Jonathan Rea on top in Suzuka qualifying: can only rain stop Honda?

The Honda works team heads into Saturday’s 8 Hours of Suzuka as the leader in the combined qualifying standings. Thanks to Jonathan Rea’s fabulous lap of 2:04.422 minutes and a strong performance from Takumi Takahashi, the works team narrowly edged out the BMW works team with an average time of 2:04.738 minutes. The margin was just 0.075 seconds.

Whilst Rea shone as the fastest rider of the whole of Friday with his lap, record winner Takumi Takahashi was his usual reserved self after qualifying. “Looking at the week so far, all three riders are performing at a similar level. Of course there are differences, but overall the team is working very well together,” said the Japanese rider.

However, the seven-time winner of the Suzuka 8 Hours is not entirely satisfied. “I can’t say I’m completely satisfied, because every year there are things we can improve on.” Although Friday’s high temperatures had presented the team with new challenges, the fast lap times had almost come naturally.

Takahashi, on the other hand, does not attach too much importance to Saturday’s top-10 qualifying session. “Of course, it’s better to be at the front. But whether we start from third or fifth place doesn’t make much difference in the race anyway.” What will be far more decisive, he says, is who delivers the most consistent performance over the eight hours on Sunday.

Auch im Nassen fühlt sich Jonathan Rea konkurrenzfähig

Foto: FIM EWC

With regard to the weather forecasts, Honda HRC also considers itself well prepared. “At the moment, it looks like there’s a high probability of rain. But I think all three riders are competitive in the wet as well. If we at Honda HRC do our job, the results will follow.”

Jonathan Rea the fastest rider of the day

Jonathan Rea impressively underlined his role as a key figure in the Honda works team with his fastest lap. The six-time Superbike World Champion believes the team is in a strong position regardless of the conditions.

“I’d prefer to ride on a dry track. But we’re well placed in the wet too, because Takumi is very quick in the rain. Chantra was also quick in wet conditions, and so was I. That’s why I think we’re well prepared, whatever the weather.”

Jonathan Rea

Foto: FIM EWC

For Rea, the outcome of this endurance classic won’t be decided by sheer speed anyway. “I believe this year’s Suzuka 8 Hours will be won by the team that makes the fewest mistakes, remains consistent and has no problems. I’ll try to draw on all my experience, stay calm and ride consistently.”

Somkiat Chantra is closing the gap

Somkiat Chantra also took another step forward on Friday. The last-minute replacement for the injured Johann Zarco improved his personal best time in the second qualifying session to 2:05.465 minutes and expressed satisfaction with his progress.

“Before Suzuka, I’d only done one test here. So this is practically only my second time on this circuit,” explained the Thai rider. “I’m really pleased that I’ve been able to improve steadily over the past few days.”

Chantra was particularly full of praise for the work of the factory team. “The team is brilliant. Everyone is like a family and gives me a lot of peace of mind. The bike is very well set up, and the electronics are working perfectly. I hardly had to change a thing; I was able to get straight out on track and the lap times just came naturally.”

Combined results of the two qualifying sessions:

1. Honda HRC (Rea, Takahashi, Chantra) – 2:04.738 minutes

2. BMW (Reiterberger, Odendaal, van der Mark) +0.075 seconds

3. Marc VDS Yamaha (De Puniet, Marino, Delbianco) +0.222

4. YART (Hanika, Fritz, Mercado) +0.431

5. Yamaha (Nakasuga, Miller, Locatelli) +0.458

6. F.C.C. TSR Honda (Techer, Perolari, McPhee) +0.583

7. Atemo Pro Honda (Nozane, Hada, Arakawa) +0.585

8. SERT (Black, Linfoot, Atsumi) +0.621

9. AutoRace Ube BMW (Uramoto, Guintoli, Ponsson) +0.723

10. SDG Team HARC-Pro Honda (Kunii, Nagoe, Abe) +1.113