overall package.”

Like Takahashi, Rea is also hoping for conditions that remain as consistent as possible. “I’d prefer either a completely dry or a completely wet race. These constantly changing conditions turn everything into a lottery. But whatever happens – I think we’re well prepared.”

Why Chantra is heading into Sunday with confidence

Somkiat Chantra completes the factory team as a last-minute replacement for the injured Johann Zarco. The Thai rider was also optimistic following his steady improvement in performance throughout the week.

“Qualifying showed just how close the field is. At the same time, it also showed me just how strong our team is,” said Chantra. “Tomorrow is what counts. It’s a long race, but we have a very good overall package. The tyres are working well, the bike is fast and the team is strong. That’s why I’m not worried. Now we just need to stay focused and give it our best.”